Location:   Oxnard, California

Age:   64

Experience:   1 yr 2 mo

Rank:   rate this sitter

About Michael & Shannon Phaneuf:

We are a dynamic duo ! Trustworthy , reliable , dependable. Happily married ( 24 years) , professional couple living in Southern California , we are  in our second year of professional house sitting . We love to travel and explore new areas . Michael is 63 years old with 34+ years of experience in sales for the largest wholesale flower grower in the United States . Shannon is a 55 year old retired nurse with 34 years spent as a hospice nurse ; SNF nurse ; hospital staff nurse and charge nurse for a 14 physician outpatient medical clinic. Shannon is a bit of a Renaissance Woman as she is also a published photographer ( with her photographic artwork being archived on the moon in the Lunar Codex February 2024) ; a porcelain artist ; a China painter ( currently learning oil ); and floral designer. She is also very active in our community and donates her photography services to several non profit groups in our city . We are both active and enjoy daily 5 mile walks or hikes . Michael is an avid bicyclist and yard putterer . We are both non smokers , we are not drinkers and we do not use illicit drugs . We are both very health conscious as Michael is a lung cancer survivor & Shannon is a heart attack survivor. We have 3 married adult kids and 1 grandchild . We currently do not have any pets of our own , but did have a cat & black lab when the kids were young . We both love to putter around in a beautiful garden, especially a flower cutting garden . We love quiet times in a beautiful backyard , especially those with pools/jacuzzi to enjoy . Michael’s job affords him the opportunity to work from home , so home is anywhere with a strong WiFi signal . Much like how we run things in our own home , Shannon runs the day to day tasks when we are house sitting. She maintains the home & pets , with Michael helping where needed . 

Brock & Marcia Davis

Homeowner in Arcata, California

We house & pet sat for a month in Arcata , California while a family traveled to Portugal. We were responsible for caring for a large two story home with extensive woodwork throughout home ( 5 bedroom /2 bath/large chefs kitchen /dining room/large living room /laundry room /family room turned sun room & floral studio . We were responsible for caring for 2 cats & 1 dog , a bull terrier . We were responsible for maintaining a clean home ; managing a continual flow of mail
Deliveries for their business , watering of indoor plants and maintaining an enormous cut flower garden ( the wife is a wedding florist that grows her own flowers for weddings ) . We also oversaw a construction crew that was building a mother in law home on their property while they were away . We sent daily updates & communication about the home construction, as well as daily updates/photos of their pets & flower garden . Shannon was the caretaker responsible for the day to day home maintenance, garden maintenance & pet care and all communication with the homeowners while Michael worked remotely. It was a wonderful experience and we bonded instantly with their pets , especially the dog Walter . We will definitely be house sitting for them again in the future .

** Reference below from email by the homeowner **
When it comes to having an extra hand and watchful eye on your personal home and investments, Mike and Shannon are the friends you never knew ya had. When my family visited my wife’s country last summer, our place, pets and property weren’t a concern at all. Shannon and Mike took care of every last detail and more. They were very considerate of our home and the operations of running it while we were away. They kept a level of communication via texts, calls and even photos of our beloved and goofy dog Walter! Also at the time we had a bit of construction going on with the property and Shannon and Mike communicated and navigated throughout that as well. Coming home after 4 weeks our home was clean tidy and fresh on the eyes. And on top of that my wife’s cutting garden was in good working order, not an easy task caring for all her flowers. All in all they went above and beyond and beyond to make us feel assured our home was in the right hands. When you find yourself in need of a house sitter consider the Phaneufs professional and warm approach!

Respectfully,
Brock S. Davis

Date of Service Jul 22, 2023