2 Acre Retreat Near Washington, DC - Sitter needed ASAP
Introduction
We are looking for someone to keep our sweet 8 year old dog, Scout, company.
Show more...Home & location
Come relax at our little urban oasis just minutes from the nation's capital. Our home sits on 2 acres and backs to a creek and county parkland. Housesitters will have their own bedroom, with a king-sized bed and private balcony, and a bathroom with shower/tub combo (2nd floor). They will also have access to the living room (large leather sectional, Lay-Z-Boy recliner, smart TV), dining room, a large kitchen that opens to the family room and overlooks our private treed backyard, and a laundry room with a full-sized washer and dryer (main floor). We also have super fast gigabit internet. If you want a little fresh air, you can hang out on our back deck. It has comfy patio furniture, a large dining table, and a Weber grill. If you are feeling especially spunky, you can make your way down the path in the backyard to Accotink Creek. Important, the path down to the creek is steep and slippery after it rains. The walk takes about 5 minutes. Once you make it down, you can enjoy a short walk along the path, swim, rock scramble, or just relax on one of the giant boulders or small sandy banks. You can even try your hand at fishing, though we haven't had the best luck actually "catching." We are less than 10 minutes to a wide variety of shopping, dining, and entertainment opportunities. Additionally, we are located about 10 minutes from the Springfield-Franconia Metro (which offers weekday parking for $5 and free on weekends and federal holidays) and as little as a 20 minutes to the Pentagon and Washington, DC. If you are a lover of the outdoors, there are also tons of great parks to visit nearby. Pohick Bay Regional Park and Mason Neck State Park are less than 20 mins away in Lorton, Great Falls in MD and VA is about 45 mins, and Sky Meadows State Park is about an hour away on the eastern side of the Blueridge Mountains - to name just a few of our favorites.
Show more...Responsibilities
***DOG*** Scout is a happy, energetic, and very well behaved 8 year old Mexican Hairless (aka Xoloitzcuintli). She has been trained to stay, sit, lay down, heel, wait, and do some other fun tricks on command. She sleeps most of the day but will jump at the chance to play whenever you are ready. Play fetch with her or take her for a hike and she will love you forever! Responsibilities: *Provide food and water to Scout as needed. She free feeds and drinks from a self-feeder and waterer that needs to be refilled about once per week *Let her out at least 4 times per day (min once every 10 hours though we try to let her out about every 4-6). * Active play ~20 minutes per day (throw ball, play tug, go for a run, take a walk to the creek, etc. It's up to you). * Let her hang out near you for at least a couple of hours each day. She is a people dog and gets sad when left by herself too much. This is a major reason we don't want to kennel her. She can sleep with you or downstairs on the couch. She is perfectly happy with either option. ***PLANTS*** Water roughly a half-dozen houseplants. ***TRASH/RECYCLES*** Take trash and recycles out to the curb and bring the empty bins back to the house. ***SNOW REMOVAL*** We rarely get enough snow to require walkways to be cleared. However, if we do, the housesitter will be responsible for clearing it. ***HOSTING*** There is a two-bedroom furnished apartment in the basement with it's own private entrance that we rent out. Rarely, guests will need help with things like re-starting the router, flipping a blown fuse back on, adjusting the temperature, extra linens, etc. If this happens, the housesitter will be responsible for assisting them. The housesitter will not be responsible for any cleaning. We have professional cleaners who we've worked with for years who clean the apartment between guests. They do not enter the main portion of the house. There is a locked door between the apartment and storage area in the basement that only the cleaners have the code for. Additionally, there is a lock on the door at the top of the stairs to the basement that housesitters can lock if they want extra security. The same family will likely occupy the basement throughout the entire time we are away for this sit. OTHER INFO We don't expect you to do any other house chores, just sit back and relax in our peaceful setting.
Show more...Meet the pets

Scout
9 years
Sitter Reviews (14)
Homeowner Reviews (0)
None
Scout was a great fur bubby to spend the week with! She's talkative and full of energy! Amy, her owner was very helpful with every question that was presented, and everything went great!
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Scout was a great dog to look after, she is well trained and has a great personality, she loved cuddling. We loved taking this sit as Amy and Owen’s home felt very welcoming. It was calm and restful. Amy was great with instructions as it was clear and provided in advance.
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Scout is a delightful dog. She is sweet, follows commands and is easy to have around. The house is great and the woods behind it, including the creek are beautiful. Amy and Owen are pleasant hots and we had a great time.
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We really enjoyed sitting for them scout was adorable.
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I really enjoyed my stay at Amy's! She is a most gracious host and her home is such a gem of a place. Every morning I enjoyed starting my day with tea on her patio and viewing her wonderful vegetable and flower gardens, followed up by several beautiful hikes with Scout all less than an hour away. Scout is one of the best trained dogs I have ever met, and I sincerely fell in love with her right from the start. Being so well trained, she is a joy to hike with and just worry free. She knows to stay in the yard, follows commands, and is a real sweetheart. She is very VERY special...I miss her already! I highly recommend sitting for Amy if you have the chance, you will very much enjoy yourself, Scout, and Amy!
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