Helo bawb! Anyone fancy a ‘free’ holiday?
Aran and I are looking for a dog and house sitter for two weeks from the 17th of October this year to the 2nd of November.
To cut a very long story short - two years ago, @aran’s mum came to live with us for health reasons. Since then, she has been in our care, which has meant that family travel has been restricted to ‘can’t go too far for too long’. But she has now decided that she finds the foothills of Snowdonia too isolated, therefore is moving back to her little retirement bungalow in Staffordshire… so we decided to book a family holiday abroad!
Well I say holiday… we’ve decided that we can get away with going for two weeks if we take work with us. So Greece it is! We’ve booked accommodation with Wi-Fi and a pool, working on the theory that the pool will keep the kids occupied and happy (as long as we throw them the odd bits of food) and we adults can work/relax/work/relax as and when.
We’ve had a challenging two years caring for Aran’s mum - it’s been emotionally really tough at times. So I’m determined to pull out all the stops with this Greece holiday, and not only make it an unforgettable experience for the kids, but also arrange it in a way that we have as few hiccups as possible along the way.
Now, whilst we have very good kennels down the road which our 3 year old LabXSpaniel, Ceiri absolutely loves, and though they have a kennel free for him for those dates, we would prefer not to leave him for that length of time. He would be much, much happier at home with company, cwtshis on the sofa and his favourite walks.
So in short we’re looking for a dog loving friend to come and stay in our little cottage -
- someone who loves to walk, even in miserable weather
- someone doesn’t mind a very affectionate dog jumping on your bed at night - he will devour you with love
- someone who can handle a multi-fuel stove (because that is what runs the central heating)
- someone with a car (we’re 10 minutes from Caernarfon, rural and secluded but not isolated)
Our traditional quarry-man’s cottage is small and pretty - though two adults and four kids could stay here in three bedrooms (one of which is a crog-loft/attic room). We’re in a peaceful and beautiful area with stunning views of the coast and mountains, and as we’re in the middle of common land, the sheep roam free. I can guarantee you that this is a place which feeds your soul - if you’re looking for relaxed and peaceful, then this is it. We have fabulous sunsets here and the place is busy with all sorts of wildlife.
Am I selling this? 
The nearest village shop and cafe is less than a mile away and Caernarfon an easy drive, as well as Penygroes. We have wonderful neighbours, fabulous Wi-Fi connection and a smart TV with Netflix and Amazon!
We have just short of 3/4 of an acre of mature garden - it’s like the secret garden full of little pathways and seating areas, very pretty and full of wildlife with a barbecue area. There are tree swings for kids to play on and plenty of places to play hide and seek as well as a pretty little stream beyond the garden wall.
Now about the dog and the commitment…
Ceiri is a very loving, affectionate and easy going dog who’s friends with everyone. He’s very attached to us as we work from home and he’s more or less with us all the time. This will be the first time we will have left him with anyone at home for as long as two weeks. I’ve a friend coming this weekend because we have to go and visit a sick relative in Oxford, but he’s already familiar with her, so I know it will all be OK.
I’m keen for the whole experience of us going away for 2 weeks to be as consistent as possible for him, so having the same people here for the whole of the two weeks, keeping to his routine of two meals and a walk a day, is an essential part of the stay.
Unfortunately our kennels are extremely busy and never have any availability last minute. Also, although I have one brother and two sisters living fairly close, none of them are in a position to have our dog staying with them for any length of time. We also have fabulous neighbours, but none of them could take Ceiri in for us either. So having someone who could commit to the full two weeks would be essential.
If you think that this is for you then please get in touch and we’ll get the ball rolling! 
We’ll get messaging soon with details etc, in the meantime I’ve just found you on Facebook so will send you a friend request and we can get to know each other better.
