Profile information
Host rating
80 %
Last replied
2 Aug 2023
Feedback
22
Email verified
Badges (2)
Details
Description
**PLEASE READ PUPPY UPDATE BELOW**
I am English, a retired teacher and live in a rural area in central Portugal in a comfortable house with plenty of space. The accommodation for WorkAways is an en suite bedroom with a kitchen and living room. You will have to top floor of the house mostly to yourself. the bed is kingsize and very comfortable. There is also an extra bedroom. I like to meet new people and am very relaxed about sharing my space.
I have a dog and two house cats, and I foster puppies for a local animal shelter - at the moment I am looking after five who live outside. Because the aim is to get the puppies adopted, the number and age of the puppies I have with me is always changing. I usually need help with their day to day care and particularly walking when they are ready to be lead trained. Now I have five eight-month-old podengos. The three boys are big and strong already and all five are gorgeous but a handful.
The countryside around is green with many beautiful walks. I am 100 metres from a river beach which has a cafe serving drinks and food in the summer months, the local villages are small and friendly and there are many beautiful walks in a valley surrounded by forested hills.
I do not have a car but there are enough shops for my needs in walking distance. Once you are here there are few local buses so exploring the wider area is not really possible without a car. I have borrowed a bicycle for workaways to use.
PUPPY UPDATE April 20-23:
I still have four from the litter of six that came to me at three weeks. They are now nearly 18 months old, and the the two boys are big strong dogs. They all need daily walks and lots of love, attention and training to help make them more adoptable. Unfortunately there is a post-covid problem, too many dogs returned to shelters when people went back to work and not enough adopters or foster carers.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Animal Care
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
The local Portuguese and English community are very friendly and kind. People are always happy to say hello and talk as you are walking around. There are growing numbers of residents from various European countries and many visitors during July and August especially. For most of the year it is an experience of traditional rural Portuguese life.
Help
Priority is helping with the puppies. I have a litter of six who are approx 7/8 weeks at time of writing. Now it is picking up poo and playing, as they get older they will need more exercise and some basic training. There are two older ones that I am working on socialising and lead training. All the puppies are registered for adoption and they usually find good homes when they are ready. My job is to give them a good start.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
There are two spare bedrooms and shower rooms. The house has two kitchens with cooker, fridge, dish washer and washing machines. It can easily be treated as two separate accomodations if required. It has been renovated to a comfortable standard and there is enough space for privacy or shared living as needed. There is also lots of outside space.
I don't cook for myself every day so I would expect guests to prepare most of their own meals. I am very happy to share when I am cooking, I enjoy it. There are two fully equipped kitchens So no problems with sharing space. I can provide basic supplies. Sometimes I have to be away but there will always be someone responsible present. I need Workaway to be flexible.
What else ...
To make the most of local sights it would be good to have your own transport as there is a limited bus service. Coimbra is about a 40 minute drive from my house and from there the rail services are excellent. There is a bus to Coimbra about 0700 or 0800 hours and a return in the evening. There are also local taxis.
I enjoy a lot of walking and am able to get a lift to a local town with a friend occasionally.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Excellent internet connection through most of house
Space for parking camper vans
Safe off-road parking close to house
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (11)
The daily work consisted of walking one or two dogs in the morning and especially teaching… read more
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(4.7)
Communication:
(5.0)
The daily work consisted of walking one or two dogs in the morning and especially teaching… read more
The work is actually really eaay to do, you don't feel you're working, but you… read more
They really enjoyed the dogs and gave them a lot of love and attention as well as their daily training walks and exercise.
They brought a good range of skills, from… read more
Basically… read more
She had 5 rescued puppies that needed training before adoption. We leash-trained the dogs in the mornings and in the evenings took them for longer or shorter walks in the village. During the day… read more
Our main duties… read more
