Lovely Devon and part-time dogs!

About this assignment

We need a long-stay house sitter for this summer. We live in the stone bit in the first photo (The Annex) and rent out the large blue house.

What responsibilities are required of the house sitter

Normally, we would ask house sitters to look after Dodie, our 9 year old labrador/collie cross. However, this year she will be travelling with us for the majority of the time we are away. There is a possibility that we may need to drop her back to the UK if France, where we are spending most of our time, has a very hot summer. She really struggles in hot heather.

In addition, Bryn and Brodie, both black labradors come with our housekeeping team on change-over Saturdays. Both boys think the cottage is part of their own home, expect to come in, have a couple of biscuits, frisk Dodie's toy box and generally get in the way while the cleaning goes on in the main house....

What are the good features of the property and location

We are on the edge of the South West Coast path (view from a bit of it in the last picture), just 500 metres from the River Dart and a short walk from town or, in the opposite direction, Dartmouth Castle. Dartmouth is one of the top tourist destinations in Devon, with beautiful scenery and loads going on in the summer. There is parking for one car outside the cottage, and the rest of the space is left for the main house visitors's cars

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

The main house is a large holiday rental, so there will be people around most of the summer. There is a cleaning/management team who handle changeovers, and gardeners who maintain the guests' part of the garden. Our housekeeping team are amazing, but this year they have one member with quite serious medical issues. We are therefore asking our cottage sitters to be available on Saturday changeovers to provide tea/coffee/sympathy and possibly lend a hand if things get really stressed.

You may occasionally get guests asking for assistance with something during their stay - but all queries can be handed to the management team if necessary.

Other than that, just generally looking after the Annex.

Can I bring my own pets?

Yes
Restrictions: We have a garden area that is reserved for the holiday guests, the rest of the land is overgrown, but you are welcome to explore. Please be aware, although we have 4 acres overall, it is not fully fenced and the surrounding farmland is grazed with sheep.

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