Spend summer in the scenic Black Hills of South Dakota with two lovable doodles!

Introduction

I'm an elementary school paraprofessional living in the beautiful Black Hills of Rapid City, South Dakota with my two sons, ages 13 and 9, and our two "doodle" dogs, Ruby and Fred. I spend lots of time gardening, canning, cooking, and crafting--that is, when I'm not working with my special kiddos at the school or corralling these crazy kiddos at home! We like to spend summers on my grandparents' Montana ranch, where I cook for the hay crew and my boys are learning to love the country life. But my dogs do better at home, and my garden and yard could use some tending while I'm away. I've joined Trusted Housesitters to find kind, conscientious people to care for my home and dogs when we're out west.

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Home & location

We live in a 1244 sq foot house in a quiet, residential neighborhood with easy access to the natural beauty this area is famous for. We're within walking distance of several parks and the municipal pool, and a 10 minute drive will take you to our cute little downtown with lots of shopping, dining, and cultural events. A 15 minute drive in the other direction lands you in the Black Hills National Forest with lots of hikes, water recreation opportunities, and wildlife. Keep going, and you'll soon reach Mt Rushmore and Custer State Park, where you can drive through herds of bison and thread the needle on Needles Highway. Our house sitter(s) will have access to a master bedroom with a king sized bed and a full bath, as well as a guest room and bathroom on the lower level. There is a home gym in the basement. The main floor has a living room, kitchen, laundry, and large backyard. This area is car-dependent, and you are welcome to park in our large 2-car garage.

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Responsibilities

The girls are somewhat flexible with regards to the timing of their routine. If they eat dinner a little later, and go to bed later, then they are ok to wake up a little later. They have two meals a day in the morning and evening. They enjoy a 30 to 60 minute walk most days. We have a dog door, so when you are home with them and the weather is nice you can leave it open, and they can come and go as they please. When you need to leave the house the dog door stays shut so that the girls don't bark in the back yard an disturb the neighbors. At the end of the day they enjoy hanging out in the living room with their people getting brushed and having pets. I have a small backyard garden that would require watering. Bonus: any produce from the garden that is ready to pick during your stay is yours to eat! There is some light yard maintenance.

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Meet the pets

Photo of Ruby

Ruby

4 years

Photo of (winni)Fred

(winni)Fred

2 years

Erin
Last time sitter needed: 8 months 24 days ago