Elijah and Goose

Hello! I'm Elijah. My dog Goose and I are either looking for a room, or for some lovely folks to team up with to find a place.

If you're looking to team up: I'd like to apply with one or two others to find a place, ideally in Brunswick so I can stay close to my family. I'm keen to have a backyard or a courtyard for Goose to hang out in. With the combined budget of two or three people, I think a place with a backyard in brunswick is pretty achievable! There are a few houses on the market at the moment that would fit those criteria.

I currently work full time across two jobs: I'm an educator at a wildlife sanctuary, and a maintenance worker for an environmental construction company. I also make a bit of extra money on the side doing disability support for a family member. I'm always going to be solid for rent, bills, and chores. I'm most of the way through a bachelor of Conservation and Wildlife Biology at La Trobe, where I will resume my studies next year (part-time).

I started a sharehouse with my mates a few years ago and loved it. Unfortunately due to health reasons I had to move back in with family. I'm now in a position to move out again, and am pretty desperate to get out of the current living situation.

I'm proud to come from a long line of autistic people... you'll often find me wearing my headphones, chatting to my dog, and staring at plants. I'm keen on living with people who are autistic themselves, or familiar with folks like me. Open communication and quiet time are my two biggest needs at home.

As a disclaimer... I get up at 5am on weekdays to walk Goose and go to work, but I do my best to sneak around quietly and not wake anyone up! I also go to bed quite early, so ideally would like to live with people who aren't too rowdy on a weekday evening.

When I'm not working, I'm playing piano, watching David Attenborough, swimming, birdwatching, or researching the area's flora and fauna. I usually spend around two hours a day walking Goose. I spend lots of time with my two younger sisters, but I'm not a super extroverted person.

I enjoy cooking and I'm working on expanding my repertoire of recipes a bit at the moment. I'm currently trying to perfect my recipe for vegetarian lasagne, if you have any tips!

Having grown up involved in a rural intentional community, I'm very accustomed to the social and hygienic expectations of shared living arrangements. I've also learned to make friends across the dinner table with people from all walks of life! I hold myself to a very high standard of housework and cleanliness; I've worked as a cleaner before so I bring some 'professionality' to that particular responsibility.

I bring a wealth of gardening and landscaping experience, and I long for a garden of my own to work on.

As for Goose:
Goose is a 5 year old purebred Golden Retriever. Goose was my service dog up until last year, when he failed his re-assessment exam. He does not bark in the house unless someone is taunting him with a ball, and he is very polite. Goose will steal any food left at his head height (or sometimes above), which is an annoying thing to stay on top of sometimes. Because of his service dog training, he will cuddle anyone and attempt to provide 'deep pressure therapy'. He can be easily taught to not go in certain parts of the house - for example, the kitchen or the bedrooms. He is exceptionally patient with kids, disabled people, and noisy environments. Goose knows that he's not allowed on the furniture (because he's much too hairy). I wash him every couple of weeks and brush him daily to minimise the fur shedding. Goose is generally an inside dog, and he gets his silly time out at the park during our walks. I tend to give him an enrichment activity if I'm out for a long day, so he's usually busy chewing on a toy or sleeping. Goose is fully vaccinated, and I am comprehensive with flea prevention, since Goose is severely allergic to flea bites. Goose loves having doggy housemates too. He finds a way to make friends with any dog he meets, and has no behavioural concerns with other dogs (i.e. resource guarding or aggression)

The vehicular situation:
I share a ute with my dad, which serves as my commuter vehicle during the work week. I enjoy using it to help other folks out with things like moving house or gardening. Goose rides in the tray, which he hates, but he is too naughty to sit in the cab!