Comfortable country house stay with marvellous views! Lots of birds to see too!
Introduction
We are a couple in our 60’s looking for someone to care for our 2 small dogs. We live on a working farm and my husband is a farmer. Our 2 sons also work on the farm and live nearby. They would always be around to answer any queries or solve any problems. They are both married with children. Our dogs 1 Bichon Frise and a Bichon Frise/ Jack Russell. The Bichon cross is still quite young, about 6 months and still quite goofy. She must be kept on a lead on walks and must be kept in the garden with all gates closed as she will run off and I just cannot get her back. The other 2 are 3 and 11 years. The 3 year old also must be kept on a lead as she will also run off. We live on the outskirts of Stradbroke, a dangerous road to walk into village, but do-able. A car is advantageous, though we could provide one if you don't have one. We live in a large house with reasonable WiFi, occasionally drops out for a bit, but not often. Quite peaceful here, no neighbors, and nice views. Lovely walks around fields, which we own, so no worries there.
Show more...Home & location
Large country house with garden.Surrounding fields where dogs are walked. Have Wifi and also office staff nearby for any computer queries. Easy walks to local pubs if interested. Working farm.Stradbroke is a nice village with a leisure centre and pool where you can just use without being a member. There is a shop and a bakery and 2 pubs one which does very nice food- the Ivy House. Diss, nearest train station for London, is 8 miles away. There are also 2 very nice pubs in Laxfield, a village about 8 miles away, The Oak and nice food at the Kings Head ( known locally as the Lowhouse). The De La Pole at Wingfield is also nice but does not do food, and The Hoxne Swan, very friendly with good “ pub “ food. There is also the excellent Fox and Goose at Fressingfield- 4 miles away, which does fabulous food- absolutely must book though.
Show more...Responsibilities
The responsibilities are to feed all dogs daily and to walk them for up to 60 mins, though I usually just do 45 mins. If the weather is warm, this is ample for Betty as she does get hot. Molly and Ebony can walk all day. Molly and Betty have recently been trained with the electric collars which I keep charged up. Just the noise is ample to get them back and I also always take treats to encourage them. Fifi can be walked around the field with no lead as she is older and pretty good at keeping close by. Ebony will need to be in a lead. All dogs can be fed once daily with the Dry Pure Pet Food. Betty Molly and Ebony can have two heaped scoops to be mixed with warm water and then about 1/4 of a cup of dry kibble. Fifi can have 1 1/2 scoops and 1/4 cup kibble. Ebony is very greedy and needs to be fed in the porch as she will steal the others’ food. If this is a summer sit, please could the pots and plants be watered daily or as the weather dictates. The alpacas can be fed alrernate days in summer, so June- end September, and daily in the winter. Some House Sitters give them carrots which they enjoy. The food is in their shed in a black dustbin. Each Alpaca gets 1 heaped white tub which is in the dustbin. They are stand off ish and you can’t even pet them, but they usually roar up for food when I bang the water trough! Colin, the canary is fed daily with the food topped up one day and discarded and refilled the next. Water in the green tub is his bath water and that needs refreshing each day. I do change the paper weekly too
Show more...Meet the pets
Betty
4 years
Molly
2 years
Fifi
9 years
Ebony
2 years
Colin
1 years
Sitter Reviews (14)
Homeowner Reviews (0)
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We had a lovely time at Shellee & Rob’s in their clean, super comfy home in its idyllic spot overlooking the Suffolk countryside. We cared for 4 pups, all playful, with their own characters, and all total snuggle bugs. The walks are super easy - the girls loved walking the paths around Shellee & Rob’s land. Just know that if they see a deer, hare or partridge they will be gone in a flash. They love to chase!! The alpacas were easy to care for, as were the guinea fowl and fish. All of them added to the ambience of the sit, it was truly a little piece of heaven. You couldn’t wish to meet more thoughtful hosts, they gave us a very warm welcome and their hospitality was spot on. Thank you for the opportunity to care for your lovely home and adorable pets!
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This was such a wonderful adventure! Shellee and Rob could not have been more welcoming and thoughtful. They ensured we were familiar with their home and the grounds, including a personal tour of their gorgeous farm. The house was well stocked and clean. The bed was perhaps the most comfortable we have slept in. We took advantage of their suggestions and made day trips to nearby villages, the beach and the 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum, which we highly recommend. And we loved that the pups are welcome most anywhere locally, so we were able to enjoy all the adventures together. The pups are absolutely adorable and very well behaved. We laughed and laughed over their antics. Colin sang to us during breakfast, and the alpacas tolerated us while we admired them from a distance. We were incredibly comfortable and felt so welcome here. If you have the opportunity, do not pass it up!
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Oh my, what a special place to stay and gorgeous little dogs. Betty & Molly are so sweet, cute, cuddly and so easy to love and look after. They have loads of space on the property as well as walking tracks to take them on walks during the day. You’ll have alpacas to visit and feed too and they are very close to the house. The historic house in a perfect setting is amazing. So much character, loads of room and everything you could ever need and more. The host couple were just so friendly and generous. This has to be one of our favourite sits so far and although the weather wasn’t the best we had a wonderful couple of weeks. We would go back in a heartbeat and blessed by the experience. Thank you for choosing us to care for your precious pets and beautiful home. We hope to stay in touch
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A sit we would recommend, for every reason: the sweet and easy-to-care-for dogs, the kindness and generosity of our hosts, and the beautiful historical house and gardens which are part of a working farm. This gorgeous setting appealled especially to us as wildlife lovers and birdwatchers (watching from our outdoor armchairs!!). The only noises heard above the birdsong were more or less farming/livestock-related. We had a wonderful rest, thank you Shellee and Robert!
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From the moment we contacted Shellee the communication was excellent. They made us so welcome and we felt at home straight away. We had a wonderful stay in their beautiful home with the highlight being their 3 absoulutely georgous dogs each having totally different personalities. Bella although elderly and exceptionally quiet just followed us around the house and large garden she was such nice company. Pup was also quiet but again wanted to sit by you and enjoyed a cuddle. Well that leaves Betty who is constantly by your side and at times on your lap or shoulder when sat in a chair wanting cuddles and company. We laughed so much at her antics and they all were a pleasure to be with. There are also 4 Alpacas who we fed evey other day, they were lovely to watch and not much time was required to look after them Thank you Shellee and Robert for choosing us to sit for the 3 of them.
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