Just a thought: any footloose, dog-loving Hellenophiles out there? Who would want a free place to stay in Athens for two or three weeks in the fall (probably November)?
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We have to go to the U.S. in the autumn, and I'm mildly stressing about leaving the Sky. I'd really love it if we could finagle a way to let her stay at home while we're gone... and it occurred to me that maybe (a kind, responsible) someone, or a couple, might want to swap a place to stay for dog-sitting services.
We're in downtown Athens, 20 minutes walk from the Acropolis, so the price of a hotel in this area would be quite high... and it's a really quiet, charming little neighborhood. So, I'm thinking maybe there would be somebody who would love to spend some time here and save a
lot of money on accommodation.
The details are these:
Bright, cheerful one-bedroom place (queen size bed), with living room (two of them, really), bath with tub and shower, happy kitchen, and small terrace from the bedroom that leads down to a shared courtyard. Pretty, pleasant, serene,
very safe neighborhood, and you don't need a car (we don't have one); if you wanted use of a bike, we could probably arrange that for you. Wifi, PC (maybe laptop too, if we don't take it with us), TV, stereo, heat, AC.
There's a (very) small grocery plus a small convenience store a couple blocks away (they speak English), and a supermarket a five-minute walk away. The nearest metro (underground), the Acropolis station, is about a 10-minute walk away, and the tram (takes you to Syntagma Square downtown) is a 5-minute walk away.
The dog is an angel - not a barker, very sweet and affectionate, not hyperactive or fearful, loves people but isn't a pest about it. And, honestly? Totally adorable. :) BUT, she is an escape artist - which means when you leave the house and she stays home, every possible way out has to be closed. She'll jump from places that seem too high; she'll squeeze through places that look too small. It's okay if someone is home, she doesn't try to get away - but when left alone she turns into Houdini.
This isn't a big deal, because the house is easy to secure, but one shouldn't even go around the corner to dump the trash without either taking her, or closing up (this only means closing a couple of windows and the french doors to the terrace). There is also a main gate, so even if she gets out, she can't get *out* - unless someone comes in the gate and she runs out at the same time. That's the danger.
As for pooping and peeing, she's house trained, and does this on walks, but will also go in the courtyard or terrace in an emergency (I clean this up right away). The Vet is just a couple blocks away, and speaks English. The upstairs neighbor is Greek Canadian, and English is her first language. (Most people here speak English anyway, or if they don't speak, they understand.) And, of course we would leave you with many numbers for contacts.
So, that's the basic info, and if anyone is seriously interested, I can give you many more details. I know this is a wacky longshot, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Obviously, this is for people who know they like dogs, and preferably have spent time with same. I'm not asking for any kind of crazy attention to the dog, though; I would expect anyone who wanted to do this to have a good time exploring and enjoying the city.