Dog sitters, be patient with first-time owners
Take my dog out to the ball game
“Hmm, I don’t know if I want to leave my dog with them this long.”
That was my first thought when I was asked to let my dog sleep overnight elsewhere — without me. It was also a ridiculous reaction.
Want to know why that thought was so preposterous? Because it was my own mother asking me to take my dog to Chicago White Sox Dog Day with my father. Not only had we had two family dogs for a combined 22 years, but she also had a new dog — who I dog sat twice. And yet my crazy mind still thought it was “different” to give up the leash on my own dog. It had nothing to do with being ditched for the baseball game either.
The last time I went to a White Sox game with my parents, I kicked my legs up on a seat and read a book, only stopping long enough to clap when someone on each side of me stood up to cheer. Then, I went right back to reading. A baseball fan, I am not, so I didn’t take it personal when she didn’t invite me.
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And her request made sense for another reason: I had jury duty the day before the game. So I already needed someone to watch my dog while I had to take a Metra train and a bus to get to a courthouse I’d never been to in over three decades of living in Chicago. (Actually, I should be celebrating that. The location was a criminal courthouse.)
And yet, here I was trying to find an excuse why the same two people who created me and raised me for 17 years — never mind who I spend holidays with and freeload their washer and dryer — couldn’t take my dog away from my condo. In my defense, and in more than three years, I had never been away from my dog for more than a few hours. I don’t even want to take a vacation without my dog coming.
I couldn’t get out of jury duty and my mother has been a White Sox fan since I was born, so I knew neither one of these events was going to change. Finally, I sighed and realized my dog was going to have to spend the night somewhere else — and do so for two whole days because the game was a different day than jury duty. (And I had no idea whether I’d be picked to serve on a jury a third time.)
Right before they got to my home, I had to step into the bathroom and shed a couple tears. It was the dumbest reaction to leaving my dog with my parents, and it kinda made me grudgingly understand why women keep referring to themselves as “dog moms.” (This shirt cracks me up, by the way.)
Recommended Read: “Hey lady, you do not have a ‘fur baby’ ~ Why I grudgingly denied the term ‘fur baby’ versus human babies”
When dog owners have to chill out a little bit
My reaction made me wonder how in the world all these pet owners trusted me — someone who they did not know — to hang out in their homes and leave their dog(s) with me for days. Even weeks! It made me remember one dog owner who asked if he could walk with me and his dog. My response, “Sir, if you’re going to do that, why are you paying me?”
He couldn’t find any good reason to justify walking with me. With his shoulders slumped, he let go of the leash and watched me walk out of sight with his dog. I thought that was so goofy. As I rounded the corner, I took a photo of his dog to prove he was still alive and sent it to him. He apologized about being so protective and complimented the cute photo. I told him it was “totally OK. I get it.”
I did not get it.
Now? I totally get it.
5 tips for seamless dog sitting and satisfied pet owners
From a multi-year dog sitter and dog boarder, and a three-time dog owner, here are five suggested ways to get first-time pet owners to relax when leaving their dogs with overly dramatic pet owners like me.