Hallo dear animal sitter: I own 1 young spayed fem, a rescued dog. Calie is bigger than a Spaniel, but smaller than an Alsatian. She weighs 25 kg. So far I do not have another pet YET... I just moved into my comfortable WARM NEW house, which has a fansastic view down to the Loire. You reach the Loire within a 2 min walk. CALIE is obedient, LOVES a long walk each day & a lot of love & company ! I have to go to South Africa, where I lived for over 35 yrs, for personal reasons. I can't put my rescued dog BACK into the kennel from where I rescued her...She would not survive that. So far, I left CALIE with a carefully chosen foster family, but never longer than 1 to weeks. 8 weeks is too long for that family to care for Calie. The climate on the Loire in the winter ( Jan / Feb) is not too cold. You can walk along the Loire, a beautiful wild river; along the Canals. All walks are SAFE !!! The next little town Chatillon S/ Loire is 2 kms away. It has a weekly typical French market ( ea Thurs), a Library, 2 bars; some restaurants &&& 1 supermarket! I would like you, dear caretaker, to come some days BEFORE I leave for South Africa, because I want to introduce you to my friends, the walks & the area. I will happily answer your questions. A Mackenzie Main