Hi! We're Ken and Bobbi. If you live in - or would like to explore - the Pacific Northwest, our housesit might be for you!
Located less than 10 miles from downtown Portland, Oregon, our town of Vancouver, Washington was recently ranked by Forbes as the 2nd best US city to visit: s:// updated-top-ten-best-places-in-america-to-travel-right-now-and-avoid-the-pandemic/
The house: Welcome to our cheery 1940's bungalow. It's been lovingly remodeled by my husband over the 5 years we've lived in it. The backyard is more than ¼ acre with apple, pear, and plum trees: plenty of space to play with the dog or enjoy a BBQ on the patio. If you need an extra day or two at either end of the housesit, we have a tiny house on the property that you are welcome to use. (If you're traveling in an RV or camper, we may be able to accommodate your rig in the driveway - send us dimensions). We have very good internet/wifi access and a Chromecast for the bigscreen TV, but we don't subscribe to cable, so you'll want to bring your favorite streaming service with you.
The neighborhood: We live in Vancouver, WA, a charming city of ~200k people, right across the river from Portland, OR. We live an easy walk, bike ride, drive, or public transit ride from downtown Vancouver, which is really active and includes lots of small cafes, restaurants and bars with a neighborhood feel, as well as the upscale Waterfront area with riverfront dining and wineries. Our local community college campus and a historic National Parks site (Fort Vancouver) are both nearby and favorite places where we often walk the dog.
Downtown Portland is 9 miles away. There are endless things to do in Portland and the surrounding area if you're a foodie, a music lover, a bicyclist, or an outdoor enthusiast.
The dog: Here's Moose: he's a recent adoptee into our household. He prefers a slow introduction to new folks, but in under an hour, he'll be like velcro: attaching his big head to your leg until you put him in a sit-stay so you can have some peace. We estimate his age to be around 5, and his breed to be some sort of Mastiff mix (75 lbs / 34 kg), so he needs someone with big-dog experience. He's doing great at loose leash walking, but we'd like at least one day in advance with you so that you can learn his walking routes and maintain some consistency with his commands since he's so new to our home. He requires about 60 minutes of exercise per day, which can be given in 1-3 walking sessions throughout the day. He's fairly quiet and dignified, but he gets the occasional zoomies in the back yard, and will offer to play with his toys, especially at night when he thinks you're about to go to bed. He sleeps alone in his crate (left open, he puts himself to bed) and is happy to sleep in or get up early with you.
Other responsibilities: The other "pets" involve 3-4 birdfeeders and 4 houseplants: if you're here more than 3-4 days, we'll ask you to refill them once or twice a week. During the summer, our rain barrels do most of the outdoor watering, but there are a 2-3 outdoor planters that need hand-watering.
Feel free to get in touch with any questions you have - we look forward to hearing from you.