Need a housesitter for a week in July!
Introduction
We are two Brits. who have lived in the Netherlands for a good number of years. Ross is self-employed working in IT with focus on SEO and website design. Jackie is a qualified Teaching English as Foreign Language tutor. We love living in The Netherlands, the tolerance and pragmatism of the Dutch, and the country's proximity to the rest of Europe. We love traveling when we can. We are non-smokers and would like only non-smoking house sitters. We often go away and then we need someone to look after our house and pets (three cats and four chickens)!
Show more...Home & location
It is an old boerderij located on the Wakkerendijk in Eemnes with surrounding garden, double garage and garden shed. With wooden floors downstairs, carpets upstairs, three bedrooms, two upstairs bathrooms and downstairs toilet. Two werkamers. Large dining room. Kitchen and bij keuken. Gas central heating with thermostat control (very easy) in the entrance hallway on the wall by the door to the living room. Hot water for the bath and shower is constant. Hot water for the washbasin in the kitchen is heated by heating unit underneath the washbasin in the cupboard. We turn that on when we need hot water. It heats very quickly. We turn it off when we don't need hot water. We have a house alarm system and would expect this to be set when the house sitter goes out. When they are in nothing about the alarm system is active. We have good neighbours immediately next door (Rene and Sylvia).
Show more...Responsibilities
We need the cats and chickens looked after while we are away. Four chickens and three cats. The cats are allowed outside during the day but not all night. The two male cats can go outside after their evening meal but will want to come back inside after a while. We do not let the female cat (Lola) out at all at night after her evening meal. They all sleep in the kitchen at night and we keep the kitchen door closed. Their litter tray is in the bij-keuken. Water bowls are there too. Cat food is in one of the kitchen drawers. We feed them one full sachet of cat food with a sprinkling of cat biscuits on top of each cat bowl at breakfast and then again in the evening(around 5.00pm). The chickens should be let out of the Henhouse in the morning when it gets light and then put away when it is beginning to get dark. If you leave the door to the Henhouse open then chickens will go inside themselves in the evening. Their biological clocks tell them when it is time to go to bed and to nest on the perches upstairs in the Henhouse. It is important that they are put away safely at night and the Henhouse door is closed. We lost one of our chickens to a predator recently (we think a neighbouring dog). All the chicken feed is in the garage by the backdoor in sealed containers. The nesting area in the Henhouse needs to be cleaned out of chicken poop every day. The perches and the wooden ladder need to be wiped clean of chicken poop every day too. The water dispenser needs refilling and cleaning as appropriate. There is a washbasin in the garage and all chicken equipment can be cleaned there. There is a hot water heater underneath the washbasin and this can be turned on when you need hot water. It heats up very quickly. The garden and potted plants need watering regularly during the hot weather - in particular the hydrangeas (hortensias) which need a lot of water as soon as their leaves begin to droop.
Show more...Meet the pets

Enzo
12 years

Lola
9 years

Sitter Reviews (10)
Homeowner Reviews (0)
None
5 ✴️✴️✴️✴️✴️ SIT !!! Dearest Jackie, Ross (such warm, kind, interesting couple 🩷🩷🩷), poultry 🐔🐔🐔, Enzo 🐱 and Lola 🐱 ... When we got out at your house I looked out at several horses 🐎🐎🐎. OMG... what a great start. You guided us through your beautiful and unique home 🏡 and garden in a short time to explain the "expectations". Everything was well prepared and clear. Thanks for that 💜. The communication before and during the sit was in a pleasant, solution-oriented and sweet manner 🧸. Surroundings: what a unique location... dead-end street, enormous nature reserve 't Bluk within cycling distance, Utrecht,... too much to mention !!! A car is recommended. Poultry 🐔🐔🐔: Very easy to take care of and relaxing to watch them roam around, Heidi is a lap sitter and enjoys petting. 🌼 TIP for future sitters 🌼 Heidi was broody, so because of the warm weather we took her out of the coop several times a day and put her on the other side of the beautiful garden for a sand bath and to stretch her legs. Cats 🐱🐱 : 🌼 TIP for future sitters 🌼 Enzo (bigger + a bit white / VERY SHY) and Lola (smaller / LESS SHY): because Jackie and Ross had left without us knowing where the cats were (house, garden, garage, garden shed,... ???) did this cause some stress during the first few days (where are they, not locked up somewhere?). One review said "cat likes to lie on lap" + we could NOT meet Jackie's expectations (for example: cats in the kitchen at night). The cats are very, very shy so we hardly saw them. After 4 days I called Jackie to discuss what we did best. Fortunately, the weather was warm and dry, so the cats could enjoy eating, drinking and sleeping outside in the garden 👍. Until the end of the sit we barely saw Enzo (only from a distance) and Lola a few times a day. It's a pity that we couldn't spoil them with cuddles 😪. I mention this for the next sitters AND with good intentions 🩷. Jackie and Ross 🍀... We 🙏 you had a relaxing trip and enjoyed it 🌞🍽🏖!!! We hope that you think we did our best (in any case, we tried to do so with a sense of responsibility and much love). Thank you 💙 so much for trusting us to care for your fantastic home, crazy chickens and darling kitties. We wish you all the happiness in the world, have fun with your loved ones and have fun traveling!!! Big hug, Sarah, Frank and Fleur 🐶🌸 (glad I found the key 😝😉🤣)
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I had such a great time with Oscar, Enzo, Lola and the hens! The house was also wonderful, cosy and clean. All instructions were ready for me and hand off was smooth. Communication the whole trip was quick and easy. The countryside around their home is beautiful and I loved going out on walks. I would recommend this sit to anyone... Thank you Ross and Jackie!
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A review was not left by the sitter.
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My husband Elias and I had a great time staying in Eemnes looking after Oscar, Enzo, Lola, and of course the chickens! Ross and Jackie were very accommodating and have a beautiful home. Thanks for letting us stay! -Corinne and Elias :)
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During half term I looked after Ross' and Jackies's cats and chickens. The cats were lovely (one being a total love bug and the other two more independent) and I thoroughly enjoyed the chickens... being chickens. Not in the least thanks to the delicious eggs the provided me with! Communication with Ross & Jackie was straightforward and clear from the start. The area they live in is beautiful anytime of the year; I got to enjoy it in autumn and it was gorgeous! Lots of things to do closer and further away from their home. Speaking of which, their place is cosy and among the most beautiful I ever sat at. If the opportunity will arise, I'd love to go back!
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