Donkeys with Dreadlocks and a whole lot of Puppy Antics!

Our house/pet sit in the Loire Valley turned out to be "challenging" to say the least. We knew that there were a large number of animals (5 donkeys, 4 dogs, 2 rabbits, 2 cats and a cockatiel). However, two days prior to our arrival the owners' husband decided to surprise his wife and get her a new dog - an 8month old Pyrenean Mountain Puppy called Rosie...the size of a small horse even at this young age! A lovely, gorgeous fun loving dog who we fell in love with very quickly. She was trying to find her place in the pack when we arrived and as a puppy was into everything and loved having a good chew.

As the owners didn't know her history (she is a rescue dog) it has been a real challenge, as I am sure you can imagine, especially after only 2 days in a new place. Left alone or when your back was turned, she had a tendency to chew anything she could from the leg of a chair, the arms of a chair and strip it of the stuffing. a slipper, my flip-flops and two dog beds to name but a few items.

One morning I came into the lounge to find she had got hold of a bag of hay (left behind the sofa for the "bunnies" hut) and proceeded to decorate the front lounge with! It looked like a Nativity Scene.....the only things missing was Mary and the baby Jesus! We had nicknamed her the Weapon of Mass Destruction!

Fortunately, a week in and she was slowly learning what belonged to her and the word "no". She was getting along well with the rest of the pack and they are all playing together. We tried placing some of her puppy food inside a toy which kept her entertained (well for a short while anyway) and we gave her and the rest of the pack a decent walk twice a day as she seems to have so much energy, thankfully this tired her out (so we were able to enjoy about an hour relaxation afterwards!).

One morning, heading out of the front door through the small porch area, unbeknown to us, the cat had come in. The wind had blown the front porch door shut, so she was unable to get out. What happened next was like the remake of Ben Hur. The dogs spotted the cat, the cat saw the dogs and poor Tom was left trying to hang on to three dog leads attached to three big dogs, the cat (with hair on end) started doing an impression of a lizard trying to climb the front door to the roof and I was stuck in the middle trying to get the open the door to let the cat out....what a pantomime!

Our worst experience of the whole sit had to be the morning we came through from having breakfast in the kitchen to find the front door ajar. The front door had a pull down door handle, it was surrounded by paw marks where the puppy had worked out to open the door!!! No-one knew this pup could open doors!! We had been so very careful as the owner not to let them get out, as the owner had warned us they would run off at the first opportunity! We rushed outside and found three dogs but of the other two there was no sign. I cannot begin to tell you how we felt (literally physically sick). This is the kind of nightmare that you hope will never happen on any assignment.

As luck would have it we found one in a field near the house. We got her on her lead and I walk her back (she was filthy and smelling distinctly like a cowpat!). To our relief when we got back to the house the little cream dog had come back now black and like his friend smelling foul.... eau de garbage bin this time). Still we'd didn't care they were all home!

It really brought it home to us just the huge responsibility you have doing this "job"

Can't fail to speak about the donkeys. Like most people, we envisaged your little, cute donkey at the seaside- No, these guys could look me straight in the eye at 6ft 1" and they had dreadlocks!!! The breed is French Poitou used by Napoleon and in WW2 because of the loads they could carry. Great characters

Thankfully the rest of time was enjoyable. The property was in large grounds complete with a lovely swimming pool which we enjoyed. We also were on the doorstep of some lovely little towns and the Puy Du Fou (Medieval Theme Park). We attended the nighttime show (Cinescene). This show is amazing. Performed by a cast of 1.200 people, including children, (many of whom are volunteers). Horses, pigs, oxen, sheep, lambs pigs and piglets also part of this fantastic spectacular. The show takes place at the back of the ruined castle; narrated but also set to music it tells the story of the local area from the Middle Ages to the Second World War. The costumes are wonderful. The finale has over 400 fireworks and is amazing. If you are in the area and get the chance to go do not miss it!