Bringing home owners and house sitters together
Beautiful Central Portugal
Portugal
Pets
- Dog(s)
- Cat(s)
- Chicken(s)
We have 4 affectionate and well behaved dogs, one podengo Milo), a lab cross (Shadow) and a retriever (Rushie). We also have 3 cats (Gina and Timmy who came from England with us) and Nosher (who we found as an abandoned day old kitten). We al
Duration
- Period available: 3 weeks, 2 days
- Starts: 20 April 2024
- Ends: 13 May 2024
About this assignment
Someone who will respect our home as their own, and treat our animals with the love and attention they deserve. You do need to be experienced looking after animals and be prepared to spend time with them. Also, are you flexible? I work with an Animal Association and I have regular additional animals that have been abandoned that I foster until they are reformed...usually cats and kittens.
What responsibilities are required of the house sitter
General upkeep of the house. The animals need to be fed and watered in line with their routine, and the dogs need a good long walk in the forest every day. Don’t worry about getting lost, the dogs know how to get home for their tea!
What are the good features of the property and location
We live in a small, friendly hamlet on the edge of a lovely forest, with miles of walks available. Our house has a large fenced garden which is ideal for the dogs to run and play safely outside. A car is needed to get around, but will be provided, fully insured, by the owners. The hamlet is situated between two small towns, Vila Nove de Poiares and Gois, which both provide supermarkets, chemists etc. A little further away is the lovely old city of Coimbra, with its impressive university.
What does the house sitter need to consider before applying for this assignment
A reasonable level of fitness is required to keep the dogs exercised! Looking after cats dogs and chicken is time consuming and you do need to be prepared for that.
Can I bring my own pets?
No, sorry.
Last updated:
21 August 2023
About this home owner
MindMyHouse member since September 2018
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Testimonials
Enjoy stargazing in Portugal
Lorraine and Martin are wonderful, caring people. They live in the beautiful Portugal mountains. It is very remote but they offered a car for our use. While there are a lot of pets to look after, they are all on a good routine. Each of the animals has its own unique personality and all are easy to love. We enjoyed our time walking with the dogs (and sometimes a cat or two) in the eucalyptus forest next to the house. It's a beautiful place to sit back and enjoy nature.
Sue & Carlos, United States, 26 October, 2023
Remote work with two handfuls of cuddly and happy animals
I miss everyone already! All the dogs are super friendly and will accept any and all pets you have to give. Cats will take their time, but their are just as cuddly. The two hens are the easiest to care for, they have their routine and will give you some eggs every day. The house/property is quite big, so lots of space for everyone and the pool is fantastic to relax (and also very easy to care for). Surrounding area is great for walks, it is super quiet and has fantastic views (even from the pool). Being a remote place, it might be useful to make a run to the nearest supermarket before starting your stay. Lousã and Coimbra are not that far away and could be useful for that but also for sightseeing. Would definitely come back!
Pedro, Portugal, 02 August, 2023
Quiet house with sweet furry companions
It was a pleasure to look after Lorraine and Martin's pets. Even if there are many of them, their routine is super easy and they are all very sweet and well behaved. The house is spacious and comfortable and even if the area is good for exploring, I really enjoyed staying in the house with the animals, reading in the terrace or walking the dogs in the neighbouring forest. Lorraine and Martin were very welcoming and I had the chance of getting to know them a little bit over the dinner we shared on my first night. This was a very easy and relaxing sit and I look forward to looking after such sweet animals again!
Paula, Spain, 02 July, 2023
House and pet sitting
Lorraine and Martin were very welcoming and gave me good instructions for everything I needed to know. Lovely location in the mountains with the woods on the doorstep. The 5 dogs were easy to look after with great characters, will miss them. Chickens and cats no problem to feed, water and keep an eye on. Lots of great places around the area to visit
Susan, United Kingdom, 06 January, 2023
House-sitting doesn't get any better than this
We had the most wonderful time house-sitting for Lorraine and Martin. They were so friendly and accommodating. We feel we have made friends for life and we look forward to sitting for them again in the near future. Their house is a beautiful home and it is located in the picturesque countryside of central Portugal. It is a great location to explore the area but if we are honest, we spent most of our time relaxing in the comfortable house, enjoying the pool and cooking meals for ourselves in their very well equipped kitchen. The dogs are the most loveable characters and a pleasure to mind. They have the most adorable personalities, are very obedient and were great company. The highlights of our day were bringing them on walks in the surrounding forest. The cats mainly keep to their back garden area and all we had to do for them was feed them in the evening in their purpose built house. Lorraine does great work with local animal shelters and we had the pleasure of keeping an eye on three adorable little kittens (their mammy cat did most of the minding). If it wasn't for our further travel plans we would have adopted a kitten as they melted our hearts. There are 5 lovely hens that require almost no minding at all, just locking them in the hen house at night and they will reward you with lovely fresh eggs everyday. Lorraine and Martin have a great system in place for minding the animals and we found it very easy to look after them. They gave great instructions, all food for animals was provided for and they were always available for a call if there were any questions. We were very lucky and are very grateful for having had the opportunity to look after their beautiful home and wonderful animals. Thank you Lorraine and Martin. Elizabeth and John.
Elizabeth, Spain, 24 September, 2022
Dogs cats and chickens sitting
Lorraine and Martin are very friendly and the house is perfect, quiet and very well located. 5 wonderful dogs who the first week were a little scared of my husband because he's a man, then they got used to him. The many cats are on their side and do not meet the dogs much except at the time of the walk when one or two of them accompanied us and shouted on us because they wanted that we slowed down. The hens and the rooster are very well installed. The area is beautiful and we can't wait to go back in December. Thanks Lorraine and Martin.
Aude, 23 October, 2021
Wonderful country homestay with lovely pets
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Lorraine and Martin’s, with their dogs, cats and chickens. The long walks in the adjacent forest, accompanied by 5 dogs and a cat (who thinks he’s a dog), were the highlight of each day. All the pets have distinct personalities and were truly lovely to be with! The use of the car was very helpful for getting groceries, going out to dinner, and visiting the nearby schist villages, although we mostly stuck to home. We loved the peace and quiet. Lorraine and Martin are wonderfully friendly and gave us a great overview of the pet care needed before they left. We definitely want to go back again.
Bill, Portugal, 27 October, 2019
Nature and great pets company.
Lorraine and Martin are wonderful people and our family spent nice days on their property. Our daughter Larissa loved the long walks with the dogs and the cat in the woods near the house. It's a great place to enjoy the nature and to spend some time with lovely pets.
Ricardo, Portugal, 02 September, 2019