Overnight sitting in York
Overnight pet sitting in York, in your own house.
I stay the night in your home and look after your animals there. Nobody travels, nothing gets packed, and the house is lived in while you are away.
Overnight in your home
£50a night
Each extra pet
£25 a night
Bank holidays
Nights start at £60
Walks are included in an overnight dog sit. I usually reply the same day, and I come round to meet everybody before anything is booked.
I’m looking after your house too.
Most people ring me about the animals, then remember the house.
An overnight sit is what it sounds like. I arrive in the evening, I stay at your house overnight, and I am there in the morning. We agree when I arrive and when I leave before the booking, and it goes in your care notes, so there is no vague window to worry about.
You’ll hear from me while you’re away. Regular photos and messages, at a frequency we agree beforehand, so you can see how everybody is getting on without having to ask.
While I am there the post comes off the mat, the bins go out on the right night, the plants get watered and the lights go on and off the way they would if you were home. The nights I hold for you are yours.
It suits you if
- Your dog hates the car, or a cattery would be the worst week of your cat’s year.
- Something needs giving at a set time, or an older animal needs watching.
- You have a dog and a cat who need entirely different things on the same evening.
- You would rather the house was not sitting dark for a fortnight.
Worth knowing before you ask
- I am there overnight and for a good part of the day. How long your animals are happy on their own is something we work out together when I come round, and write down.
- Everything happens at your address. Boarding, daycare and standalone dog walking are the three things I do not take.
- If your dog has ever bitten anyone, do tell me when you first get in touch, so we can work out together what is fair on them.
One night, in order
The same shape every night of a stay.
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Evening, when I arrive
I let myself in the way we agreed when we set the booking up. Whoever is at the door gets a proper hello first, then I put the lights on where you would have them. Post off the mat, bins out on the right night, curtains and heating the way you have them.
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Dinner, walk, garden
Your dog is fed at their usual time and walked, because walks are part of an overnight dog sit. The cat gets food, fresh water and a clean tray. Medication as prescribed, at the times written in the care notes.
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The night
By nine the house has gone quiet and everybody has found their spot. Your dog sleeps where they sleep every other night, and if that is the end of your bed and you are happy with it, that is where they sleep. The cat comes down at some point and sits on whoever is nearest. Then I turn the lamps off and settle down, and I am still there in the morning.
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Morning, and the day you come home
Out into the garden first thing, breakfast on time, medication, water changed, trays done. I have a golden retriever of my own called Skye, so muddy paws and a towel by the back door are an ordinary start to my day. On the last morning the washing up is done, the bed is stripped, the rubbish comes out with me, and your keys come back the way we agreed.
What £50 a night covers
And the things it does not.
Included
- Nights at your house, £50 for one pet
- Feeding, fresh water, litter trays and toilet breaks
- Walks and garden time for dogs
- Medication as prescribed, including injections such as insulin where we have gone through them beforehand
- Post, bins, plants, curtains and heating
- Regular photos and messages, at a frequency we agree
- The house left as I found it
Not included
- Boarding at my house, or daycare
- Dog walking as a standalone booking
- Vet bills, food, litter or medication costs
- Anything not written into the care notes before I start
If someone in and out twice a day would suit you better, that is a drop-in visit, £15 for 30 minutes and £22 for an hour. Cats are often happier with two visits a day and the house to themselves in between. If you are weighing this up against kennels or a cattery, I have written about how they compare.
“Tamara was great with Buster, he was super chilled out and had clearly had a lovely day.”
Verified Rover booking
Keys, security and what happens if
All of it agreed in writing before the first night.
Keys and access
We sort out keys when I come round, and agree how they get back to you afterwards. Your keys and your home are treated as carefully as your animals are. Alarm codes, the stopcock, a sticking back door and the neighbour with a spare key all go in the care notes.
A house that looks lived in
Post comes off the mat. Bins go out and come back in. Lights, curtains and heating follow your normal evening. If a delivery is due or a window has to stay shut, tell me when I come round and it gets written down.
If your pet needs help
In the unlikely event that something needs attention, I’ll contact you as soon as I can. Your vet’s number, your emergency contact, and what you’re happy for me to authorise and up to what cost are written down before you go, and I follow the arrangements we agreed.
More than one pet
The nightly rate covers one pet. Each additional pet is £25 a night, so 1 pet is £50 a night, 2 pets is £75 a night, 3 pets is £100 a night. The same £25 applies on bank-holiday nights.
Overnight stays can usually be booked up to about fifteen miles from York. Because I stay at your home, I can travel further for an overnight booking than I can for daytime visits. There is no travel surcharge. Everywhere I cover is listed with the parking, the terraced streets and the bin days that genuinely change how a visit works.
How the nights get held
Five steps, in this order. I always want to see the house I would be staying in first, so the introductory visit comes before the booking. It is free.
You send me your dates
Dates, postcode, and what animals you have.
We talk it through
Routines, access, and whether I’m the right fit for your animals.
I come to your home
A free introductory visit in the house I’d be staying in, before anything is booked.
We write the care down
Feeding, walks, medication, your vet, and who to contact if something happens.
Pay securely, dates held
Pay through Dapple; the agreed deposit secures the booking.
Questions about overnights
All questions and answersAre you there all night?
Yes. An overnight sit means I stay at your house through the night, in the bed you have said I can use. Arrival and departure times are agreed with you before the booking and written into the care notes, so nobody is guessing.
Is walking my dog extra?
No, walks and garden time are part of an overnight dog sit. Dog walking on its own is the one thing I do not take as a booking by itself.
How do bank holidays work?
Bank-holiday rates apply on official bank holidays in England. Those nights start at £60, with the same £25 per additional pet per night. Which of your nights I am treating as a bank holiday is written down on the quote, before you pay anything.
Could you be looking after someone else’s animals during my booking?
The nights are yours, and I am at your house overnight. During the day I may fit in drop-in visits for other clients, the same way anyone leaves the house to work. What matters is your pet’s routine and how long they are happy on their own, and we agree both of those before the booking.
Tell me which nights you need, and a little about your pets.
I usually reply the same day, and I’ll say straight away if the nights are already gone. If they’re free, we can arrange a free introductory visit at your home so I can meet everyone and learn their routine.