Cat Sitting in the Black Hills of South Dakota
Introduction
Hello! We're Laura and Dustin, and we'd love to host you in our cute house in Rapid City's historic West Boulevard neighborhood in the central Black Hills. Laura ran a bed-and-breakfast in nearby Deadwood for about ten years, and Dustin was a partner in a digital marketing agency. We sold our businesses just before the pandemic started, and now we do some freelance work from home, along with a little writing and photography - and as much adventuring as we can manage. We love hiking and exploring outdoor destinations, and we have friends scattered around the world who we can't wait to visit. We have one black rescue kitty here at home: Luna is a long-haired cat discovered living in a nearby forest. She's pretty skittish, but she warms up to new people after a few days, and loves to have her hair brushed and tummy scratched.
Show more...Home & location
The house is a craftsman-style cottage in Rapid City's historic West Boulevard neighborhood. We're just across the street from an elementary school and park, and within walking distance of almost anything we need: a grocery store, Starbucks, pharmacy, several restaurants, and veterinarian are all within a few blocks. It's less than a mile to downtown, so we typically walk there for more restaurants, bars, shops, and the library. Although our house is in a fairly urban neighborhood, Rapid City is relatively small with about 80,000 residents. We like the balance: the city is on the edge of a forest in a small mountain chain, which makes us a fun way to see some of the wild lands of America away from the cities. In fact, even though our house is right in the middle of the city, you can walk a few blocks to the west and start hiking up a forested hillside into a designated wilderness park. There's a great network of trails, and some fantastic views out over the city. We moved into the house during the fall of 2020. We've made several updates and renovations since then, including repainting the exterior and setting up a nice outdoor patio space out back. The house has about 1,800 square feet. The main floor has a living room with an art deco fireplace, Laura's office, a queen guest room, a bathroom, the dining room, and the kitchen. The lower level has a media room with a home theater, Dustin's office, and our bedroom and bathroom. There's a very small yard out the kitchen door, and a small one-car detached garage. There's speedy and reliable wi-fi throughout.
Show more...Responsibilities
Luna is a skittish cat. She was discovered abandoned in a nearby forest, and we're not sure how long she was living there on her own. She's always afraid of new people, but she usually warms up to them after a couple of days - sooner if the person has a quiet and calm personality. Once she gets to know someone, she'll ask for attention by flopping herself on the floor so they can scratch her tummy. She eats normal run-of-the-mill ho-hum cat food. We leave her some dry food she can access anytime, but she often comes to the kitchen to demand her favorite wet food a few times throughout the day. We also have a smattering of houseplants that need watering, plus some outdoor plants in the garden that need a little love. None of them are unusual or high maintenance: indoor plants need water once a week or so, and the outdoor ones need water every day or two, depending on the weather.
Show more...Meet the pets

Luna
15 years
Sitter Reviews (12)
Homeowner Reviews (1)
None
Dustin and Laura are both awesome! Their Home is beautiful, and in an excellent area of town. They have a wonderful but shy Ninja cat who can only be seen by cat whisperers. Luna never made an appearance during our sit until the last day and it was quite brief, she ate her food while we slept or left the house.
Show more...None
Sitting for Dustin and Laura was a delight. They were accommodating, communicative, friendly, and a pleasure to sit for. Their home was perfect and had anything you would need. Rapid City and the surrounding area surprised me greatly. I knew it would be beautiful, but I was not expecting the level of beauty the Black Hills has to offer. Luna was a really sweet cat to be around when she wanted to be haha. Generally kept to herself, but when she did want to cuddle, it made it all the more special. Could not recommend this sit enough for any future sitters.
Show more...None
A review was not left by the sitter.
Show more...None
Dustin and Laura were really laid-back and easy to sit for. They were great communicators and very clear in all of their instructions. I also had the opportunity to spend some time with them before they left town and they are incredibly nice and want to make sure you have a great experience. As a bonus, they'd just had their first booth at a farmers market for their fresh pasta and I was able to try it—along with veggies from their garden! Delicious! Luna is a sweetheart but takes some time to warm up to you. It took her a couple of days before she'd let me touch her but she did quickly recognize me as the hand that would feed her! :) And after a few days she actually sat in my lap, and it felt like such a win! But she can be very affectionate once she feels comfy with you. I'd definitely recommend this stay to other sitters, and was also excited to check South Dakota off my states list—despite it being the same time as the Sturgis Rally, ha!
Show more...None
I thoroughly enjoyed helping take care of Dustin and Laura’s place. Their home and garden is beautiful and in a great area for amazing day trips exploring the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Their cat Luna was pretty low maintenance but very sweet and warmed up quickly. Would happily housesit for them again!
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Dustin
Kristi was fantastic! Very communicative, very tidy, and she took amazing care of our garden, indoor plants, and fluffy black cat. We really appreciated that she was so flexible with our changing plans, and we loved the frequent text message updates with photos of little Luna. We'd love to have her watch our place again!
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