Steyning, South East England

About this house sitting position in Steyning

Hello!
I am looking for someone who would like to come and look after Lucky, my very sweet-natured, somewhat stubborn, outrageously greedy but still-sprightly 11 yr-old beagle, when I go away! The period I currently need cover for is 2/3 September - 14/15 July.

I would be very happy if someone could arrive on 2 Sept to have a full day to get to know Lucky (and for Lucky to get to know you) plus some of the local walks - before I depart at crack of dawn on 4 Sept. And I'll be back on the afternoon of 14 Sept, but say 14/15 to be on the safe side, just in case there's a problem with my flight and I'm delayed for some reason. However, if everything were to go to plan, it should be viable for you to leave by the evening of 14 Sept if you prefer to.

Lucky loves going out for walks, both slow (sniffy) explorations around the village but also - at least once daily - a proper off-lead country walk of 1.5-2 hours. He needs the regular exercise to counterbalance his greedy beagle nature - so it is important that you too enjoy a good, long, daily walk in the countryside, rain or shine!

Being a beagle, Lucky is both gentle and sociable, and he doesn't like being left on his own for extended periods. I try not to leave him at home alone for more than 2-3 hours on any given day. He's not much trouble when you're at home - in fact when he's not out walking (or carefully monitoring the possibility of getting something to eat) he mainly enjoys sleeping... :-)

Steyning itself is a lovely and picturesque village with good shops and usually plenty going on. My home is a nice little 2-bedroom (mine and a spare room, both with double beds) terraced house, built in 1860, with a small, fairly private back garden. It's situated on the village High Street, with a good range of shops and facilities only minutes from the front door.

You can also start a wide range of different and lovely walks directly from the house. There are field, woodland and riverside options, as well as many different walking routes up into and around the green hills of the South Downs (Steyning is situated just below the long distance walking trail called the South Downs Way) - all of which are easily accessible from the house, without ever having to use a car.

There are no other 'duties' - just enjoy the house (live as if in your own home, and leave it as you find it - which isn't by any means pristine..) and look after the dog lovingly, respecting his carefully calorie-controlled diet and guaranteeing his exercise quota.

I look forward very much to hearing from you.

NB: I will be going away again from approx 22 September to 1 Oct, and would be especially interested in hearing from someone who could cover both sits in September. So please let me know if you would be available for the second sit too!
Thank you,
Sarah :-) Read more...