Responsibilities

Our sitter preferences and responsibilities include: * Taking care of two miniature dachshunds (details below) * Watering houseplants and our garden (spring or early fall dates) * Basic pool mainteance (late spring or early fall dates) * Picking up the mail Our dachshunds are very lovable and kind - they love kisses, hugs, and snuggles - but do have specific needs due to their breed, lifestyle and personalities. First, our dogs eat a raw food diet. This is not pre-packaged raw meals for dogs. This is pastured-raised meat we break down for them including organ meat, muscle meat and bone. Any sitter will need to be comfortable handling this type of meat such as liver, heart, tongue, and kidneys. Our dogs thrive on this diet, which also includes a balanced variety of foods such as sweet potatoes, raw quail eggs, sockeye salmon, pumpkin, blueberries, plus more. Dachshunds love to be part of the family and want to be with you as much as possible. They are not as "independent" a breed as others, and they certainly feel a sense of entitlement (albeit usually deserved). They sleep with us and burrow under the blankets, so a sitter will need to be okay with allowing Bentley and Tilly to join them for snuggles and sleep each night. They like to stay cozy and warm, so they are covered with warm blankets and even have a fancy faux fur! Additionally, due to their unique long bodies, we do not allow them to walk up and down the stairs between the first and second floors, nor are they allowed to jump off beds or sofas. This protects their backs and overall physical health. A sitter will need to be okay picking them up (as well as learning the correct way to pick up and carry a dachshund if the breed is new to them). Dachshunds - and our two are no exceptions - have high prey drives, are stubborn with a mind of their own, and love to bark at objects, real or imaginary. A sitter will have to understand these qualities and be okay with these unique characteristics. As we live in a beautiful area surrounded by nature, Bentley and Tilly are able to smell and see animals in our yard, such as deer, woodchucks, birds, and even the occasional bear. A sitter will need to commit to keeping them safe outside (either off-leash in our fenced-in pool area or on a leash in our yard). Further, Bentley and Tilly were both born in the COVID-19 pandemic era (Bentley was born in March 2020 and Tilly was born in May 2022), so they are very used to be being "with their people." We do not leave them alone for long periods of time (although we're trying our best to work on this). The ideal sitter will want to be with our dogs and enjoy their love, curiosity, sense of fun and adventure, and will not want to be away for hours at a time. This breed is also notoriously bad at house training, so they need to go out quite a bit for potty breaks. Dachshunds are prone to overeating and obesity, so it's essential that a sitter is willing to take them on walks each day. Luckily, we live in beautiful surroundings filled with trails, streams, and lakes. This part of Connecticut is a nature lover's paradise, and there is no shortage of options for daily adventures! We use a retractable leash for both dogs, so they can sniff, run, and generally enjoy their time outside. Finally, neither dog is aggressive, and Bentley enjoys the dog park not too far from our home, but Tilly is a bit timid around other dogs as she is small and quite used to her big brother and her human "pawrents" so a sitter will need to be sensitive to this with our dogs. Bentley and Tilly bring joy to our lives each day, and we are protective of their mental and physical health. Our ideal sitter would partner with us in caring for our faithful and loving companions who have earned a prominent place in our home and hearts.