Boronia VIC

We will spend Christmas in Europe and prefer to have someone looking after our dog at our home rather then putting him in a kennel. He has been in a kennel before and we have come to realise that he prefers human interaction above socialising with other dogs, hence we like someone to look after him in his own environment.

Here is some information that might be useful for you:

HOUSE: 4-bedroom house with office, 2 bathrooms, lounge, diner, new kitchen, dual carport (+ garage solely for storage), laundry, evaporative cooling, central heating, smart tv with Netflix and Amazon, wifi. The house just needs to be looked after and lived in. No special maintenance required.

DOG: Our dog (cocker spaniel) is medium size, 3 years old and his activity varies from very playfull and active to being petted often (he is often a 'sook' and wants to sit on our laps). He usually gets about 3 walks a day, 30-60 minutes, depending on how active he is. He does not like temperatures over 25C and we don't take him on long walks then (or at all if it is really hot). He has access to the whole fenced off backyard, but as he doesn't care to stay clean (mud, puddles, water), he can't just walk in and out of the house without being cleaned outside first (mainly his paws) if there has been rain (or you just have to mop and clean the house after he comes back in and you won't like that!). He is quite happy to be handled and there is no problem to clean his paws. He knows the routine quite well.
Our dog likes to chase birds (he never gets them), balls, and anything you throw up in the air (leaves, mowed grass). He LOVES to get into the water and he likes to go for a swim (there is no requirement that you have to do that but in case you like to go to the water with him, you are warned. He will pull the lead and will drag you first to, and then in the water if you are not ready!). If he does get into water, mud, or get dirty in general, you can wash him in the bathtub in the bathroom. Besides the few times you might need to remove seeds, twigs, etc. that can be embedded in his coat (he likes to explore the undergrowth), he only needs to be brushed once or twice a week.

GARDEN: The only thing that needs to be done to the garden is to mow the grass (takes about 30 minutes), probably two or three times in this period (depending on how quickly the grass grows) so that the house looks lived in.

Our house is in a quiet neighbourhood and at a cul-de-sac. Train stations, shops and various parks (good for walking the dog) are within 15 minutes walking. We prefer non-smoker(s) as a house sitter.