SAN DIEGO California

! ~ Hi ~ ! My husband and I have lived in (and lovingly restored) our century-old Mediterranean Craftsman home for around 12 years. My husband is from the Netherlands and I'm from Washington, DC/MD. We care deeply for animals (which inspired us to become vegans), the environment, and social justice. Arjan is a scientist (organic chemist) and I am a freelance writer/editor and former (English and art) teacher who primarily works for non-profits, such as international relief and recovery organizations.

We are looking for animal-loving, detail-oriented, conscientious, non-smoking, tidy, experienced, responsible pet sitter(s) - an individual or a couple - with excellent reviews from previous sits to enjoy our San Diego home (lovely home, fantastic neighborhood called South Park) and care for our adorable 10-pound rescue dog​, Molly ​and our 2 gentle, entertaining, pet hens (Jax & Rosie). We have raised herb and veg beds, a veggie garden, and (fruit) trees to water daily by hose &/or watering can (note: watering does take a bit of time - maybe 30 minutes a day). We would also appreciate having the mail brought in. :)
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Please note: It is important to us that our sitter is comfortable keeping our home vegetarian (meat and seafood-free). Fortunately, there are a lot of restaurants within walking distance if you are having non-veg cravings. Please indicate that you are comfortable with this if you choose to apply. Thank you. ***

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Home & location

Our ​home is in a fabulous, awesomely located San Diego neighborhood called South Park. South Park is known for being a fun, vibrant, walkable, bikeable, close-knit neighborhood. It was featured in San Diego magazine as one of the best neighborhoods to live in San Diego. :)

Our house was built in 1913 - although it has modern conveniences - and it is a little more than 1,200 square feet. It is ​a ​10-minute walk to great South Park ​​restaurants & cafes, indie boutiques & so much more. We are a short drive (about 20 minutes) to beautiful beaches (Ocean Beach, La Jolla, Coronado & Pacific Beach) & hiking trails. For those with an urban bent, we are a 20-minute walk to North Park, a couple miles to downtown San Diego, Hillcrest and other fabulous SD neighborhoods.
There is a bistro set on our front porch: perfect for coffee / tea. There's a cozy patio set (table, chairs and cushions) in our lush backyard: a private and peaceful oasis.
We also have a 75-inch TV (and Netflix: we created a guest account for our sitters), if you feel like relaxing at home and watching a movie with sweet Molly resting by your feet. :)

While a car isn't absolutely necessary, it would make exploring SD significantly easier.

We keep a
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smoke-free,
shoe-free (indoor-only slippers are fine),
veg. household (vegan for us, vegetarian for our sitters/guests)
No house guests, please, for our rescue pup Molly's comfort level.
* ~ Thank you ~ *

Responsibilities

MOLLY (the rescue pup): Molly, our beloved rescue, has been through a lot. She lived on the streets for most of her puppyhood prior to our adopting her, so we are looking for gentle, patient, experienced sitters for her. Once she feels safe with you, she will go to the end of the earth for you. Molly needs to be walked a few times a day for about 15-minutes each time (morning, afternoon, and evening (before dark). She just needs to be taken onto the front lawn (leashed, always) right before bed.
Molly ~ who weighs all of 10 pounds ~ is nervous on the leash (likely from living on the streets as a puppy & because of her tininess). Because of this, please keep her away from other dogs (by crossing the street or picking her up) and double-wrap her leash around your wrist so you are prepared when she pulls. (It's kind of funny that she thinks she's such a badass, considering her tininess! A pup trainer said it is likely/partially because she's trying to protect us/you/her walker.) She enjoys playing (usually one-way) fetch in the house with you and her toys. :)
While Molly can be left at home for up to 6 hours while you are out exploring, she is used to having human companionship. She would be happiest with a sitter who will spend a fair amount of time with her. Fortunately, our home is so centrally located that it is really easy to have all sorts of adventures and be back in time to walk, feed and cuddle with her. While her preference is definitely to sleep on the bed with you, it isn't a requirement.
Molly is fed a mixture of homemade (plant-based) food (we'll make it prior to your coming) and (also plant-based) kibble twice daily. (Her vet recommended a plant-based diet and she's thriving on it.)

* Coyote warning: Our home is book-ended by canyons, and coyotes live in the canyons. For this reason, please be extra cautious while walking Molly, particularly in the early morning and after/around sunset. *

​HENS: ​​Our 2 gentle, affectionate pet hens (no roosters) are super adorable & endlessly entertaining. (Our previous sitters have shared their surprise at how fun they are to watch and interact with.) Their names are Jax and Rosie.
Daily needs: Food (pellets), fresh water, & a quick daily coop cleaning in the morning, and a quick tidy-up once later in the day. It only takes about 10 minutes for the first tidy-up and about 5-or-so minutes for the second daily tidy-up. (We provide garden tools, gloves, and a container for their "output" - no muss, no fuss).
Just let the girls out of their smaller coop in the morning and into their larger enclosed area for some extra free-ranging space. Then secure ​them in their smaller coop ​again before dark to keep them extra safe from predators. ​(Coyotes, hawks, etc.) They go up to bed (roost) before dark on their own, so they just need to be closed into the smaller coop after a quick head count and their food needs to be put away to avoid attracting bugs. (Our pet hens are "vintage" and no longer lay eggs, so there won't be any eggs to collect. If they miraculously lay eggs while you are here, you are welcome to them.)

* It's much easier to show you through a virtual chat and/or in person than it is to explain in writing. Our sitters have told us it's pretty easy, though. *

GARDEN: We have raised, enclosed veggie & herb beds in the side yard and a veggie garden and (fruit) trees in the front and back to water daily by hose &/or watering can (note: watering does take a bit of time - a total of approximately 30 minutes a day). Watering first thing in the morning is best.

* We have a hose in front and another on the side of the house that reaches the side yard and back yard for daily watering. *

COMMUNICATION: We would greatly appreciate daily texts & pet photos (chickens and pups) to let us know all is well while we are away. Once a day is fine, but we would be super happy to receive pet pics and a little update (even just a sentence or two) in the morning and evening.

Also, please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or concerns you may have. We appreciate the conscientious care sitters provide for our pets, and we want our sitters to have a lovely time while doing so. We will leave a guidebook and San Diego area recommendations for you if you'd like.

Thank you so much for reading all of this! We've had some truly lovely sitters in the past through another site: some have even become friends. We are pet sitters through that site as well, so we know what it's like to be on your side of things. (We initially just joined for pet care. When we saw how much fun our sitters were having, we decided to start pet-sitting through the site, too!) We think (and hope!) this makes us even more caring and conscientious hosts. (All our reviews from our previous sitters on the other site are 5-star reviews. We're happy to share those reviews upon request.)

We look forward to hearing from - and possibly meeting - you!

All the best,
Felicia & Arjan