Hanging out with the pups

Hanging out with the pups

This blog is for our list “Completed house sits”, as a record of all the positions we have taken house and pet sitting all throughout the US and possibly internationally in the future. These are quick overviews of our particular house sit experiences.

While being snuggled up with a whole bunch of clothes on in cold Connecticut, it is hard to imagine that a month ago, we were enjoying the pleasant Florida weather during our two week house sit in The Villages. Two weeks is on the shorter side – for us – to house sit, especially when it is so far away from our base in New England, but we wanted to soak up the warmer weather and meet our friends Sim and Rosie from SV Wandering Star over the holidays, while visiting Florida by car.

Mark and I had a good routine going with Barnie Bloom, the English setter, and Brodie, the Gordon setter. They are two big boys, one mellower than the other, who had a doggy door into the yard and who loved their morning walk at the Doggy Doo Run Run dog park. They were fed in the mornings and ate freely during the day. We managed to work on our computers in combination with enjoying the house (which had an amazing massage chair, hot tub and small pool) and its surroundings (“historic” town centers, live music and well-kept grounds).

The Villages is a very interesting settlement – the biggest retirement community in the world – and we are happy that we managed to experience what it was all about. Our hosts being so welcoming, friendly and grateful was an added bonus, and we really appreciated being able to use their truck for our trips with the (slobbery) dogs. 🙂 We made new friends in the human and the animal world, while savoring Florida’s atmosphere and climate. It was the perfect “break” before this long, cold and grey winter!

Best feature(s): The Villages has something to offer for everybody, great weather, happy hours

Best gadget(s): Where do I start? Golf carts, a massage chair, a hot tub, a pool and a beautiful view!

Surprise(s): The owners presented us with a fantastic Christmas gift basket upon our arrival, took us out for dinner and drinks on several occasions and offered to pay for our fuel!

Downside(s): The dogs did not listen very well to us