Forest retreat with a view. Stay longer for free!

About this assignment

Hello! Our home is in a relatively rural location, ideal for anyone looking for a quiet retreat to rest and recharge. This is an active sit that involves daily walks/hikes on local trails. We ask that you are a non-smoker and appreciate those who leave things as they found them.

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!

Experience with reactive/sensitive dogs is not required, but definitely a plus! Cortana 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.

We're happy to welcome solo sitters, couples, or small groups of family/friends. Unfortunately we cannot host young children or other pets.

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 refill the bird bath as needed (as often as every 3 days in the summer)
* Refill the two bird feeders as needed (usually once or twice a week)

Cortana's daily schedule:
* 7am: Breakfast, followed by a 5-10 minute bathroom walk on our private trails.
* Nap/lounge in the sunshine/guard the birdfeeders for most of the day. Some some days we take a few short walks around the property; some days she gets a dog popsicle outside; some days we do trick training; some days we play Sniff-N-Seek; some days she finds the ball and will play a few rounds of fetch or tug before getting distracted. Most of the time she just sleeps and will only get up to follow us to the kitchen!
* 5pm in the summer or 3pm in the winter: Cortana time! Rain or shine, she gets a long hike on the local trails; however in very bad weather it's a shorter bathroom walk immediately followed by dedicated indoor trick training and/or games.
* 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)
* 7:30pm: Evening chew in the living room
* Bedtime (with a snack, of course). Cortana likes to sleep with us but can be directed to her own bed if you prefer.

Cortana is 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 long walk. 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 this is active sit that requires daily walking on dirt/gravel trails that are carved into a hillside, which is steep in some areas. Going back to the house is an uphill hike. Alternatively there are multiple less-strenuous trails a short drive away.

Please also 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 and back in the trees with a sweeping view of the Olympic Mountains. 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 (PLEASE take ALL the mint!) 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 follow 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 a brand new fancy dishwasher to help clean up!) The king-size memory foam bed and blackout curtains will have you hitting snooze on your morning alarm. 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.

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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

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.

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

Can I bring my own pets?

No, sorry.

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