Hello. I am looking for a house sitter for my property in Montville. My home is a beautiful and original 1920s farmhouse on acreage. I have a food forest and herb garden that has a mix of things which can be picked and enjoyed during your stay.

I have three pet geese (all hand raised) who need to be let out in the morning (as early as possible after sunrise) and put back into their coup at dusk. During the day they are relatively independent and do their own thing. You might find they will join you in the garden or paddock. Putting them away in the evening is important because of the foxes - so the house sitter must be diligent in this regard. They are not like chickens where they will roost on dusk, they need to be walked into the coup and locked up. Sometimes they will follow you, other days they need a little bit of patience / mustering. If the house sitter will not be home at dusk, they will need to put them in their coup during the day before they leave the property. I also have a small run which can be used as an easier alternative if there is any trouble getting them in at night - however it is much nicer if they can swim in the pond and eat the grass. Their water and grain also needs filling daily.

About the geese. There is Herbie (the white gander) and Jemima and Lucy (the grey girls). They all have their unique personalities. Lucy is the wild, crazy girl who thinks she is a puppy and chews everything! She is sweet and loyal and very rarely I have any issues with her. If she chews your shoelaces she is showing affection and doesn't normally cause any damage and she doesn't hurt. Jemima is the dainty little lady, poised and curvaceous. Unfortunately she was attacked by a dog at 4 weeks old so has a broken wing and a limp. She is also sweet, but can be stubborn - she is good at turning her beak up and walking in the opposite direction to where you want her to go (and she knows she is being naughty!). Jemima also loves the garden and eating worms. While she is sweet and means no harm, her bite is very strong - so when she is showing affection its best to not let her get carried away with the love. Herbie the gander, what can I say. He is a mummy's boy. He can be aggressive in protecting his territory and when he is like this he can be a little intimidating to someone not experienced with animals. His bite can also hurt when he is in 'aggressive' mode. I suspect after a day or so he won't cause any problems, however the initial thought of an 'intruder' might have him territorial at the beginning. The house sitter will need to be comfortable with animals and in this regard know how to be firm, but not cruel with him. He is easy to calm down by picking him up and giving him a cuddle (then butter wouldn't melt...). He is very loyal and sweet - he doesn't leave my side when we are in the paddock and he is always the knight on guard duty when the girls are sleeping during the day.

I am more than happy to meet ahead of my departure date to do introductions and make sure you feel comfortable with the geese if you would like.

Unfortunately I would not be able to welcome large dogs which have hunting tendencies due to the geese, small inside dogs which are properly house trained are welcome (please make sure this is disclosed and agreed upon prior).

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