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Hello, I'm Michelle.I'll be the one on your sofa.

I'm a nurse by training and I work from home for a health and safety company in construction, so I'm in the house most of the day. Coco, my standard poodle, comes with me on UK sits.

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Michelle Norton smiling in a garden on a house sit

Warlingham, August

The dogs I've looked after this year

Every dog kept their own routine while I was there.

Coco, a black standard poodle, standing on a grassy bank
Coco, my standard poodle. She comes on UK sits.
Michelle in a red coat beside a grey dog at a waterfall in Washington State
Bellingham, Washington State. A waterfall walk.
Michelle on the sofa with Finn, a border terrier, on her lap
Wye, Kent. Finn on my lap.
Hippo and Tiggy, two wire-haired dachshunds, on Michelle's lap
Marlborough. Hippo and Tiggy in for a cuddle.
Indie, a border collie, wading in a stream under a brick bridge
Kettering. Indie. Show me a collie who doesn't love water.
Michelle on the sofa with Dessi, a black and white spaniel
Havant. Dessi likes to stay close.
Chewie, a vizsla, sitting on a log in a stubble field waiting for a ball to be thrown
Warlingham. Chewie, waiting for the ball.
Thomas, a yellow Labrador, standing in a mud puddle beside a path
Washington, Tyne and Wear. Thomas, 12, who found every mud puddle in the county.
Jackson, a black and white springer, tongue out on the canal towpath
Cambridge. Jackson, who never tired of fetch.
Bernie, an old black dog, on a muddy path
Winster. Bernie, 14 and still loves her walks. The first dog I looked after who pooped like a horse and just kept moving. Picking that up was a skill.

Why I do this

Firstly, it's about the dogs. Getting to know them, their little quirks and habits and routines, how they like the ball thrown, where they like to cuddle in. And then, as the sit progresses, seeing them get to trust you a bit more. Spending time with animals in this way fills me with joy.

The second thing is getting to experience new walks on every sit. Somewhere new to explore, when the dog knows the way and guides me through it. These are the things I most enjoy, both on a new sit and when I return.

The walks have then become a little bit familiar, the dogs become familiar, the houses become familiar, and these have become like my holiday homes around the UK with the best companions ever.

Then there's getting to know more about these pockets of the UK that I would just never have gotten to experience. In Kettering I learnt about the ridge and furrow fields and the medieval fish ponds. At Warlingham, Kings Wood, this beautiful ancient woodland and vast commons. When I started this I thought I would enjoy the rural sits the most, but I've found that I equally enjoy the town sits. They often have infrastructure that makes walking so accessible.

I feel like I have the best job in the world. Thank you for inviting me into your home and your pets' lives.

Different dog, different walk, every month.
Jackson and Coco on the canal towpath at Cambridge in low winter sun

Where I've come from

  • 10 years

    NHS A&E nurse

    Ten years in A&E. I stay calm when something goes wrong and I get on with sorting it.

  • Since 2010

    Airbnb Superhost

    I've hosted guests in my own home since 2010 and I look after other people's Airbnb properties too. I know what a home should look like when someone walks back into it.

  • Now

    Health and safety, construction

    I work from home for a health and safety company in the construction industry. It's a job for someone diligent and pragmatic, and it means I'm around the house most of the day.

  • Always

    Coco's owner

    Walking a dog every day, whatever the weather. Coco makes every home we go into our home, and she and your pets become firm friends.

Day to day, in your home

Michelle cooking at a kitchen counter

I cook

I've become expert at using different appliances.

Michelle pegging white sheets on a washing line in a walled garden at Wye

I keep the house

You come home to it the way you left it.

Coco and one of the dachshunds on their walk at Marlborough

I walk

Every day, whatever the weather. Long ones if your dog is up for it, short ones if they're not.

Michelle in a striped top stroking two horses in a barn at Wye

It's not just dogs

Horses, cats, chickens, whatever lives there gets looked after. I'm quiet company too. No parties, no drama, no difficulties.

“She was very reliable, tidy, organised and self sufficient. Our house and pet were in wonderful hands.”Matthew and May, Warlingham

Want to meet me properly?

Send your dates and we can video call, or I'm always happy to arrange a visit to get to know your pets and routine.

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Your pets stay home. I move in.  
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