First, we would prefer to have a couple, as opposed to a single person. This is because we have found that if one of the two gets sick or has an injury, we know that the responsibilities for caring for our property and our dogs while we are absent, will not be interrupted. This has happened in the past and we were fortunate to have things run smoothly despite one having a knee injury and surgery.

We have 2 wonderful older dogs (females). They are gentle, healthy and affectionate. So, 2 people once again, is preferable to give them equal attention.

Note: We do like to have the house sitters arrive at least 1 day before our departure to familiarize themselves with our dogs' routine, the house operations and to familiarize yourselves with the area.

We have the good fortune of living in one of the best climates in the world. The spring and summers are surprisingly moderate and something is blooming every month! From our home's location, we have a beautiful view of the largest lake in Mexico - Lago Chapala. This lake is surrounded by mountains and our altitude here is 5000 ft above sea level. The combination of these two natural elements makes for a moderate climate with little to no humidity year round. June/July is the rainy season here, but remarkably, the rains come primarily at night and by mid-day there is sunshine and fresh after-the-rain air.

During this time in June, the festival celebrating our village's patron saint - Saint John the Baptist, takes place. In the days leading up to this feast day (June 24th) there are parades, music in the main plaza and sometimes, fireworks. Also during this time there are great photo opportunities that can capture the colourful culture and devotion that thrives in this very authentic Mexican village.

Our home is in a fracciamiento (secure community) in the mountains above the village of San Juan Cosala. We have 24/7 security personnel at both entrance gates, who also patrol our streets throughout the day and night.  We have a good number of common areas for members and guests, including pickle ball, tennis courts and squash, as well as a lovely large heated pool, which is fed by mountain hot spring mineral water 3 times per week. You are welcome to join a group in a water aerobics workout on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings. For those who love hiking; there are many mountain trails to explore with easy access. There is also an enclosed, grassy dog park where dogs can run off leash. It also has a smooth walking track for the dog owners to get some exercise too.

Our home is unique in itself. My husband is the designer/architect and he has created a spacious, modern home that many people here have called - 'a work of art'. Our garden is predominately cactus, so very low maintenance and natural to the environment. We also have an herb garden in 'earth boxes' to be watered once in a while. The fresh herbs need to be used too! Our gardener comes twice per week and takes care of the general up keep of our property.

We also have a detached casita (orange in the photos). This open concept, self-contained space is where the sitters set up house during their stay here. They will of course, have full access to the main house and use of the modern kitchen and full dinning room. However, the casita also has a stove top and under-counter fridge with various small electrical appliances needed to make breakfast, lunch or evening snacks. This space is our studio/entertainment centre when we are living at home. We have good internet, a Vonage land line for (free) international calls, a large flat screen, an HDMI to connect to your computer for whatever your personal streaming choices are and a working DVD player to view the extensive collection of great movies and TV series we have accumulated over the years. We do NOT have regular commercial TV channels.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept any applications for this house-sit position from people who have pets with them. Sorry, but our two older dogs would not be comfortable with a new 'face' in their territory.

There is the possibility of the use of our car (Note: our car is a standard shift.). The restrictions for use of the car are that you only travel to nearby communities lakeside and NOT drive into Guadalajara. If you have your own vehicle, there is plenty of parking space to safely secure a vehicle inside our property.

Responsibilities

Responsibilites:
The persons (as stated, we are only interested in a couple) who look after our house have few responsibilities. Telephone (land Line), internet + electricity is paid online. There should be no need to order propane gas. We will make sure the tank is full before we depart.

Our house cleaner comes in two mornings per week (9 am - 1 pm) and as stated earlier, our gardener comes twice per week. Our employees are reliable and honest with some English. However, it would be an advantage for the sitter to have some basic (every day) Spanish. We will have paid them in advance of our leaving.

Simply keeping good care of the house day to day and making prompt contact with our list of maintenance people if there are any problems with plumbing, electricity or other problems is essential. We will provide a list of contacts for any maintenance persons and of course, our veterinarian.