Ever hear the old saying, "Do something you love and you'll never feel like it's work"? That's where we are with this... John spent many years commuting into New York City every morning to provide for his family and he did it well. I was a vet tech/boarding/handler manager, then owned a medical transcription company, then became a real estate agent on Long Beach Island in NJ. Meanwhile, John and I renovated and sold a number of homes and I bred and showed Bouvier des Flandres dogs until my last old boy crossed the rainbow bridge.
From then on, as our pets passed, they were not replaced because we knew the day was coming when we would not want to be anchored by them. We did a few sits while John was working in NYC... Oxford, Amsterdam, Providenciales (we've been doing this since before it became a "thing")!
Sitting for other peoples' homes and pets is not all sipping frosty beverages by the poolside and discussing what to have for dinner. There is a lot of responsibility in what we do! Our homeowners are relying on us to take care of their cherished pets and their largest lifetime investment. We don't take that responsibility lightly. If we promised to be present, we are present. And we are watching. Always watching.
The best part is twofold... First, we are using our skills to enable us to travel and see the world as locals rather than tourists. We visit the farmer's market, meet the locals, see things on a leisurely schedule. We visit places we would probably never have otherwise visited. And second, we get to cuddle and enjoy pets like we used to. But this time, we feel like grandparents handing the kiddos back to their parents when it's time to go!
Is there stress? Yes of course, but we communicate very well ahead of time so that we are apprised of situations with homes or pets, and we are ready when the occasional mishap occurs... the water tank relieving itself all over, the ancient dog developing idiopathic vestibular syndrome, the sheepdog whose cancer relapsed in a very bad way. And lining up dates for the next sit is always a challenge.
There is actually a great deal of effort involved in what we do. But when you "Do something you love, you'll never feel like it's work"!
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