DOG SITTER

This evening my new dog sitter came over to see how to take care of my fur babies.  I will be going on a short trip soon and my last dog sitter could not take care of the dogs this time.  She is going to a conference and is not available.  So I had to find another dog sitter.  This is not an easy task.  I was referred another person but she works nights and works a far way away.  It would have been a hardship getting back and forth to my home in time to feed them and let them out.  I was worried it would not work out.  I decided not to go on my trip.  Then my friend volunteered to take care of the pups so I could go.

Tonight I spent an hour showing her everything.  Dogs, bird, house.  The dogs took most of the time with Happi's medication regime.  She takes three medicines in the morning and four medications in the evening.  It is complicated and time consuming.  She gets very anxious and cries a lot.  She won't eat and then cry because she is hungry.  Yes, Happi is high-maintenance.

Lucky is high-maintenance in another way.  She is territorial.  Someone watching her needs to know not to ever try and pick her up, never take anything from her (except a toy), never take her food bowl away from her, never try to remove her from any furniture, and never touch her bottom.  To get her to give anything up (food bowl, furniture, pens, etc.) you need to give her a higher value treat.  She steals a pen from the table, you give her a cookie and she will give it up.  She is on the couch, you tell her to get off and give her praise.  If she won't get off, you give her a treat to get her off.  You DO NOT attempt to push her off.  And NEVER try to pick her up.  She can jump in your lap, which she will, but don't go up to her bed and attempt to pick her up.  A dog sitter's boyfriend almost got bit doing that.  She and I warned him.

Anyway I think she is prepped.  She has dogs so she knows most of the drill.

Until tomorrow...