Forest retreat with a view. Flexible dates!

About this assignment

Our home is in a relatively rural location, ideal for anyone looking for a quiet retreat away from city noise. This sit involves slow daily walks on dirt/gravel trails (rain or shine) and daily doggy brain/training games at home.

Cortana (aka Tuna) is a very sweet, very smart, and very shy dog. She's not a snuggler and her love language is food, so the best way to bond with her is to run through her extensive arsenal of tricks and treat her generously for each one. She'll often lead you to the kitchen, push a toy into your lap, or offer up a trick at random-- all in hopes of scoring a snack!

Tuna is reactive to dogs (with a threshold of about 10ft) and shy with strangers. She's well-trained and well-routined, so we prefer sitters who can keep her usual daily schedule and let her decide when she's ready for affection. Experience with reactive/sensitive dogs is not required, but it's definitely a plus!

We're happy to welcome solo travelers, couples of any kind, or small groups. Unfortunately we cannot host young children or other pets. We ask that you are a non-smoker, and we especially appreciate those who leave things as they found them.

(Check Cortana out in the MMH news: mindmyhouse.com/community/blog/news/mindmyhouse-news-october-2023)

What responsibilities are required of the house sitter

House/plants/garden:
* Check the mailbox down the road every few days.
* Water indoor plants every week, some twice a week.
* Water outdoor pots and flowerbed, and refill the bird bath as needed (as often as every 3 days in the summer, not necessary in the winter).
* Refill the bird feeder as needed (usually once or twice a week) and bring it in at night if the raccoon squad is in town.

Cortana's daily schedule:
* 7am: Breakfast with a hidden pill, followed by a short bathroom walk on our private trails and a 5-minute training session.
* Nap/putter time: On nice days we like to work on the deck while she guards the bird feeders from chipmunks. On rainy days, or days we commute to the office, she'll sleep and only get up to follow us to the kitchen.
* 4:30pm-ish (3pm-ish in the winter months): Cortana time! Rain or shine, she needs time outside on the local trails or around the neighborhood.
* 6:30pm: Dinner. Cortana eats raw food, which we will have prepped. She'll help clean up (i.e. lick the tupperware clean and hand it to you for a small treat). Trick training and brain games follow.
* 7:30pm: Evening chew in the living room (and she will intensely stare at you if you forget!)
* Bedtime (with a snack, of course). Cortana likes to sleep with us but can be directed to her own bed if you prefer.

Cortana's arthritic, so her walks are slow, meandering, and often paused to listen to the ambient sounds and smell the air. She is not a good hiking buddy. However, she's still very keen and requires mental enrichment to be tired out. Our favorite way to exercise her mind and body is to visit a local park where she can alternatively saunter, sit, sniff, people-watch, and practice some tricks (for treats!) in the distracting environment.

She's a chill and very good girl, so there are no issues leaving her home alone as long as her food schedule is kept and she gets her physical and mental exercise. About 6 hours per day will be fine, and we strongly prefer longer absences do not happen often during a sit. She is very much a companion dog who likes having humans around!

Please note that Cortana is dog-reactive. She cannot go to dog parks or public off-leash hiking areas where other dogs may run up to her, but she is great to take to on-leash parks or trails where there is room for her to avoid close encounters. She is excellent at calmly sitting to the side and taking treats as dogs pass; she's so good it that people sometimes approach her on purpose, so you will need to be her advocate in public places.

What are the good features of the property and location

Our peaceful forest home is tucked behind a hillside, with a pretty view of the Olympic Mountains over the treetops. We're away from neighbors and noises, and conveniently situated 25 minutes from Silverdale shopping and 30 minutes from the Bremerton ferry terminal, which connects to the heart of Seattle.

Sip your morning coffee on the deck with a picture perfect view of the early sunshine lighting up the Olympic range. Putter around our private trails, and pick wild berries for your oatmeal or fresh mint for your tea. Enjoy the cool nights on the patio under the string lights and the stars, with the fire bowl to keep you warm. Feeling athletic and adventurous? Follow the rugged footpath straight from our door to the valley, and trace the river through the 3000 acres of conservation forest land that borders our home!

The house itself is full of windows, bringing in light and the surrounding views. With vaulted ceilings, skylights, and an open loft, it feels bright and airy even on cloudy days. Stay comfortable in any weather with the heating/cooling mini-split and heated floors, or make things extra cozy with the wood stove. The kitchen is fully equipped for all your cooking and baking exploits, and the bedroom has blackout curtains and a king-size memory foam bed. Luxuriate in every bathroom trip with the heated bidet and towel warmer. There are also two office spaces for working from home, high-speed internet on a mesh network, a smart TV with multiple streaming services, a small home gym, and of course, one beautiful dog to keep you company.

Our corner of the peninsula is full of parks and wilderness, offering ready access to gorgeous trails through forests, up scenic ridges, and down pretty pebbled beaches.

Getting here: The best airport option is the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, from which you can take the light rail to the Colman Dock for the Seattle-Bremerton ferry. The ferry can take cars and walk-on passengers, and if you're the latter we'll pick you up in Bremerton.

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Need flexibility for your travel plans? Have a gap between sits? Or do you just want to spend time exploring the area without worrying about Cortana's dinnertime? We're happy to offer you our separate guest house ("the studio") with a kitchenette, bidet toilet, shower, and king-size bed before or after your sit. No cohabitation, no shared walls, no responsibilities!

What does the house sitter need to consider before applying for this assignment

** September dates **
We depart early afternoon of the 25th, so we'd ask you to arrive by 1pm at the latest.
We return the evening of the 27th, in time for dinner, so feel free to depart any time after Tuna's breakfast and a good walk (or stay an extra night in the studio!)
***

Our home is not accessible by public transit, so sitters MUST have access to a car. For most trips we will be able to leave a manual transmission. This is a logistical dealbreaker, so please confirm that you can bring a car or, if you need to use ours, that you can drive stick shift.

Cortana is reserved with strangers and needs some time and space to get comfortable, so we ask for at least an hour of overlap at the beginning of the stay to welcome you inside and let her adjust. She is also dog-reactive within about 10ft, exact distance depending on how rambunctious the other dog is. Due to this, we unfortunately cannot welcome other pets or young children into her home.

Prior experience with reactive/sensitive dogs is not a requirement with Cortana, but it's a huge plus! We'd love to know about any you've worked with in the past.

A note about our senior-dog-accessible home:
As shown in the photos, we have a step in front of the couch and have removed the legs from our bedframe, so Cortana can more easily move around. Not shown in photos are the additional rugs we've recently put down in the main living space and a baby gate on the stairs, to prevent her from slipping.
We recognize that a lowered bed can be difficult for humans, so we're happy to discuss re-installing the legs and Cortana's bedroom access during longer sits.

Can I bring my own pets?

No, sorry.

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