Saint-Geniez-d'Olt

We have one beautiful male Irish Wolfhound dog and a young female Old English Sheepdog. Tyrion is our 3 yr. old male Wolfhound. He is very loving, and good on the leash and he definitely loves walks through the forests. Oona is our Old English Sheepdog. She is a bit of a clown, but very friendly and loving and adores going for walks. She is still young, so she is in training mode still- though she is doing very well. Both dogs are good on and off the leash, and return when you call. They eat 2x a day, and because they are large dogs it is important NOT to feed after a walk/exercise, and also NOT to take for walk or exercise directly after feeding either (wait 45 min). Our dogs are very friendly, and easy to care for. They would require only 2 short walks a day and we also ask the pet sitters to keep the back garden clean by picking up any droppings in the backyard.
Apache, our cat, comes and goes as she pleases. The only thing required is to make sure her bowl is filled once a day. Apache is not allowed upstairs (because she likes to sharpen her nails on the furniture too much). Our dogs are allowed upstairs but sleep downstairs for the night with Apache curled up with them. Our dogs are not allowed on the couch- but they will try!! lol
Our chickens are in our front courtyard. They have a few stalls in our garage. They just need to have their water and feed filled each day, and a quick poop and scooper used to clean out their sand stall. They have a chicken run where they can free range and return to main garage when they wish. They are very easy to care for- particularly Silkie chickens! Lastly, we have two sheep in another garden across the river. They don't need to be fed (they eat the grass) but their water bowl needs to be refilled every other day. :)

Our dates are not completely firm as we have not yet booked our flights. However this is the general time-frame for our departure. We would like the sitters to come a couple days in advance in order to get to know our animals, the house and the local area. We have a holiday cottage (2bedroom, full kitchen/living room etc.) attached to our house, so the sitters can stay in our beautiful cottage in privacy whilst we get ready for departure and exchange information, and make the animals (especially our dogs) familiar with the sitters :).

My name is Sarah, and my husband's name is Jean François. We live in the countryside of France and have two children (8 and 6 years old) and a variety of pets. We are mixed nationalities (Canadian and French). We live in a small, beautiful town right on the edge of the Lot river. Everything you need is in walking distance; 5 minutes walk to the town centre (markets, cafés, shops, doctors, etc.) and also numerous walks setting out into the surrounding forests with marked trails. We would like to be able to travel back to Canada twice a year to visit friends and family. Of course, since we have our wonderful animals (part of our life in the french countryside), we would like to make sure that they are comfortable and well cared for during our absence. If you are searching for a tiny slice of rural France, looking to experience a relaxing atmosphere in the quiet countryside...this is the place for you. Our town is quite small (population 2000 permanent residents)...although in the summer it climbs to10,000 with all the holiday makers/tourists.
Our home is quite large, having 5 bedrooms total, although one is currently used as an office. It also includes a two bedroom holiday cottage that is attached to the side of the house. We are just on the outside edge of the town, right on the river with a beautiful pedestrian walk that leads right to the centre of town in about 5 minutes along the riverside. We have only owned the house for two years, and have not yet completed our renovations. So please do not expect a fully renovated house. However, it is still quite an extraordinary ancient house- build in 1830 as an industrial building (L'Octroi- tax building for goods going to market). The main living space is on the top floor (4 bedrooms and an open space kitchen/living/dining room) with 360 degrees of windows surrounding the top level. This gives the most fantastic views of our ancient town, river and surrounding hills. Breathtaking in summer, winter and fall. The main floor is still to be renovated, and right now includes one half which opens onto a large front courtyard, that is my training space, and the other half which opens up onto the back garden (riverside) which currently serves as the dogs area, workshop, and one area that is a laundry room.
On a side note, a car would be important in order to visit the surrounding areas, but otherwise a car would not be necessary once you arrive to our home because everything is in walking distance (vet's, supermarket, pharmacy, doctor etc.).

As music lovers we have many Cd's of music available, as well as a variety of books to read on various subjects from literature, art, culture and history. We have books and maps regarding the local area and a binder of various walks and trails in the surrounding hills. We also have two adult bikes that are availble for use.
I cannot express enough, the joy of reading by the riverside with the sound of the flowing waters and birds singing. It is a place of calm and beauty.

This house is located on the edge of the village centre. The house is easy to look after because the garden is not very big and the house sits right on the banks of the lot river. This gives a feeling of peace and tranquility. The pedestrian walk to town only takes 5 minutes, and you have access to restaurants, cafés, a variety of local shops (bakery, butcher, pharmacy, shoe shop etc), doctors offices and the veterinarian. As well as the various forest walks that wind their way through the surrounding hills. In the summertime, there are various festivals and events in the village as well as swimming, canoeing, kayaking and fishing in the river. Fall and winter are much more quiet, but give a peace and tranquility that can be much appreciated. The local ski hills are only 25 minutes away (Brameloup). Also, there are many surrounding villages and sites to explore: Conques, Gorges du Tarn, Roquefort caves, Aubrac and much more. Experience the countryside of Aveyron to it's fullest.

There is lots to discover in the surrounding areas. Discover medieval villages like Conques, Cordes-sur-Ciel or even more remote like Belcastel. This region is peppered with beautiful villages that have retained their history and community. Our sister village (2km) from our town has been labelled with the French: ''Les Plus beaux villages de France''. Aveyron is a department that has many such villages, and driving through the surrounding hills here feels as though you are driving through a painting or sometimes going back in time.
This area allows for some of the best canoeing and kayaking in the region (Gorges-du-Tarn only 30 minutes away), as well as biking, hiking, horse-back riding, and fishing. The opportunities are many.