Country Living in Oxford, Georgia
Covington, Georgia, United States
Introduction
My husband and I (Philip and Mary) are both retired. This means we are able to travel to see family and friends. We prefer to leave our two dogs in their familiar surroundings and thought that house/pet sitting might be a great alternative to traveling with the pets. We are a few miles from Interstate 20 which leads to downtown Atlanta. Both Conyers ( http://www.conyersga.com/ ) and Covington are small towns with community activities, a town square, theater events, and more than ample grocery and shopping choices. They also have unique local restaurants as well as many the fast food restaurants. We are very close to the Georgia international Horse Park which has many exciting events scheduled year round. We have two grown children with their own families and a total of four grandchildren, all boys. Needless to say they have enjoyed many birthday parties, team parties and church cook-outs at poolside. When we designed and built our home we included not only the pool and deck areas for outside fun, but made sure that the doors and hallways were extra wide to easily accommodate a wheelchair for our oldest grandchild, who is disabled. Now that we are older, we appreciate not having to go up and down stairs and find that this house is also very comfortable for us and our friends.
Our Home & Location
We are located in a small, quiet subdivision equally close to Conyers and Covington, GA. We have a one-story, three bedroom home located on a 2.5 acre wooded lot. Our home is set up to enjoy the outdoors with a heated pool, a double sized deck and lots of extra patio space. We have hosted many large and small cook-outs and pool parties with family and friends. The back yard is fenced which provides immediate entertainment for the dogs. They can spend many hours sleeping in the sun when they are not chasing squirrels, watching birds and barking at the other dog walkers. My husband and I do not smoke and would require that only non-smokers apply for a sitting position.
Responsibilities & Pets
Our dogs are both rescue dogs. We have had Dixie (a shepherd mix) for about 7 years. Kirby (a mini basset hound) wandered up to our neighbor's yard last summer and we naturally agreed to take care of him. He seems to be somewhat afraid of most men and runs if he is scolded. Of course we don't know what his history is when he was a puppy, but he is getting more at ease every day. He loves to get close to Dixie, but she is not so fond of that and may growl to voice her dislike. It is never aggressive and I think she is still adjusting to this newer addition to the family. They seem to enjoy each other more and more each day.
Both dogs are fed twice each day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Dixie gets medication for the arthritis in her hip. Kirby requires consistent cleaning of his ears, one of the joys of owning a true hound. They have a place to run and get exercise in the fenced in backyard, but really enjoy taking a walk through the neighborhood. Because it can some times get very warm in the Atlanta area (except in the winter months) we prefer early morning or evening walks. During the hot parts of the day, they will prefer to be inside in the air conditioning....
At this point, they are not acclimated to swimming in the pool, but we intend to keep working on this, as it has been a great source of exercise for some of our earlier pets. They are both sweet affectionate animals and pretty much have the run of the house. I do not let them get on the living room furniture, but they are accustomed to jumping up on the bed and in the recliner in the master bedroom. We do move them to their beds for the night. If you are staying for an extended visit, we would need for them to be bathed while we are gone. During summer months we can do this outside with a bucket and hose. Otherwise we put them in the master shower. Kirby, does not yet enjoy this experience, but Dixie is very cooperative.
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April 2019 | maggie
