Adventures in Doggy Sitting

A hyper puppy, a skittish dog and a slowing, senior dog make for an interesting mix. When you add in the unexpected like a female dog going into her heat and a stomach sick doggy, you have adventures in doggy sitting.

I’ve been on a bit of a blogging break. Two weeks ago, I spent a week in Pennsylvania caring for my brother’s three dogs: two young Shetland sheepdogs and one senior Golden retriever. After coming home, I jumped right into prep for teaching Pre-K/Kindergarteners in Vacation Bible school, (but more on this second topic in a later post.)

Cinnamon, a partly merle Shetland sheepdog, three years old
Abby, a tricolor Shetland sheepdog
Princess, a senior Golden retriever

Abby, Cinnamon and Princess are all nice doggies, but their personalities are quite different. Abby, the tricolor Sheltie, has quite a bit of puppy in her still, likes to jump up on people and still likes to mouth things and “chew” on fingers. Cinnamon, the Sheltie with merle coloring, can be skittish and shy, acts submissive to her more rambunctious housemate but will still quietly seek attention. Princess, the Golden, is friendly and gentle, likes affection but takes a lot of naps and has some difficulty getting up and down.

Every day, I fed the dogs twice and let them out in the fenced yard several times. At night, I put the two Shelties to bed in their crates while letting Princess have her choice of two big dog beds. In between times, I gave them plenty of pets, cuddles and attention.

Dealing with animal care, just as with human caretaking or babysitting, can sometimes be a dirty job. This was a week where I think I dealt with nearly all of the possible bodily fluids, and I realize that I am not terribly squeamish. It makes me think I might have made a good nurse.

My brother and his wife are planning to start a breeding business with their Shelties, so neither Cinnamon nor Abby have been spayed. This made it possible that either dog could start her heat cycle while I was watching them, and it worked out that it happened for Abby.

I had to diaper her, and that process sometimes had its funny moments.

Abby is sitting on my lap here and making a fashion statement in her pink polka dots. Humorously, she seems to coordinate with my pink striped pajamas.

The first time that I attempted to diaper her was a little bit of a struggle. As you can see from the photo, I had to pull her tail through a little hole in the diaper. She didn’t cooperate too well and pulled out of it three times before I successfully diapered her. Then, I realized, to my dismay, it was time to let all three dogs out and I would have to remove it anyway.

It was also a rhythm, thinking about all three dogs and their needs when I let them out. The back deck had one set of steep steps that the Shelties could run down, but Princess, the senior dog, could not manage. I would lead her, on a leash, down some less steep side steps and then back into the fenced area of the yard via a horse gate. Because of the distraction of Princess and hooking her up to a leash, a couple of times, I forgot to remove Abby’s diaper before letting her out. She would dart out like a shot as soon as the door opened. By the time, I led Princess around into the fenced area, catching up with Abby and removing her diaper, she had already peed in it. So, I had the extra job of handwashing the diaper and swapping it out for another.

Abby
And a photo where you can see Cinnamon’s interesting merle coloring.

In spite of all this, Abby was much more cooperative with me after my first attempt to put her in her diaper.

These were not the only dirty messy jobs of the week. Cinnamon got sick to her stomach that week. I woke up in the early morning hours to the sound of her retching and found vomit inside her crate. This repeated itself multiple times. Sorry, squeamish readers, but I will try not to be too graphic. She vomited on the hardwood floor in several places the next day, and then again in her crate, so I had more messes to clean and blankets and towels to rinse.

Following instructions from my sister-in-law, I started Cinnamon on some doses of coconut milk to help her nausea, two teaspoons every two hours and, the next morning, a small piece of bread with honey and ginger. Whether it was just timing or the effect of the home remedy, she stopped vomiting after the first dose of coconut milk.

All of these extra duties could have stressed me, but it didn’t as much as it could have. Instead, I had a feeling of success from meeting these interesting challenges. I certainly would have been more worried if Cinnamon went on being sick without recovering. It’s not necessarily pleasant to deal with these messes, but it’s something we deal with out of compassion.

Certainly, caring for dogs has its rewards, and I enjoyed a lot of affection and cuddle time with this lovable bunch.

Abby again
Princess
Abby and Cinnamon

My Memorial Day Weekend Went to the Dogs, #WeeklySmiles

This weekend was a busy one for my animal care business. I took care of Luce —

Luce cuddling next to my legs on the recliner

And his friend Stevie, (a female named for Stevie Nicks) …

Stevie

for an overnight from Saturday night until midday Sunday. The dogs were good doggies, and they enjoyed some play time together. Still, at one point, Luce became intimidated by his bigger buddy, so I kept them somewhat separate. Once Stevie understood that Luce was no longer available as a playmate — he had taken refuge in my mother’s lap — she was content to settle and have cuddles with me. (I was thankful for mom who made it easier to keep both doggies content.)

My perspective of Stevie with her upper half in my lap

Immediately after these two dogs were picked up, I went to a nearby hotel to watch two small dogs, Cal and O.B., for a few hours. Their owners were visiting from out of the area. They were going to a grandson’s birthday party and wanted to keep their dogs separate from their son’s big dog.

Cal is some sort of Yorkshire terrier mix …

Cal

and O.B. is a Maltese.

O.B.

Cal is barking in the photo. He began to see me as a purveyor of treats, and he thought that if he twirled enough and barked, there would be endless treats. I did give them both quite a few.

After my time with these doggies, I came home and had Luce back for another overnight. He and I enjoyed some more cuddles.

Sometimes, I think of myself as a professional dog cuddler (although the job involves a bit more than that.) Charles Schultz is right. “Happiness is a warm puppy.”

This is for Weekly Smiles at Trent’s World (the Blog.) I hope my recent doggy adventures made you smile.