With my husband not so skeptical now, we applied for, and were offered, another house/pet sit in Brittany (France), looking after two dogs, Bella and Cookie (Labrador/Boxer crossed breed) for 11 days.
Cookie was a rescue dog and at first very nervous of having us in the house. We let her take her time and she eventually came to us on her terms. She took a real shine to Tom and they became great buddies. Bella, the older of the two, was a very affectionate dog and loved her cuddles.
We enjoyed daily walks down to the "Etang" (a local open field) and along the rivers, where games of "find the stick' ensued. Both dogs enjoyed a good level of fitness and really tested ours.
The house, a small, single story rustic stone dwelling was comfortable and had a lovely open fire that we used often. The weather proved to be very unpredictable but did not stop us getting out and about. We were lucky to be able to visit some of the local markets in the region whilst enjoying the Brittany area. The local produce was so fresh and varied. Tom was a huge fan of the French cheeses - just as well we were getting plenty of exercise!
This House/ Pet Sit was our first introduction to rural France. We loved it and we felt certain that would not be our last venture in rural France.