Tales of a Puppy Sitter
I love animals and have always longed for a pet; this dream I realised when I was younger, with my Netherland Dwarf Bunny, Snowy, but since then it’s been a rather barren time on the pet front, that is until now.
Meet Wilson, the Maltese/Bichon Frise cross, currently 13 weeks old, who entered our family towards the end of September 2010. He is very cute, very fluffy, and completely adorable. But not mine. No, this little bundle of joy belongs to my sister and her boyfriend, and although we get to see Wilson a lot, our roles are very much as puppy sitters, which for me, has it’s good points and it’s bad.
I discovered early on that I have occasional, though mild bouts of puppy envy, feeling slightly jealous when Wilson makes more of a fuss of someone else than me, wishing we didn’t have to say goodbye to him after a ‘puppy sit’, and feeling slightly jealous when he would hold up his paw and do a Hi-5 for my sister and not me (though this has now been mastered). It also seems to be routine, that whoever has hold of the lead when Wilson wees or poops, is delegated to clear it up! Fair enough I suppose, though the laughter from other members of my family as I struggle not to grimace at the smell that hits my nose, is a bit irritating.
That said, it’s easy to see why a dog is man’s (or woman’s) best friend, and Wilson is a delight to watch and look after. You can’t help but smile as he has a ‘mad moment’, careering round the kitchen, chasing his tail around in circles, or ultimately decides that an old towel is much more satisfying than any of his toys. Taking him for walks can also be great fun too, and good exercise, as Wilson can run surprisingly fast for a young puppy. He’s currently relegated to the kitchen for now (for fear of accidents on a new carpet), but you leave him to sleep on his own, and he doesn’t make a noise on waking, just pushes the door open with his nose, and comes waddling down the hallway to see us.
Wilson has also improved conversation between my sister and I as well. Different lives, often lead to a lack of things in common, though Wilson has been one thing we can’t stop talking about. Some of the conversation does revolve around poo updates though. When Wilson has pooped and when he might likely to do so again, has turned out to be very vital information for us as puppy sitters, though I can’t help giggling when the information is passed on, often as soon as my sister walks through the door!
That, it seems, is life as a puppy sitter, a life full of many of the delights of puppy ownership, without the bills and the responsibility, but with frequent discussions about toilet habits! Yes I still wish I had a pet, but life as a puppy sitter definitely has its rewards too.
Tags: animal article, article idea, bichon frise, cross bred dogs, dogs, freelance writing sample, maltese, puppy, puppy sitting, writing about dogs, writing samples