We're Hiring: Join the Home From Home Sanctuary Family

After 35+ years of caring for Hertfordshire's pets, we're growing our small, passionate team — and we'd love to hear from you. If you live in or near St Albans, Harpenden, Hatfield, Sandridge or the surrounding villages and your idea of a perfect workday involves muddy paws and wagging tails, please read on.

Home From Home Sanctuary is a family-run pet care business with a simple promise: every animal we look after is treated like one of our own. We're building the kind of team we'd trust with our own pets — and that takes very particular people.

Who we're looking for

Who we're looking for: kind, reliable, calm humans who love animals genuinely and not just on social media. You'll need a full UK driving licence, your own car, a clean DBS (we'll arrange and pay for the check), and the right to work in the UK. Previous professional pet experience is lovely but not essential — willingness to learn and follow our protocols matters more.

You'll be the sort of person who notices the small things: a slight limp, a quieter-than-usual greeting, a water bowl that needs refilling before the owner asks. You'll happily wear waterproofs in February and still smile.

What you'll do

What you'll do: dog walks (solo or small groups of up to 4), drop-in visits to feed and toilet pets while owners are at work, in-home pet sitting, overnight stays, and occasional puppy or small-animal care. Every booking starts with a meet & greet, and you'll always send the owner a photo and update after each visit.

Shifts are flexible. We offer regular weekly rounds, ad-hoc cover and full-day sitting — tell us what works for your life and we'll build a schedule together. Mornings, evenings, weekends and school-holiday cover all welcome.

What we offer

What we offer: fair pay (above national living wage, with mileage), paid training including pet first aid, fully insured work, supportive WhatsApp team chat, regular client base so you build real relationships with the same pets each week, and a manager (hi, Lou) who's done this for three decades and will always have your back.

We also share the joy: photos of happy dogs in your group chat, occasional team walks, and the genuine satisfaction of being the reason a nervous rescue dog finally relaxes.

How to apply

How to apply: send a short message via our Contact page or WhatsApp telling us a bit about you, your availability, and why pet care matters to you. No CV needed at this stage — we'd rather hear your story. Visit our /join-our-team page for the full role details, or just say hello and we'll take it from there.

If you know someone who'd be perfect, please share this post. The best carers always come through word of mouth — and we'd love to meet them.