Manchester England

We are Chloe and Pete, and we live near Manchester with our two border collies, Pippa and Skye. We both work full-time in the public sector for neighbouring councils.
We will be travelling to New Zealand in October-November 2024 for a very belated honeymoon!
We are looking for someone to keep the house 'ticking over', and to look after our dogs while we are away.
In our free time we enjoy hiking, travelling in the UK and abroad, reading, watching films, playing games and cooking.

Our Home -
Our house is a 1900's mid-terrace, with a master bedroom with a mega comfy king sized bed,
and a smaller spare room, which we use as a home-office. It has a fold out sofa bed if needed.
We have a cozy living room with a great big TV, games console, hundreds of books and loads of board games to keep you entertained. The bathroom has a roll top bath and separate waterfall shower.
We have a big open-plan kitchen and dining room, with a dining table and breakfast bar. We love cooking so you'll find everything you need in the kitchen for cooking and baking. Large cooker with 4 gas rings, griddle and hot plate, as well as two electric ovens.
We have a washing machine and tumble dryer, and a small low-maintenance yard at the rear.

We are non-smokers and would like our house sitters to be too.

We have a few house plants which we have not managed to kill (yet!) so they would need an occasional water. The yard would also need a daily clean with the hose pipe and brush to clear up the mess from the dogs. The house is otherwise quite low maintenance.
The house is in a residential area, on a no-through road. There are parking restrictions, but we have a visitors permit you would be able to use if you needed space for a car. The neighbours are quiet and tend to keep to themselves.

From the house there is public transport to Manchester, Salford, Wigan and Bolton, and super easy motorway access to further afield. Within about an hour's drive you can be in the Peak District, Liverpool, Chester, Yorkshire, Lancashire, The forest of Bowland, Formby Beach and the rest of the Merseyside coast, to name a few of our favourites. We are not far from the Trafford Centre if shopping is your thing.

There are some shops, pubs and restaurants in walking distance as well as a park and walking paths through the woods. Greater Manchester is the place to be for anyone who enjoys sports, music, history and cultural events, it has a great food and drink scene and we'd love to recommend some of our favourite places to go. There is always something going on and there really is something here for everyone.

Our Dogs -
Pippa will be 14 in October, she has a heart condition which she needs medication for, and some spay-related incontinence, which is also managed with medication. She is losing her sight and can get confused at times now she is getting on in years. We have had her as a rescue since she was 5. Pippa enjoys a small walk (10-15 minutes) once or twice per day. She's a lovely girl who needs a gentle, patient approach, she spends most of her day snoozing.

Skye will be 3 in June, she is also a rescue and we have had her since she was 1 year old. She can be a bit nervous when first meeting people but is quickly won over with treats and fuss. She is very affectionate and loves to cuddle and play. She likes a longer walk, 1-2 times per day or whatever is manageable. We tend to take her for shorter walks twice per day during the week, but longer walks at the weekends.

We would prefer a house-sitter who has experience with rescue dogs and/or dogs with medical needs. The girls are friendly with other dogs so we could consider pets being brought but would like to do an introduction first to see how they all got along. They would probably not get on with a cat or small mammals because of their herding instincts.

Staying in our house, you would be welcomed to make yourself at home. We will leave it clean and tidy, with all the information you need, including detailed routines and information for the dogs, and some recommendations for places to visit nearby and further afield if you are new to the area. We will be contactable while we are away and would be checking in to make sure you are getting on okay and on hand to answer any questions.

Please reach out if you think this could be the stay for you.