Stay with two dogs in a cave house in one of the earliest village settlements in Europe, in Geoparque de Granada

About this assignment

Needed for 1-2 weeks at the end of June/beginning of July - responsible & caring sitters to take care of two elderly dogs in our village cave house in Galera, Granada, inland on the mainland, Spain

Dates can be flexible as we are happy for the sitter to stay with us whilst we are at home.

What responsibilities are required of the house sitter

The sitter will need to look after Roxy, an 11-year old & still nervous rescued Collie cross, Bruno, also 11-years old, a Valencian Terrier rescued in Spain.

Roxy is an ex-rescue (originally from Romania) who we brought from England & she is a friendly, but highly strung dog, with a tendency to bark, especially when she sees people & cars on the street & when we are missing. She is deaf, has arthritis & limited mobility, but does need a short walk each day to poop, but once this has been done, she stops & likes to come straight home.

Bruno was rescued from the Cost Blanca &, although 11-years old too, is much more lively than Roxy, is quieter, loves cuddles &, more than anything, to chase after his ball.

In addition to caring for the dogs, we expect the sitter to look after our house, ensure it is kept secure and be respectful of the surroundings.

What are the good features of the property and location

We have a casa-cueva, so part traditional house at the front with cave rooms at the back. All the bedrooms are in the cave so a constant cool temperature all-year round. No aircon required, even in the hottest months!

We work from home so the internet connection is good & reliable, with wifi extenders to push the signal throughout the house as caves have very thick walls. The TV is operated by Amazon Firestick to access TV chanels, Netflix & Prime videos.

The sitter will stay in two downstairs cave rooms, on the same level as the kitchen and bathroom. We sleep in the back cave of the upper-level, so there is privacy for all. We are happy for the sitters to stay with us before and after the time we are actually away and do insist there is at least one-night change-over upon arrival and departure.

There is an upper-terrace with nice views and this area is secure for the dogs to have some outside space.

A car is not strictly essential as there are cafe-bars/restaurants, two well-stocked mini-supermarkets, bakeries, a pharmacy & weekly market in the village. However, public transport is limited and a car will enable sitters to explore the local area and drive to other historic towns, the fresh-water swimming pools, lakes and mountains. The nearest coast is around a 90-minute drive away, as are the beautiful cities of Granada to the west, and Lorca to the east.

We live in Galera, an historic village of around 1,00 inhabitants, in the municipality of Huescar. The lower town, of traditional white-washed houses, is set in a grid pattern of streets and on a slight incline, whist up the steeper hillsides, there are many cave homes. Galera is famous for the Tutugi Necropolis and ancient Castellon Alto archaeology site. The area is very rural with almond and olive tree orchards.

You can get away with not speaking Spanish, but although there are a number of ex-pats, most of the locals don't speak English, so do learn a few words, or use a translate app.

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

Roxy is deaf, dislikes changes to her routine & will likely not eat for the first few days & she is very nervous of new people & will bark when strangers are in the house until she has become used to everyone. She is reluctant to poop unles she has had a small walk each morning & evening, then she wants to come straight home. She likes to lie outside, but then barks at people, cars, mopeds & cycles going past on the road, which is fortunately, quite quiet.

Bruno is affectionate & loves to chase a ball. He was a street dog & is much less of an escape artist these days, but do keep an eye on him if the front door is open.

Bruno has leishmaniasis so has special renal support dried food, but for ease, Roxy eats this too. They both have a daily tablet supplement in their food and we cook chicken and rice to accompany the dried meal as bought dog meat is too salty for Bruno. Roxy is a greedy dog so needs to be watched as she will eat Bruno's food.

Rob & I work from home so our pets are used to having company all day every day. They can be left for a few hours, but we expect a sitter to spend time at home with them, especially as their routine will have changed as we are away.

Can I bring my own pets?

No, sorry.

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