Sit local, or anywhere
You can keep it close to home, or you can use house sitting as a way to travel on a shoestring. It's all good, and it starts here.
San Francisco Bay Area - Contra Costa
Bara
DATES ARE APPROXIMATE - I'll be gone from September 25. -28, and want someone a little earlier so they get to know the routine. There will likely be 2 dogs until the 26th, then 1 dog until the 29th.
THE SPACE
There are 2 spaces available and the dog/housesitter will be assigned to one of them...most likely the private guest room.
1) Private room & full bathroom (inc. tub!)
2) Free standing Guest House on the property near the main house.
Mine is a custom home with epic views and ideal location close to the best of the bay. All visitors welcome to use gourmet kitchen, outdoor kitchen, balconies. Must love dogs! The space is close to SF, Oakland/Berkeley & North Bay (Marin, Sonoma, Napa), Alvarado Park & BART/public transport. Richmond Chevron is convenient.
The (1) private room is fashioned like a boutique hotel, furnished with beautiful hand-picked​ pieces, art, antiques, a television with cable, refrigerator and microwave, and two huge closets.
And the second dwelling is a self standing tea house/cabin. In the colder months, it's heated by a wood burning stove or space heater - - and has a refrigerator and microwave. There is electricity but no plumbing in the space, so you'd come into the house for bathroom/shower.
The large house itself is quiet, with beautiful tasteful decor, excellent appliances, and un-parallelled views of the bay area.
You have access to two balconies, the chef's kitchen, laundry room, outdoor kitchen, in addition to your bedroom and bathroom. You do NOT have access to the penthouse suite.
The neighborhood is upscale rural, with a 2-minute access to the freeway, unparalleled views, and ease in walking around. The backyard is right next to the largest park system in the east bay, and a 5-minute walk to entrance into it leads to numerous trails and adventures!
We're 2 minutes from the 80.
Lots of street parking.
5 miles to Berkeley exit.
An 8 minute drive to El Cerrito del Norte Bart: your ticket to SF, Berkeley, and rest of bay area! (~$8/lyft/uber)
You're best served by having a car to use since it's a residential neighborhood and walking to the nearest grocery is doable but not a quick endeavor. I'd leave my car here for emergencies or we can discuss usage.
PET CARE
I currently have ONE dog who is my own: CHATA, a 10/11 year old pitter patter, very affectionate and sleeps a lot. She has a bunch of supplements but no meds - I also make her food so depending on if I get that fully together and frozen for defrosting, I might need the person staying here make it. it's easy to throw it in the crockpot over night. Her hearing is not good, and she needs short walks - about 3 a day - - and definitely before she goes to bed at night, then early in the morning. The door to the back can be open so if she needs to go out, she can.
MURPHY - If he's still with me, he's a foster, and has been with me over a year. Also a Mutt, he's young 9bout 2 years old, Very affectionate, and the Dutch Shepherd in him makes him want to control the other dogs OUT of the house. he can be a little territorial, but listens to commands. He loves long hikes and is very responsive. He's a love mush. Because he likes to control things I don't walk him alone with the other two dogs - - but two people an walk him and one other dog. He needs at least 2 walks a day when the back door is open, and one of those should be long. They can all be long, though.
KODA - is also a foster I've had or a while. He's also a mutt and the 'professor' of the bunch. HUGELY smart and very well behaved except he gets triggered by cars, trucks, bicycles, joggers and other dogs. Murphy likes to correct him. He is only with me 1/2 the week - I share him with someone else and might coordinate with the other foster - to see if he's with me or away these dates.
At night you can walk Chata and Koda together (one person) but in the day, only one at a time if it's one person, or two people, keeping Murphy away from both. He just likes to correct. He's not aggressive.
Murphy and Koda get either some home made food/some kibble or all kibble.
All specifics about the dogs would be explained.
Garden care is taken care of by an irrigation system so there is some watering that has to be done every few days on the patio, but in the garden it's automatic.
The plants INSIDE the house need to be watered 1x a week. They are on all floors.
All of this will be explained and is part of a document I'll share with you. I also won't be off grid and will be reachable as I travel.
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