How pet sitting enabled Diana & Paul’s IVF goals - Member's story

Combined members, Diana and Paul, have been on a remarkable journey these past few years. IVF treatment is already very mentally and physically demanding, but even more so when you have to travel halfway across the US to receive it. Add in two precious pups who need an alternative to dog boarding, you’ve got yourself a difficult situation. 

Luckily, Diana and Paul discovered TrustedHousesitters. Here, they share their experience of traveling for IVF treatment, while knowing their pups were being loved and cared for at home.

Pet care in Austin, medical treatment in New York

Home for Diana and Paul is Austin, Texas, where they live with their two pups. So, when they decided to seek IVF treatment in New York City, they wanted to find a pet care solution they could rely on. After posting local ads for sitters, one replied telling them about TrustedHousesitters - and the rest is history!

“Before joining, our pet care consisted of expensive dog boarding which often left our senior dog very anxious and stressed. We also occasionally depended on family members to watch our dogs in our absence. However, neither of these two options allowed our pets to remain in the comfort of their home, which is why TrustedHousesitters was such an appealing option for us.”

Alongside loving in-home pet care, their Combined membership meant they were able to seek out accommodation in a notoriously expensive city. 

“During our first extended trip to New York, the cost of renting a furnished apartment for a month in addition to boarding our dogs back home for several weeks added up quickly. It was going to be impossible for us to sustain this arrangement of paying for furnished apartments in New York, dog boarding for our two dogs in Austin, the mortgage on our home in Austin, and our medical treatments. The TrustedHousesitters platform seemed like a possible solution for our unique situation.”


Not only has it made these trips more affordable, but being pet sitters has provided a huge amount of emotional support for the couple. Plus, it’s helped to reduce the homesickness of being away from their own pooches.

“Undergoing so many medical procedures is incredibly stressful. Doing so in a different state and city is doubly stressful. Coming home to care for adorable pets has been the highlight of our trips and an enormous stress relief. We have gotten incredible emotional support from each of the animals we’ve had the opportunity to pet sit. Being a sitter ourselves helps us to not miss our own pets so deeply, knowing that they are being loved by a pet sitter at our home the same way we are loving the pets we are caring for on our trips.” 

“We appreciate that the platform revolves around trust, honesty, and transparency”

When it comes to finding the perfect pet sitter before each trip, Diana and Paul have found a large pool of people to review and choose from.

“Every time we have posted our listing and home for pet care, we get plenty of applicants. We typically interview the applicants through a quick video call just to make sure that they are a good fit. We have been really lucky in that our dogs have been loved by several different sitters, each of whom has provided amazing care for them and our home.”


Since using TrustedHousesitters, Diana and Paul have become more relaxed with the prospect of opening their home to strangers.

“We feel more comfortable leaving our home for extended amounts of time and not having our home unoccupied. We trust that our pet sitters will take care of both our pets and home, which is a huge relief when we are so far away, focused on our medical care.”

“It has been a phenomenal experience from both sides of the membership”

As well as being able to follow their own goals, their pups have also benefited from their membership!

“The biggest benefit of using a pet sitter for us is that our dogs get to remain in the comfort of their own home. This is especially important for our elder dog Mauzer, who is enjoying his senior years and very much prefers the comforts of home to the stresses of new environments found in a kennel or boarding facility.”


Overall, it’s been a great experience for Diana and Paul, and we’re delighted their membership has meant pursuing their dream of starting a family.

“TrustedHousesitters has allowed us to pursue treatments for infertility in an attempt to grow our family and access care that is not available in our home state. It has provided a safe environment with a sitter in our home, as well as provided us places to stay that are close to the medical facilities where we are pursuing treatments.” 
We wish you all the best with your IVF treatment, Diana and Paul!

If you’re looking for an alternative to dog boarding, check out our blog post all about the pros and cons of alternatives to dog kennels. To hear more inspirational stories from our members, check out Trish’s story and how she discovered pet sitting after recovering from cancer. Or, how Dan & Nancy were able to fulfill their wedding dreams by matching with the perfect dog sitter!