Petsitting caring for Gomez and Bella in rural Burgundy, France

Details

• 

  Description

  Off-grid caravan stay with 2 doggies and lovely fenced yard.
  
  Hi, I'm Danielle. We live in a tiny hamlet near Arnay-le-Duc in Burgundy (Côte-d'Or), in an old stone house we are renovating room by room.
  
  THE STAY
  Honest heads-up first: the house is not a traditional house yet. There is no fitted plumbing yet, we use a composting toilet, and living here is camping / caravan style. Nights can be cold. This suits people who like rustic living and don't mind that.
  
  We are looking for an individual or a couple to stay with our two dogs for a month / month and a half. The accommodation would be in our little caravan that is parked on our property OR we have recently created a rustic bedroom/apartment in one room (again no plumbing or electricity but we do have battery powered lamps). You can stay in a room inside the house, or in the caravan - whichever suits you better. Both are basic and rustic while the renovation is underway.
  
  THE PET SIT
  We would like someone who loves dogs and will be their substitute parents while we are away. Having a car is necessary.
  
  For this housesit, you would be looking after two dogs, Gomez and Bella. Our other dogs will not be at the house during this sit.
  
  We are looking for a couple or an individual to stay at the house for about 1 to 1.5 months, starting mid-November to early December. Your main priority would be Gomez and Bella: feeding, walks, company, and keeping an eye on them day to day. You would also be keeping an eye on the house itself while we are away. This is a live-in housesit, not a set work schedule.
  
  WATER
  We have a well on the property and a 210L rainwater catchment. That water is useful for washing, dishes and cleaning, but it is NOT potable water. Drinking and cooking water has to be fetched by car from town. The water we get is free, or you can buy large bottles at the supermarket for about 1 euro, at your own cost. The catchment has been dry after a hot summer, but it has been raining more lately, so hopefully that will help as well.
  
  CAR ESSENTIAL
  Having your own car is essential for this stay. You will need it for water, for shops in Arnay-le-Duc, and in case of a vet visit. This is deep countryside, not a walk-to-town stay.
  
  Thanks!

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Animal Care

  House & pet sitting
• 

  Interests

  

  Van life

  

  Pets

  

  Farming

  

  Culture

  

  Plant care

  

  Gardening

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Books

  

  Animals

  

  Nature

  

  Cycling

  

  Camping
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  The region is very famous for its markets, cheese and wine as well as Dijon mustard.

• 

  Help

  Dog Sitting
  
  This might be a kind of unique pet sitting location. The property has a large house on it, but the house is not habitable as we have recently purchased it do a complete renovation. “Home” for right now is a very cozy camper van/caravan that is parked on our property called “Coco”. The one major job we have accomplished on the property is a fence around a beautiful yard for the dogs where they are happy and safe to play. At night, they would enjoy the warmth of sleeping in the caravan together with you.
  
  We recently added a bedroom inside the house, which has a nice big king size bed, and some living room furniture for a cozy place to go in the evenings. This is also an option for you instead of the caravan.
  
  So, again, you can stay in a room inside the house, or in the caravan - whichever suits you better. Both are basic and rustic while the renovation is underway. I will mention that while the room stays a little above the outside temperature, the windows do not have proper glass pains instead, they are wrapped in a thick plastic, the walls really need to be painted, but have not been painted yet so it’s like elegant furniture and comfy bed in a room that’s not quite finished just so you know what to expect.
  
  
  For the dogs: Snuggles, food and love for our two doggies. Bella enjoys walks around the neighborhood and local countryside if weather permits.
  
  The property: We are off-grid. You might need to drive to town on occasion to fill up the water jugs depending on your water needs. We have 3 grocery stores and a weekly market.

• 

  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent

• 

  Accommodation

  The caravan has two different sleeping area options up on the bunk or down on the fold out table/sofa. We provide bed sheets, pillows, and blankets. There is a small cooking area for heating meals and making coffee and tea as well as a refrigerator. We will provide one tank of gas. A private compost bathroom with a hot shower, though water is limited to how much you can collect. We can also provide a chemical toilet if that is your preference, although that has to be taken to town and dumped at the designated area when needed.
  
  We’ll let you do your own grocery shopping. Food not provided.

• 

  What else ...

  The area is beautiful countryside hills perfect for long walks, picnics, and the local town has a great selection of markets, restaurants and activities.

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Can host digital nomads

  We do not currently have WiFi but if you have cell phone data or a Starlink device it will work well here.

• 

  Space for parking camper vans

  If you have your own camper you’d like to stay in you can park in our driveway as long as you’re ok taking care of the dogs there (and of course have access to the fenced in yard.)

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

• 

  My animals / pets

  

  Bella

  

  Gomez

  Cuddly teddy bear

Website Safety