FROM dogs and parrots to mice and tarantulas, no creature is too big, too small, or too creepy for pet sitter Sarah Fulton, who is starting her own business after two years without a job.

Sarah, who lives on the Priory estate, Wellington, worked as a cleaner until the coronavirus pandemic left her suffering with ‘long Covid’.

Now, she is planning to enter the gig economy with a micro-business looking after people’s pets in their own homes while they are away or at work.

Sarah told the Wellington Weekly: “I have always loved animals and I wish I could have been a vet but unfortunately I was not clever enough.

“I have masses of experience looking after all sorts of animals. I love them all and I find they just seem to take to me as well.

“I find all animals are interesting but I guess my favourites are dogs, they are an absolute pleasure to look after.” Sarah’s cv includes looking after a tarantula named Lucy, a corn snake called George, and Max the turquoise-fronted Amazon parrot.

“With the tarantula, she used to eat crickets and I would let her walk up and down my arms,” said Sarah.

“The snake lived in a vivarium with a heat lamp and I would hold it and feed it.”

Another parrot Sarah looked after was an African Grey which mimicked the telephone ringing and also knew the names of the owner’s other pets.

Sarah said: “It used to call out the pets’ names, it was just sheer entertainment. I never stopped laughing.”

She is offering to look after pets in the homes of owners rather than to have them stay with her because ‘usually the animal will known their own environment and be a lot happier there’.

Before moving to Wellington 12 years ago, Sarah also lived in Spain for nearly a year and looked after dogs during her time abroad.