Gayna Sandeman | Animal Aunts - The House & Animal Sitters

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Celebrating 38 Years of Animal Aunts: Pet & House Sitting Since 1987

26th June 2025 by

This month, Animal Aunts celebrates 38 years of trusted pet sitting and house sitting across the UK! Founder Gillie McNicol reflects on the journey from a bedroom start-up in 1987 to a nationwide network of 400+ experienced Aunts caring for everything from dogs and cats to alpacas and parrots. Join us as we look back at the milestones, stories, and values that make Animal Aunts the UK’s trusted choice for pet and home care.

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We have used Animal Aunts a number of times since getting our labradoodle 3 years ago and have always been very impressed with the service - from booking an Aunt, to meeting them and introducing our dog and then being able to go away safe in the knowledge that our dog will be well cared for and that our home will be secure.

Our most recent booking was with Aunt Pippa - she was very friendly and amazingly knowledgeable about animals. We had the opportunity to discuss our dog’s general needs, his temperament and routines before we left, as well as to specify how often we wanted updates while we were away. Our dog took to Aunt Pippa immediately and was clearly very comfortable with her which made us leaving him far easier. Aunt Pippa sent us photos and videos on a regular basis and kept in touch which we really appreciated.

When our dog was unexpectedly taken ill, Aunt Pippa was amazing - dealing with the immediate situation and getting advice from the vet. We felt thoroughly reassured that our dog was being well cared for and loved and appreciated the calm and professional approach by Aunt Pippa.

Animal Aunts have always been so good that we cannot imagine leaving our dog with anyone else! Highly recommended.

- Pauline & Derek

I just wanted to say that Animal Aunts and Noel were just about the best things we could have wished for during those first few really difficult weeks. Ben and George were my uncle’s babies and the responsibility of having to care for them was quite overwhelming at first. Animal Aunts acted so quickly and efficiently in finding me someone to look after them and it was a huge relief.

Noel was a lovely, calm and kind presence. He was totally devoted to his job of caring for the dogs. He took them for plenty of walks and spent lots of time just hanging out with them. When we went round it felt that he had already formed a bond with them which was exactly what they needed. The dogs even started losing weight and being a bit better behaved which was a real bonus.

Noel was more than happy to fit in with our slightly uncertain schedule, kept me regularly updated as to how they were doing, made sensible decisions about their care and was welcoming to friends and neighbours who popped round a number of times. I could not recommend him highly enough!

- Sophie

Dear Gillie, I wanted to say a huge thank you so much to wonderful Alex and Steve who yet again, have looked after all my animals and house so well.
To get away is such a big thing for us and I do worry about all the animals, but when I come home the animals are calm and happy and everything is just perfect.
Alex kept me updated with how things are at home and went above and beyond to help with all our animals.
I recommend to all my friends and clients your wonderful company and wonderful caring staff you have.
Once again thank you, please could you pass on my thanks to Steve and Alex... I actually think our rescue Jack Russel - Dave wanted to go home with them when they left!
I totally relaxed on holiday which is what I needed and I did not worry about home with the animals .

- Jess Clare

When friends or colleagues ask if I can recommend a cat sitter they look askance when I encourage them to.use Animal Aunts rather than a random neighbour or £10 a visit pop in cat feeder from a fly by night web based sitting company. I wonder why they bother to ask if they don't realise already that I'm going to put my precious cats' welfare as the highest priority when we go away!

So this is to say how glad I am that I don't have to rely on either of the above. In the middle of July one of our younger cats, Valentina, became seriously ill and had to undergo an operation to remove her left kidney. We had to cancel our main holiday but after much intensive vet care and home nursing she was well enough to consider leaving to spend a few days with a friend in Suffolk. But Valentina still needs to follow a strict regime which would be impossible to ask anyone other than a professional sitter to maintain. Our long relationship with Animal Aunts meant that it was not a problem. Pages of instructions were followed to the letter by Thea Adelin Willow and Elisha Abdelkereem, with regular reassuring pictures. The love these ladies have for our family and their welfare is incredible. We were able to have our desperately needed break and return to four happy cats, and especially Valentina who looks even better than before we left.

We have to go away again this weekend (not for pleasure, but still essential) but knowing that Bernadette Murphy will be with them, and benefitting from being able to communicate with last weekend's aunties for guidance, takes the edge off the disappointment of not being able to be with our babies ourselves.

Animal Aunts totally rock! Thank you SO much! Xx

- Sarah Tyler

Dear Gillie, I wanted to say a huge thank you so much to wonderful Alex and Steve who yet again, have looked after all my animals and house so well.
To get away is such a big thing for us and I do worry about all the animals, but when I come home the animals are calm and happy and everything is just perfect.
Alex kept me updated with how things are at home and went above and beyond to help with all our animals.
I recommend to all my friends and clients your wonderful company and wonderful caring staff you have.
Once again thank you, please could you pass on my thanks to Steve and Alex... I actually think our rescue Jack Russel - Dave wanted to go home with them when they left!
I totally relaxed on holiday which is what I needed and I did not worry about home with the animals .

- Sophie

Gillie thanks so much for arranging for Aunt T to come at such short notice. I was delighted you could find someone to care for our hounds in these strange times. Aunt T completely reassured us by talking through the procedures to reduce any risks associated with Coronavirus. The hounds fell in love with her and we came back to a house that was cleaner than we left, to my shame!

- Emily J

This company is a very professional family company, run by someone who cares about their company at a grass roots level. The people who come into your home are thoroughly vetted and the clients are vetted too. You'd have to use Animal Aunts to understand how well it works. It works really well. We have used them and we were very happy.

- Diane Pengilly

Hello
I wanted to put in writing his amazing Bernadette has been over the last few days. I have been so worried about Bella, and Bernadette has been a great support. She has given generously of her time over three lengthy visits and given me reassuring and helpful updates each time. I have been very grateful to her.
I hope you have a testimonials file and that you can use good feedback to everyone's benefit!

- Sarah T

I just wanted to say thank you for sending Sharon today. We have always had great Aunts and never been let down but Sharon is a real star. Piggy has many medical problems so I worry a lot but within minutes of her arriving I knew She was going to be exceptional. Sharon stayed with her all day gave her all important medication and mailed me to let me know all was well.
So thank you for sending her. Great sense of humour dedicated and a really nice person to boot.
Regards

- Sue, Richard and Piggy

Sorry, this is a much belated note to thank you for arranging Andrew to come and look after Jasper, Alice and Coco while we were away for five weeks this summer. Everything went very smoothly and Andrew was a complete delight. We would have him back any time!

Hope you had a great summer,

- Isabel

Hello Gillie
I just wanted to say a quick thank you for arranging for Katy to come and housesit and look after my animals over the xmas holiday. Katy did an amazing job, it all went like clock-work and I had a completely worry-free break with my family.
A great service, definitely one I would recommend and use again myself in the future.

Best wishes

- Yvonne

I just wanted to say thank you for sending Jane R to look after my cats while I was in hospital. She was brilliant with the cats and did a fantastic job looking after them and the house. I’m sure one or two of the cats would have been quite happy to go home with her.

Many thanks again,

- Sarah H

I just wanted to say thank you so much for sending Kevin and Ben to look after my labrador last week. He is on palliative care and they were absolutely fantastic with him. Although I was a nervous 'first timer', they put me at ease from the moment they arrived and you would barely know they had been in the house for 4 nights. I would not hesitate to recommend them – very lovely, thoughtful house and dog sitters!

- Sheila

I am sorry it has taken me a while to write to you. I'd like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sending one of your Aunts to us to take care of our horses whilst we had a family emergency. We were so delighted with the service you provided and not worrying about the horses during such a difficult time was a relief. We would definitely recommend you to others

- Susan J

I would like to say how pleased I am with the service provided, Jackie W was an excellent choice for us ,came home to find animals happy well looked after and every where spotless, we would certainly recommend Animal Aunts to anyone who needs this type of service.

Thank you very much

- Barbara W

If you want full peace of mind, and the best companionship imaginable for your pet while you are away, call Animal Aunts! I can't recommend this service highly enough.

- Pamela Glitenkamp

Thank you so much for finding such a lovely lady at such short notice for our 3 very different dogs
Jackie was perfect and my sister and I felt at ease and confident as soon as we met her. She dealt superbly with a problem that arose and her quick and competent action saved the problem turning into a life threatening situation
I will most definitely ask for Jackie in the future . Not that I have ever had anything but excellent service from your company thank you

- Edna

We have used Animal Aunts since 2016 to look after our two golden retrievers and a rabbit, and have always found the booking system to be very reliable, the Aunts to be well prepared and excellent with our pets. At times the Aunts have had to deal with unforeseen medical issues with a pet and have handled it very capably indeed. It is an added bonus when we're on holiday that we can relax knowing that our beloved animals, and indeed our house, are in good hands.

- Shelley

Hi good afternoon
I just wanted to say a big thank you. Our Aunts looked after our dogs and fish while we were in Florence. Hugo and Bessie absolutely adore them and we have complete peace of mind every time they come to stay. I try and leave the house as tidy and clean as possible but without fail we come back and the house is cleaner and neater then when we left.

They are just brilliant!! – thanks for introducing us to them

Kind regards

- Joseph

Animal Aunts is a wonderful organisation. I wouldn't trust my beloved animals to anyone else. They provide a highly professional, friendly, sympathetic service which enables those of us with animals to go away without any worries. The aunts are really great people, who will look after your home and your animals so that you can have every confidence that everything will be all right in the aunts' exceptionally capable hands. I strongly recommend them-after many years of fantastic support. I am a fan!

- Kath Woodward

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