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.