The Good, the Bad & the Hairy
Honest sit reports: what delighted us, what unravelled and what followed us home on our socks.
Enter the column ↗Pet-sitting field notes · by Jackie & Jack
The Secret Life
of Pet Sitters.
The good, the bad, the ugly and the very funny—from borrowed homes, peculiar pets and everything nobody thought to mention.
Our recurring columns
The life of a pet sitter,
filed under peculiar.
Follow the bits that make you laugh, the bits that make you wiser—or all of it, from first key handover to the final load of hairy washing.
Cupboard Confidential
The mug, the kitchen and the tiny domestic clues that tell the story of each borrowed home.
Enter the column ↗Red Flags & Wet Noses
The awkward conversations, safety lessons and warning signs we will never ignore twice.
Enter the column ↗Between Feeds
Practical tips discovered in the quiet hours between breakfast, medication and the evening walk.
Enter the column ↗Creature Feature
One unforgettable animal, one peculiar habit and the humans trying their best to keep up.
Enter the column ↗GOOD SITS ✦ BAD SITS ✦ UGLY MOMENTS ✦ FUNNY CREATURES ✦ USEFUL LESSONS ✦
Latest from the field
Notes written
between feeds
Real stories, practical observations and the occasional confession from inside someone else’s kitchen.
All field notes →01
The Good, the Bad & the Hairy · 3 min
Zeus and the open-sofa policy
This Retriever–Labrador cross did not need to wonder which furniture was off limits. The answer was none of it.
↗02
Creature Feature · 4 min
Five months old—and bred for wolves
Irish Wolfhound history is full of wolves, warriors and kings. The puppy in front of us was more interested in walks, couches and staying close to the humans.
↗03
The Good, the Bad & the Hairy · 6 min
Oscar and the retro coffee cups
He never barked at other dogs. He did, however, believe the couch cushions existed for his personal excavation projects.
↗The borrowed coffee-cup collection
Every sit leaves
something behind.
We photograph one coffee cup from every borrowed home. Each cup holds the memory of a pet, a place and something we didn’t know before we arrived.
Oscar’s retro cups · first collection entry∞ more cups to come
FIELD GUIDE 01The Pet Owner
The Pet Owner
Handover Checklist
□ Feeding & medication
□ Home routines
□ Emergency details
□ Departure checklist
EDITABLE · PRINTABLE□ Home routines
□ Emergency details
□ Departure checklist
FIELD GUIDE 02The Pet Sitter
The Pet Sitter
Red-Flag Guide
□ Questions before yes
□ Safety & boundaries
□ Meet-and-greet scorecard
□ Exit plan
EDITABLE · PRINTABLE□ Safety & boundaries
□ Meet-and-greet scorecard
□ Exit plan
Lessons you can download
Fewer surprises.
Better sits.
Our editable checklists turn lived experience into calm, practical conversations—for pet owners and for the people moving into their home.
Browse the guides ↗