We are a family of three and will be traveling to visit family in Europe this summer. We have a super sweet older rescue mixed breed dog named Chewie and 2 Beta fish (Réglisse and Noix de Coco) in separate fish tanks that need loving company while we are away. We love our quiet, residential neighborhood, cottage-like home and our huge backyard and hope you will enjoy them as much as we do!
We live in Menlo Park in a safe, quiet, dog-friendly and family-oriented neighborhood with tree-lined streets. The house is a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom house with wooden floors, crown molding, double-paned windows and a huge backyard. During the summer, we spend most of our time in the backyard or on the deck. We have several mature fruit trees and roses galore.
We are only minutes away from Palo Alto and the Stanford campus and are about 30 minutes south of San Francisco. There are lots and lots of opportunities to go hiking nearby, and both the ocean and the redwoods are within easy reach.
We have fiber Internet, with safe and fast connectivity. Our kitchen has the usual amenities and includes a dish washer, microwave, garbage disposal, and a Vitamix, sodastream and Nespresso coffee machine. There is a washer and a dryer in the garage. There is also a large wooden deck with patio furniture and an outdoor grill. You will stay in a bedroom with a queen-sized bed and window shades that block the sunlight so that you can sleep in to your heart's content if you are not an early riser. And Chewie is not an early riser himself....
There is a small shopping center/plaza that can be easily walked or biked to, with among other stores, a supermarket, a bakery, a couple of restaurants, a Starbucks, a UPS store, drycleaners, dentist, florist and a Wells Fargo bank.
The downtown area of Menlo Park is close by as are the Stanford campus and the city of Palo Alto. San Francisco is about a 30 minute drive away. If you don't want to drive, you can also easily get there with the local commuter train (Caltrain). We are close to the ocean and there are wonderful places to hike in the vicinity. Our favorites include Fort Funston, Ocean Beach and Land's End in San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, Pescadero and Ano Nuevo on the coast. A little further South are the coastal towns of Santa Cruz with its famous boardwalk and Monterey, home to John Steinbeck's novels and the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. Both are easily accessible and make great daytrips' get aways.
We are looking for someone to hang out with our dog Chewie, feed him and ideally take him for one or two walks on a daily basis. He is an older dog and has some arthritis so the walks don't need to be long (about twenty minutes once or twice a day is fine). Chewie is a super mellow dog who just likes to hang out and go for walks. He rarely barks and has the sweetest temperament. He does take a medication and one supplement twice a day but takes both eagerly as long as they are given with a cheesestick!
We also have 1 beta fish that only requires minimal care (i.e feeding once a day). We have a sprinkler system so no need to water the plants in the yard unless it's super hot. We do have a few orchids in the house that do best with watering once a week. We would also appreciate if if you would take in the mail and of course treat our home as you would yours!
We are also looking for a house/dog sitter from June 18 to June 25.