My husband Jim and I are Directors of an after-school program and plan to retire in a few years. We are looking for an experienced, dog-loving individual or couple to care for our two babies this summer while we travel in Europe and Africa.
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We have a 3-story house with lovely Victorian décor; a lush back yard and patio with table and chairs; friendly neighbors; washer and dryer, dishwasher, on the wall air conditioner units, and Wi-Fi. The TV gets only the major networks and some over-the-air stations, but you will have Netflix and Amazon Prime, as well. A house cleaning service comes every 2 weeks.
If you do not have your own car, one will be available for your use. Parking around town is no problem.
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Ambler is a vibrant community of about 6,000 residents, 35 minutes by train from center-city Philadelphia.
It's a very walkable town. Within 12 minutes you can walk to a drug store (CVS), full-service grocery / health food store, and hardware store; a bank; a public library; a variety of excellent restaurants; an arthouse movie theater; a live theater venue; barber shops, beauty salons, and day spas; several fitness centers; a dry cleaner; a shoe repair shop; a wine and spirits store; a few clothing stores; several churches; and more. There’s an outstanding Farmers Market on Saturdays with local produce, meats, wines, and baked goods.
The train to downtown Philadelphia is only 6 blocks away. And it’s a short drive (or bus ride) to several large malls and other shopping, including Wegman’s, Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, Starbucks (with a drive-thru) and other coffee shops.
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DOGS: “Maggie” is a very mellow 13-year-old golden retriever mix in good health – except she needs eye drops twice a day and pills for high blood pressure.
Maggie must be taken out for a walk in the neighborhood at least every other day. “Zoe” is a spunky 7-year-old cocker spaniel mix, in good health, who will shadow you at all times but does not pester you for attention. Zoe is not leash-trained but still enjoys an occasional walk.
Both dogs are very easy-going and affectionate. They eat once daily in the evening, have the run of the house, sleep indoors at night, and can be outside in the fenced yard whenever they want during the day. They should not be left alone for more than 8 hours at a stretch.
HOUSE: a few houseplants to water. Trash and recycling bins to put out on the curb once a week. You will have to be present to admit the house cleaners every other Wednesday morning and to supervise the dogs while they’re working (usually 2-3 hours).
YARD: We will have someone else mow the grass. Occasionally, if lack of rainfall, you will have to set sprinklers for the lawn and do some watering by hand. Weeding would be appreciated but is not required - but dog poop will need to be picked up at least every few days to control flies.