Final Days

After almost two years being a dog walker/pet sitter with Home Sweet Home Pet Care LLC., I have decided to move on. There have been good days and bad days, but I am grateful for the experience and meeting such wonderful people, and spending time with many amazing animals. I will honestly admit that I will miss some animals more than others, but everyone develops favorites. Here are a couple collages of the good days:

Have you ever been a dog walker/pet sitter? What was your experience? Share your stories! I love pictures, too!

Frodo

 

Showing off his athletic build

Gazing into the distance

According to All Breed Rescue’s website, Frodo is a mix of: Jack Russell Terrier / Australian Cattle Dog/Blue Heeler. He is between five and six years old.

Frodo was overjoyed to go out for a walk. He pretty much ran past me, not caring who was walking him as long as he could get outside as fast as possible. Frodo was basically walking me with his continuous pulling. 

When I get to the intersection in the path I walk, I tell the dog to “wait.” As soon as I stopped and said the word, Frodo immediately gave me all of his attention. He even sat down & looked up at me like I just told him “treat” instead of “wait.” Noticing this, I thought he would be a great agility dog. He could probably win, too. Frodo was very intelligent. When he saw other dogs, he would lay down. That was all on his own! I was amazed. 

Smiling in Black & White

There was some parts when Frodo would change his pace into a relaxed trot or “prance,” like the dogs in the fancy shows. But at any moment he would spring into action and have as much energy as five children on Christmas morning, combined in one. With this in mind, I also thought Frodo might thrive in the game of frisbee. He might also do best with a family that has a fenced in yard or a dog park nearby.

Saba

Saba was one of the first dogs I was able to walk. Saba’s coat felt like coarse wire, but the softness of his heart was unmissable. He was a sweetheart with a lot of  curiosity. When Saba caught onto a scent he made it his mission to find where it was coming from and he had to explore it aka pressing his nose into the ground for at least a minute, shifting just a tidbit every few seconds. Sometimes he caught a scent that would be one the other side of the street, and so I got surprised being pulled in multiple different directions. Eventually my arm got used to it and I quickly became prepared for the action of being pulled, almost dragged. Saba may not be the biggest dog, but he sure has muscle in his lean muscled body.

Saba is around two years old, but All Breed Rescue (18 Lime Rock Road, S. Burlington, VT) isn’t quite sure what breed he is, speculating he is a mix breed. He had a steady level of energy throughout our walk, making it on the relaxing side, but it was fun to experience his random spurts of a lot of energy. Saba loved jumping in the snow banks on the side of the street. You could see the excitement in his eyes when I pulled out a hidden treat from my coat pocket. Saba responded positively when I gave him the “sit” command. He was an eager learner.