Delightful cottage in the heart of Seattle needs a house and active puppy-lover/sitter for 2-3 weeks (our end date is flexible). You are kind, patient, and love being outside. Your responsibilities would entail:
- Looking after our puppy (a bright, lovable, 11-month-old Lagotto Romagnolo of 29 pounds. This working breed loves to swim and hunt truffles!).*
- Feeding our four chickens and collecting the eggs.**
- Watering the vegetable garden as needed (probably every 2nd or 3rd day).
- Looking after the house as if it were your own (we'll stop the mail/post, but keep the newspaper if you'd like it).
The perks:
- Eating fresh chicken eggs and the produce from the garden.
- Eating outside at the large stone table in the garden.
- Use of our VW Jetta and parking passes giving you access to all national forest and state lands (if you like to hike, swim in mountain lakes, etc.).
- Use of our bicycles.
Seattle is fantastically beautiful in August and September, the best two months of the year to be here. Mountains and mountain lakes are an hour away. The cottage is fairly close to Lake Washington and the Arboretum in Seattle, which means that it's just as easy to go for a swim or a lovely walk as it is to walk to a neighborhood restaurant for brunch or dinner. Downtown Seattle and the Pike Place Market are 20 min away by bus, 5-10 min by car, or min by foot. The neighborhood is very safe for walking at anytime. Grocery shops are a 15 min walk or short drive away.
The cottage is ideal for a couple or a family of four. It has a full bathroom, 1 queen bed, and 2 single beds upstairs (3 separate bedrooms, all small). And downstairs is a 1/2 bath and 1 queen bed (1 bedroom). The kitchen is fully equipped! We use every inch of our cozy cottage. It's filled with books and other items with meaning. It has no television, but we do have WIFI.
_______________
*The puppy needs a long walk and/or a nice long swim session every day. That, combined with a long play sessions with one of his two best friends in the neighborhood, seems to do him in. He goes almost everywhere with us, so he gets lots of other short walks and rides in the car. We usually give him a short walk around the block before going to bed. He's strong and healthy and was just neutered. He's not on any medication, nor does he have special dietary needs. Local laws require leashes and picking up poop. He's used to a 6ft leash for the neighborhood walks and a 20ft lead in areas where more freedom is possible. Being off leash is a favorite and he's quite good at checking-in to make sure we are still there.
He is quite calm, but he loves exercise when it's not too hot. His favorite activities in the neighborhood are 1. Swimming to catch a ball at the street end park just down the hill (4 min drive or 15 min walk). He can do this for hours! 2. Walking through the Arboretum (a safe, shaded and lovely park) to the Visitor Center and back, although he likes going even further when time permits. 3. Playing with his two best friends in the neighborhood for an hour or two almost every day. 4. Visiting the small horse that lives in our neighborhood. Outside of our neighborhood, he loves dog parks, hikes, and going in the trailer behind the bicycle. He remembers all the paths to his favorite places!
He's a very smart, friendly, sweet dog. Today is hot, and he's currently fast asleep with his belly on the coolest bit of floor. He has been and can be alone for 4-5 hours at a time, but he's more used to being in the same space with his owners. He'll ring the bell to go outside, but ideally he'd prefer the door open all the time! He likes to practice his tricks and learn new ones. He's learning to hunt truffles, so finding targets that you've hidden is especially fun! He's a normal dog in terms of barking (and we're trying to teach him to be quiet when one bark is enough.)
_______________
** The chickens need to be fed and watered. We have large containers that we use for water and food, so we just make sure that they have enough every morning. We typically check for eggs late morning and/or early afternoon.