About Us
Are you looking for experienced
pet and property sitters (after September 2024) to give you peace of mind while you’re away? Look no
further! We’re Larry & Laurie Kron, a Canadian couple who grew up with cats,
dogs and other pets. We love to travel and meet new people, which is why we
started home and pet sitting as a way to see more of the world and still get
our pet fix.
We
began ‘sitting’ in May 2005 with a series of sits in California and have been
hooked on travelling, house exchanges, and property sitting ever since. We’ve
completed assignments in various locations across the USA, Canada, Costa Rica,
and even have a future assignment in Denmark! But our most interesting house
exchange was near Disney World, Florida, where we watched over a 100-acre farm
with a 6-foot alligator on site (we checked daily to ensure he was still in his
pond). Talk about an adventure!
We’re
semi-retiring in June of 2024, but we’ll still be working on our own projects.
We’ve had up to 9 of our own vacation rental properties in Ontario and Alberta,
Canada; Florida, USA; and Guanacaste, Costa Rica. We’ve also helped others
purchase dozens of vacation properties across The Americas. Our international
realty experience has led to various appearances at Vrbo conferences, NBC News,
TheStreet, eRealtyLock, and other sources. We’re always looking for ways to
help enjoy the world.
We’re
both healthy, fully vaccinated, non-smokers who enjoy the occasional glass of
wine with dinner. We’re excited to meet you and your furry friends, so please
send us a message!
Laurie is Canadian,
having grown up in various cities across the country. She’s always had a soft
spot for furry friends and has been a proud cat and dog parent for most of her
life. However, now her love for travel has taken her away from home for a few
months every year. Now, when she’s back home, she spends her time pet-sitting
for her neighbours.
Laurie’s
green thumb has taken her gardening skills to faraway lands like Europe,
Central America, and the Southern USA and Canada. She’s even been known to grow
a few exotic plants in her backyard, but don’t worry, they’re all legal!
When
she’s not busy tending to her garden, Laurie works as a home stager with a side
specialty in vacation homes. She’s a creative soul and loves to paint rooms and
rearrange furniture on a whim. But don’t worry, she won’t do that to your place
unless you ask her to!
Laurie
is also a passionate volunteer and loves to help out at various charities by
setting up displays and events. She’s always looking for ways to give back to
her community.
Laurie
and Larry have been proud owners of a country yards that spanned up to 2 acres
of lawn and a garden was up to 1 acre in size. They’re always looking for ways
to make their yard more beautiful and welcoming. Who knows, what project
they’ll work on next year!
Larry is a true
country boy, born and raised on a 25-acre farm an hour west of Toronto, Canada.
He’s had his fair share of chores, from caring for chickens, ducks, pigs, cows,
and even a stocked pond, to looking after cats, dogs, birds (budgies, cockatiels),
and aquarium fish (fresh and salt water). He’s even helped birth a calf and
round up escaped livestock! Larry’s spent over 20 years doing country chores
and has more experience than he ever wanted dealing with pools, hot tubs, wells and sceptic
systems. But hey, at least he knows how to get things done!
Larry’s father owned
a construction company, and Larry himself (half the time under his father’s
supervision) has done it all - drywalling, framing, shingling, tiling, hanging
ceilings, windows, and even plumbing and wiring. These days though, he’s more
apt to manage a 3rd party contractor for anything but the smallest jobs.
Larry
graduated with a computer science diploma and spent the first 9 years of his
career working at Microsoft, where he ended up running much of the support
group in Canada prior to leaving. For the last 20 years, Larry has owned and
worked for various start-ups. Currently, he runs the sales and operations of an
engineering company which he partially owns. Larry’s skills include project
management (for multi-million dollar projects, previously PMI certified) and
has been responsible for budgets up to $100M+. Larry is looking to slow things
down (at least a little) but loves to grow companies, so he will likely stay
involved in some manner.
Larry
is a firm believer in community citizenship and has spent over 10 years serving
on the board of directors for local home care, a hospital, and new
government-sponsored permanent residents to Canada. He’s always looking for
ways to give back to his community.
Home is where the
heart is, and we’ve had the pleasure of calling many places home! From downtown
Toronto to a country estate west of the city, lakeside cottages, a beachside
ocean condo, and even a mountain retreat, we’ve experienced the joys and
tribulations of owning and living in properties across North and Central
America, Europe, Africa, and South East Asia.
We’ve
traveled to 9 provinces and over 30 states in North America and over 30 countries around
the world, gaining experience in a wide variety of homes, climates, and
cultures. We’re always on the lookout for new adventures and new animal friends
of most shapes and sizes (no snakes, Laurie is petrified of snakes)!
If
you’re looking for a mature, reliable, flexible, and very competent couple to
look after your home and pets, then look no further! We’re here to help and
would love to hear from you. Please send us a message and let’s get started!
Best
regards,
Larry
& Laurie |
