Quiet country house near Chateaux and vineyards in the Loire
Introduction
We are a retired French/American couple with a 14 year old dog and a 7 month old puppy, living in Indre-et-Loire (37600), France, close to Loches. We have family in the United States, and friends and family in many different regions of France, so we are looking for a pet/house sitter, so we can travel freely as we want.
Show more...Home & location
Our house is a "longere" (one level) built in 1796. It resides in a hamlet "Les Jussiaumes" of 8 houses, in the countryside, next to a big farm. Our view is of the farm complete with goats, peacocks, geese, chickens and a duck pond. The sunsets are different everyday! There is very little traffic, as our hamlet is close to the end of the road. It is a perfect location for biking or walking! We are 25 minutes from Loches, a cite royale. There is a market every Wednesday and Saturday morning. Amboise, another cite royale is about 45 minutes away on the Loire river and hosts a market every Sunday morning. There are many chateaux to visit, including Chenonceaux, Villandry, Saumur, Cheverny among many others. My husband says this area is commonly referred to as the "kings garden". This area also boasts numerous vineyards in Vouvray, Bourgueil and Montlouis. Needless to say, it is a beautiful region with a mild climate. It is a 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath with a brand new kitchen. Our grand daughter says our house and furnishings are authentique!
Show more...Responsibilities
Bella is a rescue dog, from New Mexico. She is very timid and is comfortable with gentle people. She loves to be brushed and to go for walks. 20 minutes is usually enough) for her toilette in the mornings and late afternoons, as well as a pee-pee before bed. 2 walks a day is not necessary, as long as she is able to do her business! Oscar is a cuddle bug and has great energy when playing. We just enclosed our entire property, so the dogs can be safe outside. We keep them separated in the house, but they can be together outside. Oscar grazes, we put his bowl down late morning and Bella eats once a day in the evening. Bella is a big fur ball and she sheds constantly. It helps a lot to brush her every day. We have a battery charged vacumn, that will do the whole house on a charge. There are a few house plants to water weekly.
Show more...Meet the pets
Bella
14 years
Oscar
Sitter Reviews (2)
Homeowner Reviews (1)
None
From the first conversation that I had with Amy and Gerard, I felt as though we had known each other our entire lives. - a feeling that they too later shared with me, and I know that they will be life long friends. They truly could not have been more wonderful and gracious hosts in every way and I immediately fell in love with sweet Bella and my little French boyfriend Oscar, and of course their 6 silly hens who entertained us all on a daily basis. Gerard toured me around the villages, making sure that I knew my way around and shared with me all of the best boulangerie and markets in the nearby beautiful villages and towns, and they both were excited to prepare lovely and authentic French meals while we enjoyed getting acquainted and even invited their neighbors for an apero so that we were introduced- whom I also was welcomed by and was invited to several gatherings and outings with! Their home was exactly as the pictures and their descriptions, which was absolutely lovely and the setting was idelic French country. Amy was very clear and thorough with instructions and tips on the care of their fur and feathered family as well their home and if I had a question, they were always quick to respond. We all shared photos and videos almost daily (they of their vacation and my sending fun captures of my fur and feathered companions and their adventures), the pups and I enjoyed walking through the hamlet and wanderings to the nearby streams and pastures and even though sweet Bella is a gentle and well seasoned lady, she always had a spunk and playfulness and little Oscar had the fun and silly puppy energy that I was endlessly entertained by. I was thrilled that Amy and Gerard invited me to stay 4 additional days with them, and we all cried when it was time to say goodbye. We have continued to message each other and I miss them all and look forward to hopefully seeing them again either in France or their visiting us in our home.
Show more...None
We drove all the way from North Wales in the Uk for this sit and it was great. Amy and Gerard are super nice people and made sure we had everything to make our stay enjoyable. Bella is a gentle and sweet dog, was easy to care for and walked very well on a lead. The house was comfortable and is in a very rural setting of about 8 homes including a farm. We could walk along the small country roads right from the house and see few, if any, cars. We do not speak French so having Steve (American but long time French resident) next door was extremely helpful. He even accompanied us on several outings and was an excellent tour guide! We met several other neighbors who were very kind and friendly. If you get a chance to do a sit at this home grab it.
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Amy
Dawnell was absolutely the right choice to care for our 2 dogs, 6 chickens and our home. She was also a delightful surprise for our neighbors and was welcomed by everyone! We asked her to extend her stay for a few more days so we could enjoy getting to know her. We feel as if we have met a part of our family we never knew, and we know we will see her again soon.
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Amy
