Sleepovers!

Occasionally there are special dogs, usually related to mine, that I offer to come stay at my home rather than visiting theirs. Sometimes it is great for the dogs but not so great for me, or for my 13 year old Bemjy. Here is Harley just getting warmed up shortly after he arrived. He never really tired out, although Charlotte did!!

Larry Powell, an amazing and unique man

Because I had just read yet another of Larry's online columns, I am moved to speak of a singular voice in the animal community. Formerly of the Dallas Morning News, with his own byline, he 'disappeared' when they decided to streamline their hard-hitting news coverage and dump anyone with compassion and a conscience. Larry has written about the the lack of care and concern so many in the public eye had for the welfare of dogs and cats on the streets and in cruel circumstances at home. He has given voice to those who had fought for better protection for our pets and for precious animals who had no rights at the hands of abusers. Now that he has his own column online http://www.readlarrypowell.com/  he has ramped up his efforts to bring together all in the animal loving and saving community. His column offers a forum for rescue groups, shelters, and individuals to put their lost causes, the injured, old and abused animals rescued from the streets, or from euthenasia, in front of thousands of individuals who may be able to give these animals a chance. People who would never have known about these situations if not for Larry. He has received many awards in the Dallas Animal Community, but this can not explain why he turns out his heartfelt, yet funny, and sometimes poignant column everyday. This is a selfless act from someone very special,  and for those who have not read his work, you will soon be hooked, and maybe run across that dog or cat you feel needs to be saved by you!
PS- Larry did not pay me to write this and would feel embarrased if he knew. Fortunately for him, no one reads this.

Fall is just around the corner...

Yes, I know it is still August, the hottest month in Texas, but yesterday morning it was 68! It felt like winter! True, I am desperate for something that feels cool on my skin, but it really did feel like a shift in the weather was coming. That will make today's 96 degree forecast more bearable. Don't worry by next month I will have stopped talking trash about the weather.
This has been a quiet summer by pet sitting standards. A downward shift in the economy always comes later to Texas, it seems, than the rest of the country. However, I have never, in 24 years, experienced a recession in this business until this summer. Business is off about 50 percent. My clients are all still with me, they just aren't going anywhere! Maybe I should get with a travel agent and offer cheap packages to my clients. Does this seem proper-Take A Vacation and keep your pet sitter employed!
  My own dogs and cats, 2 of each, eat a super premium, organic, holistic, human grade, very expensive food. They are high maintenance and would not appreciate, or eat, a lesser quality bag of kibble.
This is already too much ado about nothing, but I just realized I have not written about my own brood. Above from left to right my 2 dogs, Benjy and Charlotte, then my friend Melissa's girl, Penny, and  on top is Nemo, who spends half his week with me giving me 2 1/2 dogs technically. They are all doing what they do best. More about them next time.

A Pet Sitter's Flower Pot Rant

Did I mention it is HOT?(see previous posts). I am a pet sitter and my vocation and dedication is to the welfare of my client's pets. As an additional free service I will try to make sure your plants don't die from neglect while you are gone. In the Texas summer 2 things are a given. People will plant a lot of delicate flowers in pots, and these same people will then take a long trip in the hottest part of the summer.
 For me the most trying part of my job is not to walk dogs in the broiling Texas summer sun, it is watering all those outside plants, in pots mind you, in this heat. Many of my clients leave such detailed instructions for outside plant care that it rivals anything I have to do for their cats and dogs. Example-" In the back -Just water the 5 large pots for 2 minutes each, and the 8 smaller pots for 30 seconds each. The larger pots can be done every other day , but the small pots need to be watered daily, unless it rains. Don't forget to check the hanging baskets by the front door, there is a hose on the side of the house that will reach".  There are 50ft hoses that have to be dragged along and across pools to catch all the pots and hanging baskets, or I can fill the watering can 10 times from those same hoses-whichever is easier! It is miserable work and yes, I do charge extra if it is excessive but frankly, it is subjective, and few clients assume I will charge them for this, or offer to pay for it. The time I spend outside doing this is time I am not with their pets. This is my busiest season and I can't compensate for the time I must spend attending these plants. My little buddies have to get short -changed in the TLC department so that the flowers look good.
My solution- let them die while you are on vacation and go buy some new plants when you get home!

A Wonderful Old Dog!

Sometimes you meet a dog who is so lovely, and loving, that he, or she, will stay with you forever. Every dog lover should have one like that. If lucky, you may get another. Bailey was one of those dogs. This is not about health issues, or training, it is simply that they are so wonderful to be around, you cherish having had them in your life. She was a beautiful Golden Retriever and she loved her family, and me! In tribute to Wonderful Old Dogs, here is a picture of  our Bailey. She was always smiling.

Old Dogs-there is nothing we won't do

When her mother died, a dear client took in the old German Shepherd mix, 'Bella'(name changed) who had been her mother's beloved companion. Bella was about 12 when she came to live in the Turtle Creek high rise. The couple had a little 'Westie' who I had cared for several years. The dogs did well together and Bella had no problem adjusting to the elevator ride down to the parking garage and our walk out to the beautiful landscaped grounds.
When the wife went out of town she still had me come in to care for the dogs so that her husband could go to work without having to attend to them. This was fine, and not unusual.
It became apparent, after about a year, that Bella was going deaf. Not a big deal, it happens. The old dog somehow was always roused by the younger Westie so she came out to me soon after I entered the front door. Upon entering one morning, the younger dog came running, but not Bella. I called softly, but of course she could not hear. As it was quite early, I had the feeling that the husband was home, and probably sleeping. I made my way toward the master bedroom, where I knew Bella slept but she still did not appear. The bedroom was dark and, as I feared, the husband was in bed. There on the floor, near the head of the bed, Bella was sleeping soundly. Thinking about my approach to this 'delicate' problem, I finally got down on the floor and crawled along softly calling Bella-don't ask why- I have no idea. Probably I was hoping she would sense me and get up. The bed was far from the door and I slithered-I could do that then- along the floor until I reached her feet, which I tapped lightly. No response! Not wanting to startle her, as you easily can if they are deaf, I rubbed her feet gently. Still no response, so I moved closer along the side of the bed. In the dark I could tell hubby was turned away from the the dog, but was on that side. Finally coming up next to her, and in a sweat, I patted her shoulders, as I was stretched out next to her now. She finally opened her eyes and, started to get up. As I turned to crawl out of there as quickly and quietly as possible, in the dark I heard, 'Hi, Jeneva".
I never did know how long he was awake enjoying my heroic endeavor to get this old dog out of the bedroom, so I could do what I am paid to do. I think I just mumbled 'Hi John', and continued to crawl out. 
Old dogs are special, and a lot is required of us, after all free years of love and devotion we receive from them.

Summer Vacation

Summer vacation in Texas means get out of town. Head to a place that is cool,Canada, or by a coast (east or west). Since it is a particularly busy time for me, it is apparent that many people take this time of year to split. For me, it means more dogs to walk and more hours outside. Although it sounds tough, I have found ways to get my mind, if not my body, some relief. I have become an 'audiobookaholic'. While most people read a few books during those hazy, crazy days of summer, I am attached to my headset and barrel through 2-3 books a week. All the books by Steig Larsson -Done! Passages, the hit of the summer-34 hours of listening -Done! Numerous James Patterson, Dean Koontz thrillers, usually finished in 2-3 days, unabridged versions only.
Now the drawback is that while I am totally engrossed in the 'book-of-the-moment', a month from now I will have only a vague recollection of it, and three months from now I will be advised by Audible.Com, as I am trying to download a book, that it already exists in my library, and yes, I have heard it! Fortunately, I am not being tested, and it is more a comment on the fact that several authors write books that have very similar plots. Thank God for Audible's computer generated honesty! Well, back to the street and to strap on the old headphones for this afternoon.

Dog Days of Summer

Someone will have to explain this to me. During the Summer, my dogs, and those I take care of,. have easy breezy days of lounging in the A/C. If they have a dog door then they frequently lie outside in the SUN-sound asleep. They do not seem to crave A/C, nor do they seem uncomfortable outside. Dog Days of Summer must be a good thing, or maybe it was invented in the Northeast where summer is something to look forward to, definitely not in Texas where nothing beats a midday walk with the dogs, in broiling, bright 100 degree weather. Oh Well, it's July 30 and this weekend will herald the summer slide toward Fall. Just the word, Fall, makes me smile!!

The Cat from Hell!

To be honest, there have been 2 CFH, but one was in my care frequently which made the experience worse. When I met Kyle ( the name is changed to protect the owner), he was in his Mom's arms. She held him out, a large chocolate brown cat with long hair and beautiful green eyes. He let me pet him, and we continued the interview. Nothing unusual except that it was the tiniest Apt., I'd seen . Almost an efficiency, since you opened the front door into the bedroom. There was a small hall to the kitchen and a bathroom that opened into both rooms. That was it. The furniture was massive, so there was almost no room to move about. That first time I entered to care for Kyle, he was not immediately in sight. As I went down the short narrow hall to the kitchen I heard a shrill sound from behind. He was coming at me in a crouch, growling and hissing. I spoke quietly and well, tried to be calm and soothing. Forget it! He lashed at me every time I moved. Fast forward- 45 minutes later I was still in the Apt. I managed to get his food and water but now I was trapped in the small kitchen. He was in the kitchen and charged at me from under the table. If he was scared, well that was nothing compared to what he was doing to me. Finally, I saw a large magazine and held it in front of me, as a pathetic blind, to get him backing up. Another 10 minutes and I was finally out of there, exhausted. As I started down the outside stairs there was a sharp 'BANG' near my head and I almost tripped in fright. It was Kyle throwing himself at the window on the staircase. He was still trying to get to me!
Nothing changed, except that the owner finally had him declawed after he attacked a dinner guest coming out of the bathroom!
I tried to rationalize that the place was so small and the furniture so large, he had no place to go and was forced to protect his territory. So what! Every time I came it was the same. Launching himself off the chair at me, or from under the bed, just inches from the front door. I walked up those stairs with a knot in my gut. After trying many different types of distractions, pennies in a can, jangling my keys, etc., finally I fashioned a large cardboard screen that I kept in front of me as I went through his place.
His owner loved him, and was oblivious to the fact that she had gone through several sitters who told her the cat was the worst they had seen. I knew her experience but could not believe he was that bad. After that I was committed, knowing she would never be able to get anyone else, and I was too stubborn to be defeated. When she asked me to pick up the things that Kyle would knock off the dresser, we had a frank discussion about my role. There was no way I was going to bring my face near the floor with Kyle under the bed! This should do it-she would fire me! No way! She said, 'OK, no problem.' I took care of Kyle for more than 2 years. When his owner told me she was moving to Lubbock, I cried with joy!

A Birthday Celebration

If  I  finish work early, I take my Charlotte to her pre-agility class on Wednesday nights. I may have mentioned our permanent resident status in the course in a previous post. We are woefully behind because of my back problems, and surgery, I had most of last year. Last week I held a slightly premature birthday celebration for Charlotte. We had bottles of my favorite wine from Carmel, and birthday cake. The women in the class are amazing, all dedicated to their dogs and to the class. Thought you might enjoy a picture of our 'class party'.  That's me opening the wine at the table. There are about 8 of us.  Not your usual training class!

Cat owners vs. Dog owners, at least this week!

For some reason, all my dog owners went away last week. This makes for a long day and a late night. Inexplicably many of my cat owners are going away this week and next. There is a little difference between 'Dog  people' and 'Cat people' when they go out of town. Everyone worries about their pets while they are away. I do have to say that lately I get more calls, or texts, from worried 'cat' parents during their trips. You are surprised, right?  Dog owners don't really worry that much. They may miss them, but that is different. Cat owners worry that 'kitty' may stop eating, throw up, or pick another spot to potty, if they are too stressed by their owners absence. Frankly there is some truth to that. Dogs will want to bond when I come in, but cats, even those I know well,  don't like the changing of the routine, and take longer to relax. It falls on deaf ears if I explain, sweetly, that this is better than boarding. That is not even a possibility to them they know, for it would result in serious consequences once they got back home. Many of my cat owners have tried boarding once or twice and then decided kitty's wrath was worth hiring a sitter. They are little but mighty when pissed!

All in a morning's work

This morning, while talking to my sister, I walked upstairs in a duplex to take care of 4 charming cats. The owners travel for work so I am at the house regularly. Telling my sister I will call her back, my greeting to the cats begins as I pick up their bowls. The place is pretty dark, and as I walk into the bedroom up pops the husband. A brief heart attack develops from the shock as  he says- 'don't be scared' (too late for that), 'I meant to e-mail you last night.'  Catching my breath and saying , "no problem", I continue to get the food bowls. At that point, still in the dark, he attempts to give me the new changes to the schedule. At this point it seemed  reasonable to point out that it is risky to assume I will remember this and I will e-mail him later. He gets up, which I assured him was not necessary, and he goes into the bathroom, I assume. Quickly finishing up the food and cleaning the litter box- I am out of there! This is not a unique encounter as schedules frequently get changed by clients that travel a lot. However they usually call out before I run into them , or I see their luggage. The 'surprise' element does not happen often- thank God- it is aging!

Time is short

In order to explain the delay in writing, I will give a quick, or not so quick, example of an average Summer day. Alarm goes off at 5:15-hit snooze. 9 minutes later( I pick a clock with the longest snooze time) it goes off again. I briefly think of my schedule and decide I can only afford one more 'snooze'. It's not that I go back to sleep it is just hard to get up knowing how busy the day will be. Get up, feed the dogs/cats and get ready. If I wasn't too tired, hopefully I made my schedule the night before. Make coffee, and try to get out by 6:30. My working hours are just that-working. There are no coffee breaks, chatting at someone's desk, etc., it is constantly going from one client to another. So the morning goes from about 6:30 to 10:30. Come home, get on the computer and respond to clients inquiries. I should be back out by 12 but usually it is closer to 12:30. Midday clients and home around 3. Catch up on returning client calls, check e-mails, feed the dogs/cats and leave the house again around 4:30 -5. Early evening and late clients gets me home around 9:30 - 10. Dinner, and unwind, a glass of wine. Go into my office and do the schedule for tomorrow. Also now-write this blog, and in bed between 11- 11:30. If it runs later than this, the blog will have to wait for a lull in the action!

A Rain Delay---

For a Pet Sitter you can be sure of nothing. After threatening clouds, thunder, etc., but no rain, and clearing skies, I was convinced, and aggravated, that it missed us again. Not that I wanted to get wet, but it has been hot and I was looking for rain to drop the temps a bit. So I set off, without a raincoat or even a cap, to work.
  A lot to do, no sign of rain, as I rush to a client with 2 Old English Sheepdogs in full coat! As I get there it starts to sprinkle, no big deal. First thing- get the leashes on and out we go. Now it is sprinkling a little harder,HMMMM. About a half block away, it starts raining,really raining! No, you don't turn back. The dogs have to 'go', and they don't seem to mind. First my hair goes, rain cascading down my face, then the clothes. By the time my jeans are soaked they begin to stretch down over my running shoes. This makes it easier to step on my own pants as the dogs are now dragging me down the street. You don't know what fun is until this happens. When we finally get back to the house, I am actually dripping more than the dogs, so I blot myself off then have to wrap the towel around these 2 magnificent large, hairy, and wet dogs. There is only so much one can do when the dog is at waist height,mine, and almost that long.
  Of course that can't be the end since when I leave there I have another dog to walk. When I enter the next house a prim, little dog looked at me with disdain. I put on his leash but he walked at a distance the whole time. I believe he was embarrassed to be seen with me in his neighborhood. Can't blame him!

Holidays and the Heat---

It is still miserably hot and I am heading into a big holiday weekend, 4th of July. Holidays are always busy but that is what this job is about -you are always working on the holidays. Sometimes clients call to book me for a week around a holiday then ask if I will be working on that day! Honestly, I hear that more at Christmas, and Thanksgiving. It makes me laugh when they ask, but it sometimes means they can't imagine I have that much commitment to this job. You know that old phrase-neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet , etc., referring of course to the postman. Their job is cushy compared to a Pet Sitter! We have to go out if there is an ice storm, snow, 105 degree heat, it doesn't matter, you are committed to taking care of these pets, and, of course, not only don't we get major holidays off, we work harder and longer on those days. This isn't a complaint- it comes with the profession, but it sure wreaks havoc with your personal life! Ultimately you get use to it and I have grown to love working on a holiday night. It is usually quiet and on July 4th I will likely see fireworks above the neighborhood where I will be walking someone's dog.

Dogs, of course- Cats, who knew!

Most people can easily understand the need for help to take care of a dog. They have a 'schedule',they have to go 'out'. Someone responsible has to do this. That is what I thought, as a dog owner. Only 'dog people' would call me. In fact when I started, I  never had a cat. That first Thanksgiving when I finally picked up 6, count 'em,  clients there were 2 people that only had cats. Not only that, but one of the cats was diabetic and needed insulin shots twice a day. 'Did I know how to do that?' Well, I taught people how to give themselves Allergy shots, was that similar? The client said -no problem- she would show me.
  It is not similar at all. This is a cat! Fortunately for me it was a wonderful easy going purring machine who was completely unfazed by this. I was a wreck- drawing up the insulin, knocking out the air, pulling up the skin and shoot! Piece of cake!! The cat lived a long and otherwise healthy life and I had learned a skill from one of my first clients.
It is common that clients who only have dogs think I only take care of dogs, OK, I buy that. What is unusual is that clients who only have cats, think I only take care of cats! It is also a fact that 40 percent of my clientele only have cats.
Not all my diabetic cats, it's almost exclusively cats with this disease, turned out to be that easy. Most were manageable, but a few were from HELL! One deserves a column all to himself.

In the Beginning....

After the first interview and a job accomplished with the Lab, along came my first business "Holiday". At this point in 1986, I really did not know if this was something  that would earn me a living. There were only 2 Pet Sitters,  one south of Dallas, And one in Plano, north of Dallas. I put an ad in the only small local paper that was close to me- Park Cities News. I started getting a couple of calls, and the next client, for Thanksgiving week, taught me how to model my business. It was an attorney, in Highland Park, an exclusive neighborhood, who called me to help with the family dog. His wife and child had left for Colorado and he would join them as soon as his 'case' ended. He wanted to know-could I take care of their dog because he was leaving home early and returning late. In a few days he would join his family and I would take over care of the dog for the vacation. OK - Sure! At first he was gone before I got there, and home after I left in the evening. A few days later, I ran into him and was confused. Did he still want me to take care of the dog even though he was 'around'? Yes! he assured me that he would pay me for the contracted time, 10 days. The trial had ended but he could not leave town and he would appreciate me continuing with the dog. Someone was going to pay me to feed the dog even though they were home. He taught me that my clients would be honorable people, who loved their pets, wanted to pay for the convenience of having them at home, and perhaps had a variety of lifestyles that I could work around. The client asked me several times if I wanted to be paid, but I said he could pay me when the job was completed. At the end when the family returned, he thanked me, and paid my bill including a generous 'tip'! I could not believe it, and yet, I knew that if this is what it would be like, I had found my calling with this 'pet sitter' gig!

Well, some days are just about the same as the day before and the day after. This is one of those. It is hot and I have a significant number of dogs to walk, so I will be hot. It is a part of this job that it is not exactly the same every day. The schedule is usually in flux from one day to the next. It may be work, or personal, but something changes every day.
Last night I took my Charlotte to her 'pre-agility' class. We have been in it for 1 1/2 years and I don't think we will ever graduate to actual agility. She will be 3 in Sept. and has the doggie version of HDAD! She thinks class -same dogs every week- is a brand new meet and greet. She can't hold a 'sit' or 'down' for more than 5 seconds, and even though she will walk through fire for a treat, you can't keep at the same lesson for more than a few minutes or she walks away. We have fun, so I guess she is a lifer.
Tonight I will have dinner with a friend/client. To make that happen at a reasonable hour I have to walk the dogs early , then go back and walk them again after dinner. It's a drag in this heat but it allows me to attend events that happen in the evening when everyone else is done for the day. Time to feed my dogs, and get out to work.

Weather, the downside...

While there are many wonderful things about Dallas, Summer is not one of them. The best you can hope for is that it starts late- no 90 degree temps until July 1st, and that it breaks under 90 by Sept. This year we have had 90+ temps since MAY! We have already hit 100 and it is only mid-June. Every day is hot and sunny. Miserable weather to walk dogs. They hate it and so do I. It wouldn't be as bad if we had a stray cloud, a little rain, something to break the intense heat. This summer is really annoying. You know you're in trouble when you step out of the house at 6 AM and it is already 82! Someone said it is like being hit in the face with a hot washcloth, and that's how it feels. Did I mention the humidity? When I moved here, they said it gets Hot, but it is dry. I believe it was but now we have humidity-climate change-I guess. This will be my one rant about the heat, otherwise I could have a whole blog devoted to hot summer weather.
No matter what anyone says, we, in Texas, do not get use to the weather. You learn to try to get around it, not focus on it, think of something else. For me, while I am out walking dogs, I listen to audioboooks. As hot as this is , I will probably go through 20 books this summer. I'll let you know in September!

Tuesday June 22

This morning, just as I was finishing my morning rounds, a client called my cell. Her dog had fallen down and she asked if I was nearby. As it happened I was very close. This is a client I have sat for since the late 80's. Their last dog was a wonderful Lab. She was 14 years old and by the time I arrived at the house, just minutes after we spoke the dog was already dead. I love this family and their dogs were delightful. It is so sad for them, and me. We are like a family and now the reason for that relationship is gone. You might think they will get another dog. Maybe, maybe not. There is no way to predict. For now, at least, we are separated, and I will not be expecting a call giving me their trip plans for the summer, and our usual discussion of what will be the best way to take care of that beautiful dog. It is very sad and very much a part of doing this for so many years.