Doggie Day Care

For a short time I was thinking about going back to work. This job as writer is very low-paying. And these days, with high inflation…well you know how it is.

It started a few weeks ago when a friend asked me to dog-sit for her while she and her husband went to an appointment. I have spent time with this small dog on a few occasions and he is a cute little guy, and very playful. His name is Dash, and he loves to cuddle. So I said yes.

Dash met me at the door and began dashing around, jumping up and down, licking my glasses, stealing my outdoor shoes before I was able to hide them. After the parents left we spent some time playing with Mr. Squishy, (who is a toy – just to clarify), and snuggling on the couch. Pretty soon Dash yawned and flopped down beside me, asleep in seconds. I checked my email messages. I started to read a novel I had brought. I drank my coffee. Dash snored on happily. And I thought – this could be a pretty good second career for an old person.

Dash

As readers know, I have had lots of experience with dogs. I look after Venus quite often when her parents go on vacation. She is old and obliging, and Peter even lets her sleep in our bedroom. I have looked after another son’s dog, Tobie, a few times. He is old too and crawls under the couch to sleep, realizing whe he wakes up, that he can’t crawl back out. Fortunately, I have enough arm muscles left to hoist up one end of the couch and let him out.

Venus. (Tobie was under the couch, unavailable for photos).

So I decided to research my new possible career. First of all, I would need some new toys. Our old dog balls and chew toys are beyond repair. A visit to Petsmart revealed that dog toys are not cheap these days. And there are lots of health warnings. Certain kinds of plastic are toxic if chewed. The popular squeaky toys are a choking hazard if the squeaker is swallowed. And of course there is the decor. Any toys must be turquoise to match my new sun room.

I’d need to get some new dog treats too. Our leftover treats are stale. I know this because Peter tried one by mistake, thinking it was a new kind of cookie for him, and he spat it out in the garbage – not even good enough for the worms in his compost bin! In my dog-treat research I discovered homemade dog-treat recipes. Well for heavens sake, I don’t even bake treats for people! I was starting to get cold feet. This new job might be more than I could handle.

Then a third son asked if I would look after their family dog, Finn, for a week while the family went on vacation. I wanted to help. But I hesitated. Finn is not old. He is not even middle-aged. He has passed the stage of eating kitchen tables, but he is still full of energy. And he is big. Twice a day he goes for long walks with his owner. Sometimes the owner rides a bike as Finn trots alongside. Sometimes Finn races ahead while the biker tries to keep up.

I hesitated some more. I began to imagine myself being pulled, dragged along the road, into ditches, through potholes, over speed bumps, whimpering “Stop! please!!. stop!!!” OK maybe I am exaggerating just a bit. Sorry Finn.

But I am definitely giving up my plans for a second career. If you are looking for a dog-sitter, you might consider Oro Dog Companion, a robot that throws balls all morning, opens up a food tray at lunch, and sings little lullabies so doggie can have an afternoon nap. Just like me.

Sue

Finn, catching a few winks when he thinks nobody’s looking.