Sara's secret to six months of stress-free travel
Sara Young shares her home with her two kids and their beloved 9-year-old pup named Cavendish—or “Cav Dog” for short. With frequent trips to see her partner in Antigua and many other travel plans throughout the year, Sara’s family can end up spending up to six months away from home.
“My boyfriend lives in Antigua in the winter, and my boys and I travel to see him for two months, then back to the UK for two months, and then back out again. We also do a two-month road trip each summer,” Sara explains.
With such a busy travel schedule, Sara needed to find a reliable pet sitter who could take care of Cav Dog—and her home—for extended periods of time.
Cav Dog is a distinguished gentleman: a cool mix of Deerhound, Greyhound, and Saluki. “He loves a long walk and being around people, but he’s also happy to have his own space and lounge around on the sofa,” Sara says. “He thinks he’s human (he’s about as big as one!) and he crosses his paws when he lies down.”
“Everyone who meets him immediately loves him.”
The challenge wasn’t Cav Dog—he’s charming, adaptable, and easygoing—it was finding consistent, trustworthy care for six months out of the year. Initially, Sara relied on family and friends.
“Cav Dog would go and have holidays with them, and they’d work out dropping him off at each other’s houses.”
But as her trips grew longer, shuttling Cav Dog from place to place became increasingly complicated.
“We then had a great lodger who lived with us for a year—this worked really well when we went away. However, when our second baby arrived, we realized having a lodger wasn’t the way forward.”
Next, Sara asked friends of friends to come stay in her home and care for Cav Dog. But things didn’t always go smoothly.
“There were a couple of issues—they ate all our food and left their stuff at our house after the sit.”
Realizing she needed a more formal, professional solution, Sara decided to try a dedicated platform for trusted pet and house sitting.
“I put up a post for a professional house and dog sitter in a local Facebook group, and was immediately flooded with messages saying I should use FurPetVo.”
Sara set up her profile on furpetvo.com, created her listing, and added her upcoming travel dates. She had reservations at first.
“I was a bit unsure whether I’d find someone who would want to come and live in our house for two months. I figured people would be more interested in pet sitting in exotic locations rather than Southampton.”
But she was pleasantly surprised. “That couldn’t have been further from the truth. After speaking to house sitters that we interviewed, I realized that for some people, longer house sits actually work better.”
Sara needn’t have worried—there are always plenty of sitters actively seeking extended stays. And once she got past her initial hesitation, her experience was nothing short of amazing.
- The sitters were fantastic at communicating before, during, and after their stay.
- They left the house exactly as they found it.
- They genuinely enjoyed spending time with Cav Dog—and sent lovely photos of their time together.
“What I loved most was that we got some great photos of Cav Dog with the people that house sat for us, and everything was left exactly as it was found.”
FurPetVo made it easy for Sara to set clear expectations for both home care and pet care—all while ensuring Cav Dog received the love, routine, and attention he’s used to.
“It’s a lot easier to keep things formal and structured when you use a platform like furpetvo.com. You can be clear on your expectations, unlike when a friend is doing you a favor by looking after your house and pet.”
Thanks to the wonderful sitters Cav Dog has met through furpetvo.com, Sara and her family can jet-set around the globe without worrying about leaving him behind—or imposing on friends and family. She sets clear expectations upfront and returns home to a happy, well-cared-for pup and a tidy, welcoming home.
So, what’s next for this digital nomad family?
“We’ll head out to Antigua again for two visits of eight weeks each this winter—and might go to Europe for two months in the summer as well. Our sights are also set on Sardinia next summer, where maybe we’ll swap roles and try our hand at pet sitting!”
FurPetVo made it possible for Sara’s family to maintain their adventurous lifestyle—while keeping Cav Dog safe, happy, and right at home.
