Wagging tails, barking, jumping excitedly and covered with kisses. This was how we were greeted by our four Brussel Griffons and I knew instantly that we were all going to get along fine.
If these dogs look familar it’s because the ‘rough coat’ Brussel Griffons were the inspiration for the Ewoks in the “Return of the Jedi” Star Wars movie – George Lucas had 5 of them. This breed of dog also starred alongside Jack Nicholson in “As Good As It Gets”. They are 100% cute.
Besides looking after these 4 adorable dogs the location for this house sit was in beautiful Yorkshire (England), staying in a charming 350 year old cottage in a small town near Wetherby.
A little bit more about our adopted family – there was mum and dad and their son and daughter.
Billy (the dad – smooth coat) is the most patient and loyal. He will patiently sit and wait to be petted and likes to be close to you.
Bella (the mum – rough coat). We nick-named her ‘grandma’, because she was a little overweight and when we walked her, she had this ‘waddle’ about her and Bella’s whiskers were turning gray, sort of like a real grandma.
Buckley (son – smooth coat). He is full of energy and would love to run around the house and sprint up the stairs. Would greet you with a thousand licks of his tongue!
Button (daughter – rough coat). She is seriously gorgeous, but don’t let this fool you. She is very cheeky and was often the trouble maker and the noisiest of the four.
We had the pleasure of looking after these 4 pooches for two and a half weeks.
The ‘Ewoks’ as we collectively called them, were inside dogs, even though they had access to a small rear yard, and the longest time we could leave them was about five hours.
We generally walked them 3 times a day. One long walk, about an hour and two shorter walks of 15 minutes each. They were little balls of energy and loved their walks and we enjoyed the ‘quiet’ time when they would return exhausted and have a sleep.
Yorkshire is a beautiful part of England and there are plenty of walks, castles and villages to explore. The larger towns of York and Leeds were both a 30 minute drive away and as the owner had graciously lent us her car we were able to easily get about and explore.
York is a walled city with lots of interesting history dating back to ancient Roman times. We did a free walking tour which lasted nearly 3 hours – a great way to learn the history and visit the interesting sights York has to offer. We certainly need to come back to explore York further (hopefully on a return sit).
We also visited Leeds and a must see attraction for anyone visiting Leeds is the Royal Armouries Museum – it’s an amazing place. You can’t see it all in a day, and probably need at least two, and the amazing part is that it is free.
One of the best things about house sitting is living like a local and experiencing first hand all the local events.
We attended the following events:
- Walton Cricket Club Fun Day
- Collingham Real Ale Beer Festival
- Free Sunday afternoon brass band concerts at Wetherby Riverside Park
- Attended the Harrogate Symphony Orchestra playing at Harrogate Royal Hall
- And of course ate (and drank beer) at the town’s local pub – The Fox and the Hound
Wetherby and Yorkshire is a lovely place to visit and live. We had an adorable family to care for and we miss our four legged friends very much.
The Aussie Lambs - Pet & House Sitters 