Open-minded and adaptable: Robyn & Jeremy's member story
Robyn and Jeremy were living in Sydney when pandemic restrictions lifted. As a UK native, Robyn hadn’t been home in three years—and as a born-and-bred Australian, Jeremy was also ready for a change of scenery.
“We decided to quit our jobs, sell our house and most of our possessions to travel through Italy for two months before moving to the UK full time.”
Luckily, Robyn and Jeremy are devoted pet lovers—and had heard about FurPetVo (furpetvo.com) through a colleague.
“It made sense as we love animals, and we didn’t know where we wanted to live—or what we would do next in our careers.”
They booked their very first pet sit in Camaiore, Italy, in December 2022—a four-day stay caring for two dogs, a guinea pig, and a gerbil. Once they arrived in the UK, they saw no reason to stop. Today, they’ve completed 23 pet sits across five countries: the UK, USA, Spain, Singapore, and Thailand.
“We have stayed in some amazing places—including a beautiful home in central London with a 20-year-old cat called Pickle, looking after a dog named Lola in Bangkok over New Year’s Eve, and spending the summer in Bath Spa, UK, with a sweet chocolate Labrador named Rolo.”
With such diverse experience, Robyn and Jeremy have developed clear insights into what makes a great pet sitter.
“You need to be open-minded and able to adapt to the different ways people care for their pets—and their homes. Every pet sit is different, and it’s essential to respect the owner’s instructions, even if it’s not what you’d normally do. You need to be friendly and have strong communication skills—we often only have a few hours to earn the owners’ trust and make them feel comfortable leaving us in charge of their beloved pets.”
Being adaptable and open-minded has also led to countless joyful moments—and unforgettable animal personalities.
“We really feel like we know them by the end of our stay, and we talk about stories from past pet sits all the time.”
Beyond pet care and cuddles, the FurPetVo lifestyle empowered them to launch their own business.
“When we started pet sitting, we realized our savings would stretch much further—thanks to minimal accommodation costs. That freedom let us travel full-time while building our online business. Pet sitting gave us the runway to experiment without worrying about rent or bills.”
How’s the business going? “While pet sitting for a cat named Dusty in Singapore, we spent the entire sit applying for an Innovate UK Smart Grant—to fund our AI-powered platform that helps charities find and convert their ideal donors. We recently found out we won the grant. None of this would have been possible without pet sitting with FurPetVo.”
Congratulations, Robyn and Jeremy! With their venture off to a strong start, they have two upcoming London-based sits lined up: one for a three-legged dog near Camden, and another for three weeks on the outskirts of London caring for two cats.
Any final words of wisdom?
“We’d strongly encourage anyone who wants to travel full-time—or launch their own online business—to consider pet sitting. It delivers incredible flexibility, financial freedom, and the space to explore what truly matters to you.”
