🐾 Meet Stella, Cuscuz & Billy — three Portuguese country dogs looking for a human to keep them company
Hello! We are Stella, Cuscuz and Billy — three very loved dogs living with our humans in a quiet rural home in Portugal. ❤️
We are two sisters and their nephew:
🐶 Stella, 6 years old — the easy-going one. Stella is our friendly girl who loves attention, playing and running around. She would happily spend most of her day outside, exploring and keeping an eye on everything that happens around the property. She especially loves chasing Billy around the garden and generally being involved in whatever is going on.
🐶 Cuscuz (Cucas), 6 years old — Stella's sister and the more cautious one. She takes a little longer to trust new people and is also the one who finds separation from her humans hardest. Once she knows you, though, she is a lovely girl who enjoys playing with her ball, running around and, of course, chasing Billy. She isn't a big fan of rain, although sometimes she has to brave it anyway. 😂
🐶 Billy, 5 years old — the youngest and the slightly grumpy uncle/baby of the family. 😂 He doesn't particularly enjoy being …
🐾 Meet Stella, Cuscuz & Billy — three Portuguese country dogs looking for a human to keep them company
Hello! We are Stella, Cuscuz and Billy — three very loved dogs living with our humans in a quiet rural home in Portugal. ❤️
We are two sisters and their nephew:
🐶 Stella, 6 years old — the easy-going one. Stella is our friendly girl who loves attention, playing and running around. She would happily spend most of her day outside, exploring and keeping an eye on everything that happens around the property. She especially loves chasing Billy around the garden and generally being involved in whatever is going on.
🐶 Cuscuz (Cucas), 6 years old — Stella's sister and the more cautious one. She takes a little longer to trust new people and is also the one who finds separation from her humans hardest. Once she knows you, though, she is a lovely girl who enjoys playing with her ball, running around and, of course, chasing Billy. She isn't a big fan of rain, although sometimes she has to brave it anyway. 😂
🐶 Billy, 5 years old — the youngest and the slightly grumpy uncle/baby of the family. 😂 He doesn't particularly enjoy being bothered when he's relaxing and isn't much of a "play with me!" kind of dog. He much prefers running around, then coming inside to claim the sofa or bed. He can be a little grumpy at first, but once he knows you, he is very affectionate and loves people.
🏡 Our home & daily life
We live on a large, fully fenced rural property, so the dogs don't need walks outside the property.
They are used to having access to the garden throughout the day. When the weather is nice, they love going outside to stretch their legs, run around, lie in the sunshine and generally do absolutely nothing for several hours. 😅
They also have their daily zoomies, usually around 7pm in summer (earlier in winter) — suddenly all three decide they desperately need to run around the property at full speed for no apparent reason. 😂
They are also very interested in everything that passes on the road and will bark at motorcycles, tractors and bicycles. Sometimes they run alongside them inside the fenced property, which is their favourite way of pretending they are very important security guards.
In winter, they spend much more time inside, especially enjoying the warmth of the wood-burning stove and curling up on the sofa.
🐾 Their routine
Their routine is quite simple.
They sleep with us, wake up, and go outside first thing in the morning.
They have food available throughout the day and eat when they feel like it rather than at strict meal times.
The door to the garden is normally open during the day, allowing them to come and go as they please. In winter, because it can be cold and rainy, the door is closed, so they will sometimes ask to go outside when they need to do their business.
When they come back inside after being outside, they usually receive a little treat — their absolute favourite is a frozen chicken foot. 🐔😂
Before bedtime, they have one last trip outside for their nighttime pee, receive their favourite treat, and then they sleep through the night with us.
They are very much routine-and-company dogs rather than high-maintenance dogs.
They don't need constant entertainment. They are perfectly happy lying in the sun, sleeping on the sofa, following you around the house or simply doing nothing.
Our dogs are generally healthy and easy-going, but there are a few important things to know about them:
• They need time to trust new people. They are cautious with strangers, especially Cuscuz, and can bark when someone unfamiliar arrives at the property. They are not aggressive, but they are protective of their home and need a calm, patient introduction. We would therefore like to meet the sitter in person before confirming the stay and give the dogs some time to get used to them.
• They don't get along with other dogs or cats. They are happiest as the only pets around, so we are looking for someone who does not need to bring another animal with them.
• No walks are necessary. Our property is fully fenced and the dogs have plenty of space to run and explore. They are used to exercising themselves here. On nice days they enjoy running around, playing together and lying in the sun.
• They are very attached to their humans. They are used to having someone around most of the time, as we normally work from home. Cuscuz is particularly sensitive to separation. This is why we are looking for someone who will actually stay at the house rather than simply visit once or twice a day.
• They have their own little quirks. Billy doesn't like being disturbed when he is sleeping or relaxing, and Cuscuz isn't particularly fond of rain. They are easy dogs once you understand their personalities and respect their boundaries.
• Winter weather. Our home is a traditional rural Portuguese house and can be chilly in winter. The main living area is kept warm with a wood-burning stove, and we will explain how everything works. The house is not centrally heated, so we are looking for someone who is comfortable with a more traditional rural home.
• Treats are important business. 😂 They absolutely love their frozen chicken feet and usually get one after coming inside and again before bed. They also have food available throughout the day and regulate their own eating.
• We have cameras around the house. We use them to keep an eye on the dogs when we're away and will be completely transparent about their location and use with the sitter.
