Forest retreat with a view. Stay longer for free!

About this assignment

*** November Dates ***
* We depart very early on 11/23, so we ask that you arrive the evening before on 11/22. We can host you overnight!
* We return late in the evening on 12/1, which means you are free to depart any time after Cortana's dinner. We can host you overnight if you would prefer to leave 12/2!
* Since we are driving to our destination, there is some flexibility in these dates.

Hello! We're Adelia and Jack. We are both office-hybrid software engineers who love to cook and spend time outdoors. We feel very lucky to live in a beautiful location with a wonderful pup, and we're looking forward to sharing a little slice of our lives with like-minded people.

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!

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.

We are non-smokers and ask that you are as well. This is an active sit that requires daily hiking/walking.

We're very excited to be part of the housesitting community; we've met some fantastic people here and it's a perfect setup for a dog who loves deeply but slowly! It makes us so happy to come home and see how much our little rescue has grown to love and trust someone who was a complete stranger when we left. We think Cortana's a special lady and hope we can share her silly personality with you too.

What responsibilities are required of the house sitter

House/garden:
* Check the mailbox down the road every few days.
* Water indoor plants regularly (once a week for most, twice a week for some).
* Water outdoor potted plants as needed depending on the weather (this could be be as often as once every three days)

On longer stays:
* Walk the irrigation lines every other week while they run, to make sure there are no geysers. This is a 15-minute task that Cortana likes to help with.
* Light trail grooming (as needed): bring pocket pruning shears with you a few of Cortana's walks to snip back any the berry vines that like to stretch out into the trails.

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 house/putter 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!
* 4pm or 5pm: 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-ish: Evening chew in the living room (and she will remind you if you forget!)
* 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.

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

Calling all nature lovers! Our peaceful forest home is tucked behind a hillside and nestled back in the trees with sweeping views of the Olympic Mountains; the perfect place for anyone looking for a quiet retreat to rest and recharge. Enjoy all the silence and seclusion of camping with all the comforts of a cozy and modern home. There's nothing to see but the mountains, sky, and greenery; nothing to hear but the bees, birds, and the wind through the trees. On especially still days, you can even hear the creek gurgling from the bottom of the hill.

Take your morning coffee on the balcony with a picture perfect view of the early sunshine lighting up the Olympic range. Putter around the rock garden and our little trails, picking wild strawberries, blackberries, salmonberries, and mint (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? Our trails directly connect to a rugged footpath that winds down the ridge to a broad creek; trek the riverbed 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 radiant heat floors, or make things extra cozy with the wood stove. The kitchen, complete with a brand new sink and induction range, is fully equipped for all your cooking and baking exploits. The king-size memory foam bed and blackout curtains will have you hitting snooze on your morning alarm. Let the heated bidet and towel warmer pamper your every bathroom trip. We have two office spaces for working from home, high-speed internet on a mesh network, a smart TV with multiple streaming services, and of course, one beautiful dog to keep you company.

Out home is located in Seabeck, a little peninsula town conveniently situated 20 minutes from Silverdale shopping and 30 minutes from the Bremerton ferry terminal, which connects to the heart of Seattle. Seabeck is full of parks and wilderness, offering close access to gorgeous trails through forests, up scenic ridges, and down sunny pebbled beaches.

Getting here:
The best airport option is the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, from which you take the light rail to the Colman Dock (for the Bremerton ferry).

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|| Free days ||
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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 accessory dwelling unit ("the ADU") 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

The responsibilities section has a pretty thorough picture of what's required on this sit. If that all sounds like a good fit for you, awesome! Please include the following in your initial message:

* Your experience (if any) with reactive or sensitive dogs. Not required, but definitely a plus!
* Whether you will have a car for the duration of the sit (4WD recommended for our steep gravel driveway) and if not, whether you're adept at driving manual transmissions. Having access to a car is a requirement in this area. For some of our trips we may be able to leave a stick shift.

Can I bring my own pets?

No, sorry.

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