Wanda J.

Hello! Bonjour! Buongiorno! Buenos Dias! Guten tag! Woof woof! Miaow!

I love languages! And the people - and animals - who speak them! After all, they are what makes our world wonderful!

My name is Wanda and I live in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador. You've probably never heard of Gander - and probably not even Newfoundland and Labrador! So go ahead now and Google "Come From Away - the true story of Gander on 9/11". You'll see what a wonderful place it is because of its amazing people, who literally invited into their homes almost 8000 strangers whose planes landed in their town of 10,000 residents on 9/11. Part of that story of Gander is about the people who focused on caring for and saving the animals and pets! A zoo in Columbus, United States gave one of their newborn Bonobo apes the name Gander because of what the people did for the baby's mother Unga when she was stranded here during 9/11. To read about this, you can Google "National Post Unga Bonobo ape Gander," and also "Baby Bonobo named for Gander NL." So do you see where I come from? A town whose people open their homes to everyone and care for those people AND their pets. So much like our house/petsitters community. Like I said, people and their pets everywhere make our world beautiful, and the more I travel, the more I discover this to be true!

So a little more about who I am. I'm a single woman in my fifties, and I've been a school teacher for about 25 years. I've lived and taught in a French overseas collectivity as well as in Canada. Because my husband was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and they get relocated like the military do, I have owned, lived in and taken care of my family in five different homes of our own. I've loved living in these various cities and towns. I now rent an apartment because I still don't want to settle in any one place just yet. House/petsitting has become my focus.

When I first heard about house/petsitting a couple of years ago, my first thought was, "Wow! I'm going to do that!" EVERYTHING about it is exciting to me! I LOVE to travel and I want to go everywhere! You've probably already noticed that my passions are people, languages, cultures and foods, and of course traveling so that I can experience all of these. My own 2 children are grown and I am about to retire from teaching, which will leave me free to do this traveling and exploring, and to discover YOUR region of our amazing world. I do want to see the iconic sites - because really, they're iconic for a reason! - but I also want to go off the beaten path and get to know the real towns and cities - the beautiful landscapes, as well as the people, their lifestyles, their customs and their languages. Housesitting is the perfect opportunity to help me do this. And to top it off, I get to spend time with animals. Pets have so much personality! I've discovered this over the years in our own pets - even in the rabbits, hamsters and fish! They're fun! Pets also give us a purpose. And not only do we take care of them, but they take care of us and provide such great company.

So in addition to taking good care of your home, I will also give your pets the love and attention they need. We have had in our homes over the years, dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters and fish; it goes without saying, of course, that as the mom of the family, I was the one taking most care of each of these. Waffles was our friendly, adventurous, always-run-to-visit-the-neighbours Wire Hair Fox Terrier, who was with us for years. There was sweet little loved-to-be-held Pom Pom our hamster, who, every night after everyone else was in bed, would climb up on the door of her cage for me to take her out and pet her for a while. Then there was my daughter's independent yet typical chew-everything-in-the house rabbit Thumper, who chewed the cord and fried my computer yet somehow she herself escaped unscathed! I spent much time feeding, holding, petting - and chasing - Thumper! And I still do all that with Daisy, my daughter's lovable yet temperamental feed-me-now-or-else rabbit, who loves to dig all the dirt out of my potted plants onto the floor and then lie in it! And of course there's large, cuddly, loyal, thinks-he's-a-lapdog Sheepadoodle, Sage, who is never far from me because right from his puppy days, I've given him so much attention - walking him, taking him to the dog park, playing with him and petting him. You can't help but become attached to these adorable creatures. Homes and pets just go together.

I've taken care of other people's pets as well. Most recently, I watch my friend's 2 cats, Kovu and Mia. Mia is really the cuddly one and I end up spending more time with her than I expected.

In addition, I grew up with farm animals so I'm comfortable with them, and I'm used to other animals such as chinchillas, lizards and snakes. I actually really like snakes. When it comes to animals, I've got you covered.

I will be a wonderful sitter for you because I am a mature, responsible mom, grandmother, teacher and person. I have the life experience needed to know who and what is important in life and how to take care of them. I was raised with integrity, and I have developed a great respect for others as well as for myself.

In addition, I have a recent code of conduct and vulnerable sector check.

I very much look forward to meeting you and your pets!

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