House sitting stories: Pepper the rescue dog

Meet Pepper, a very good boy who loves treats, belly scratches and chewing stuff. 

A few years ago, Pepper was a resident at a dog shelter in south Sydney (which no longer exists). His owners, Julie and Cam, visited the shelter hoping to find a companion for their family and immediately fell in love with Pepper’s affectionate, energetic and excitable personality. Because he had been at the shelter for quite a while, Pepper was actually due to be put to sleep in the following days. Luckily for Pepper, Julie and Cam brought him home, instead.

All about Pepper

While no one is sure of his exact background or breed, they suspect Pepper is a mix between a Kelpie and a Staffy (with possibly a few other breeds thrown in). He is lean with a salt and pepper coat and has long, pointy ears which are always listening out for treats and invitations onto the couch.

Pepper is fantastic with Julie and Cam’s young kids and just genuinely loves people. Occasionally when he goes for a walk, he can be anxious around cars, trucks, birds and other unfamiliar noises but he loves his home and since being adopted he has well and truly settled in as part of the family.

Finding a house sitter for Pepper

In 2018, Julie and Cam travelled overseas to visit relatives and needed to consider what to do about Pepper’s care while they were gone. They decided it was important for him to feel safe in his regular environment and chose to have a house sitter look after him so he was able to stay in his own home. 

Staying at home in a familiar environment can be particularly important for rescue pets like Pepper, for whom certain changes can induce major anxiety. While Julie and Cam were in Europe, their house sitter was able to care for their home as well as ensure Pepper was happy, healthy and loved. The huge benefit to Pepper was being able to sleep in his own bed, eat his own food and know all the smells and sounds of his own home rather than be placed in an unfamiliar environment where he may feel abandoned again. 

While consistency and familiarity are fantastic for all pets, it is especially important for rescued animals. For them, using a pet sitting service is the perfect solution – because nothing beats sleeping in your own bed! (Or in Pepper’s case, sneaking onto the couch when nobody is watching).