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I’ve had the privilege to live and travel overseas for the past six years. While my life abroad is exciting, I miss having a dog. But at the same time, I can’t imagine giving up my globe-trotting adventures. About two years ago, I was researching ways to save money on travel, when I came across the perfect solution: international dogsitting.

International dogsitting — the basics

The general idea is that I care for a person’s dog(s), in exchange for a free home in an exciting foreign destination. It’s the ideal opportunity to combine my passion for travel with my love of man’s best friend. Plus, it saves me a whole lot of money on accommodation costs.

I got started by registering with a petsitting website and was soon contacted by an English woman living in Turkey who invited me to care for her dogs for a couple of weeks. After an unbelievable stay in her mountain village home and taking countless hikes with the three amazing pooches, I was hooked.

Favorite experiences with international dogsitting

So far, I’ve had the pleasure of petsitting dogs in three European countries. I’m currently enjoying 7 weeks rent free in a quaint Italian hamlet in the heart of Tuscany. It’s all thanks to Ivy the German Shepherd Dog, who is currently dozing at my feet. The two of us spend our mornings roaming the local vineyards and enjoying the Tuscan scenery.

My favorite dogsitting experiences have been in sunny southern Turkey. All of the dogs I’ve cared for there are rescues, many of them with sad backstories. While they now live amazing lives and are spoiled rotten, some of them have behavior issues. It can take time and patience to bond with them, but when I do it’s very rewarding.

What I’ve learned from dogsitting abroad 

International petsitting has become my preferred type of travel. It has taken me to places I didn’t even know existed and connected me with amazing people — and dogs. I constantly feel like I’m simultaneously at home and exploring the world.

After a long day of sightseeing, I get to come home and be greeted by animals who are very happy to see me. It’s the perfect balance of adventure and comfort.

At first, I didn’t realize that dogsitting can be a lot of work. It’s important to consider how much time it takes to care for the dogs each day. Some dogs have strict schedules with frequent walks and feedings, while others may require medications or special creams.

It may seem like a lot sometimes, but remember that, because of you, a dog gets to stay in his or her familiar home and enjoy human company.

Full disclosure: You will end up falling in love with these dogs, and saying goodbye can be tough. However, it’s usually only a temporary separation, as the pet parents nearly always invite you back.

How to get started as an international dogsitter

Petsitting can take you anywhere from a beachside bungalow in Thailand with a pair of Labs to a central apartment in downtown London with an energetic mutt. But before you buy your plane ticket, you have to find these opportunities.

There are three major petsitting websites: Trusted Housesitters, Mind My House and Nomador. The first two primarily feature listings in the UK, while the third mostly offers petsits in France. However, you will find assignments all around the world through all of the sites.

Each site charges an annual membership fee, but it’s a fraction of the cost of what you’d spend on hotels wherever you go on vacation. Thanks to these sites, I’ve saved tens of thousands of dollars on living expenses over the past two years. 

Pro tips for international dogsitters

• Get references from people you’ve petsat for. Even if it was just letting your neighbor’s dog out to pee when she had to work late, a vote of confidence from a petowner will help build your credibility.
• And get external references from employers or landlords. People are taking a big leap of faith in you, so do your best to show them that you’re responsible. 
• Add photos of you with dogs. Whether they’re your pets or a friend’s, this is visual proof for the owner that you’re an animal lover. 
• When you write your bio, don’t forget to mention how much you love dogs. Sometimes people carry on about their love of travel and neglect to say that they love canine company in equal measure. 
• Whenever you message a homeowner, include their dog’s name. This shows them that you’ve actually read their listing.

Thumbnail: Photography courtesy Laurel Steele.

Read more about dogsitting on Dogster.com:

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When country singer RaeLynn climbs aboard her tour bus, the Type 1 diabetic knows she can count on her German Shepherd Dog to protect her from low blood sugar — and lonely nights. “Jazz has been a lifesaver in so many ways,” the 23-year-old Texas native tells Dogster.

RaeLynn and Jazz: Love at First Sight

His musical name isn’t what you’d expect to see on the tag of a dog whose human opened for Blake Shelton, but according to RaeLynn, 5-year-old Jazz welcomes a little improvisation and lives up to his moniker. “Jazz is pretty laid-back; he kind of goes with the flow,” she explains. The “WildHorse” singer — who shot to fame as a contestant on The Voice in 2012 — brought Jazz home one year ago, just as her husband, Joshua Davis, embarked on a military career that would see the couple separated for months at a time.

Already a pet parent to a Chihuahua named after country legend Dolly Parton, RaeLynn was looking for a bigger dog who could alert her if her blood sugar dropped and help her feel safe no matter where her tour bus is stopped. After connecting with a German Shepherd Dog trainer, RaeLynn was introduced to her future BFF, Jazz. According to the singer, the well-trained dog was looking for a new home, as his first family was moving and couldn’t keep him. “I was just gonna get a new dog, a puppy — maybe a year old. But Jazz was 4 years old when we got him,” she says. “It was definitely a win-win.”

It was also love at first sight. RaeLynn recalls feeling an immediate connection with Jazz, which was thankfully reciprocated. The trainer wanted to make sure Jazz wanted RaeLynn as much as she wanted him, and not only did Jazz fall for RaeLynn but for Joshua and Dolly as well.

“He probably loves my husband more than he loves me,” says the singer, who adds that she didn’t expect Jazz to click with his new Chihuahua sibling quite as much as he does. She recalls an enthusiastic reunion between the two dogs after a particularly busy month of touring saw Dolly take a break from the road at RaeLynn’s mom’s house.

“When I brought Dolly back, Jazz licked her face for 10 minutes,” she says. “He’d missed her so bad!”

Jazz on Tour

Dolly shares a bunk with Jazz on the tour bus, but she’s not the only one who likes sleeping with him. RaeLynn describes Jazz as a comforting, nearly human-sized teddy bear whose one fault is following and (accidentally) tripping her if she gets up for a late-night bathroom break. It’s no accident that he’s also trained to get up if the singer’s blood sugar drops. The first time that happened, Jazz alerted her so early RaeLynn didn’t realize what was happening.

“Jazz woke up and was licking my hand, and I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ I didn’t know if he needed to go potty or what — but then I checked my blood sugar, and it was low.”

While Jazz does accompany RaeLynn to songwriting sessions, he takes a break when she performs for crowds. The singer says Jazz gets nervous when she’s onstage, so he chills out in the bus or the green room while she’s singing. RaeLynn takes extra care to monitor her blood sugar before leaving Jazz to take the stage and feels better knowing he’s with her when the bus pulls out after a performance.

“He makes me so much more confident in the areas that I’m at,” she says. “It’s just like having a piece of home when I’m traveling, and I love that.”

Behind RaeLynn’s songs

After finding fame as a teen on the second season of The Voice, RaeLynn spent years working on her first studio album, WildHorse, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart in 2017.

The singer co-wrote all but one of the songs on the record, including the LP’s first single, “Love Triangle.” The emotional lyrics tell a story of divorce from a child’s perspective and were inspired by the singer’s own childhood.

Fan favorite “Lonely Call” is the second single from the record, released in the summer of 2017. Autobiographical like its predecessor,”Lonely Call” was prompted by the end of a romance in the age of smartphones. The breakup ballad has a real-life happy ending, as the man who inspired it is now RaeLynn’s husband.

Heather Marcoux is a freelance writer and country music fan. Her dogs, GhostBuster and Marshmallow, are on Instagram as @ghostpets. Heather is on Twitter at @HeatherMarcoux.

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Editor’s note: This article appeared in Dogster magazine. Have you seen the new Dogster print magazine in stores? Or in the waiting room of your vet’s office? Subscribe now to get Dogster magazine delivered straight to you! 

Photography by Heather Weston.

Photography by Heather Weston.

Photography by Heather Weston.

Photography by Heather Weston.

Photography by Heather Weston.