Homestead Close to Portland, Oregon in the Scenic Columbia Gorge

About this assignment

My wife and I share this beautiful 4-acre homestead with one female dog, Bobbin, who is an 13-year old lab/golden mix and one cat, Zelda, who is a 12-year old female calico, as well as many hummingbirds and gardens. I work remotely, most often from my home-office, and Sydney is an artist and musician who also manages the household and me. The two of us have worked really hard for 25 years to landscape a formerly neglected and overgrown property, so we are looking for reliable, responsible, honest, and caring pet/house sitters who are good communicators and who will respect and take care of our home, dog, cat, and hummingbirds while enjoying living here in a park-like setting in the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area.

What responsibilities are required of the house sitter

Responsibilities will include feeding the dog and cat in the morning and evening, watering plants, and ensuring the dog can be let out to do her business several times a day, as well as cleaning the cat's litter box each day and putting the waste in the outside trash bags. The hummingbird feeders will need to be checked daily and refilled as needed. There will also be plant watering, especially in the summer months. Our ideal housesitter is someone who can spend the vast majority of time on the property rather than off campus, so that our animals have the company and attention they want. Our dog is older, so she doesn't require much play time, but she does appreciate having human company as much as possible. Zelda was domesticated from being a feral cat, and she appreciates a quiet household.

What are the good features of the property and location

Our 4-acre property is quiet and private, with lawn, gardens, field, and woods, without other houses being visible. However, despite being a restful retreat, it is only 10 minutes away from grocery stores, restaurants, hospital, movie theater, gas stations, and all the conveniences one could need. The house is a renovated 2 bedroom, two bath home with 1 gigabyte wifi. There is also a barn which has our office and library, plus a shop building with extra fridge and freezer. While we are new to Mindmyhouse, we have been members of Trusted Housesitters.com for several years and all 4 housesitters we used through that web service gave us 5 stars for all evaluation criteria: Communications; Hospitality; Cleanliness; Pet Behavior; and Accuracy of Listing.

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

Though we are only 10 minutes drive from conveniences, housesitters will need their own vehicle for transportation. We do not allow use of our personal vehicles. Housesitters should not invite others to visit them on our property without our permission in advance. Our property is hilly and has some stone and concrete stairs outside on the property that are irregular, so housesitters should be careful not to stumble and fall, or only use the gradual earthen path down from the driveway to the house. Please do not smoke anything or use recreational drugs in our home or on our property at any time. Please do not disturb our neighbors with loud shouting or music. We want you to enjoy our home and property, but please treat it with respect and care. We appreciate texts and photos at least every other day to let us know all is well with you, our house, and animals. You can contact us by phone or text at any time if there is an emergency.

Can I bring my own pets?

No, sorry.

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