Going To The Dogs
Every once in a while I get a little taste of what grandparents experience. You know, the whole play with the kids, spoil them, send them back to their home. All the fun, none of the responsibility.
Except my experience isn’t with children. My family was dog-sitting for relatives, something we do a couple times a year.
The pets in our house consist of fish, snails, and one cuddly old hamster. It’s enough. And when it’s not, it’s usually time for us to dog-sit and we get enough of a fix of petdom to get us through the next round of “A dog might be nice. Or a cat…”
The dogs we watch are a Chihuahua named Garcie (she was the inspiration for Gracie in the Nina books) and a Yorkie-poo named Gwire. Garcie, though absolutely adorable, is in dire need of doggy Prozac. No one is happier than Garcie when her owners come home. She’s very loyal to her owner (as are most Chihuahuas) and my family is a weak substitution. Around here we call her The General. Can you see why? (By the way, she used to be completely black. That should tell you something.)
Gwire, on the other hand, is sweet and good-natured. She has her moments of neuroses, too, mostly when Milk Bone dog biscuits are involved. Her favorite thing EVER is to play ball. Her prized possession? A beat-up, torn ratty old rubber basketball that has long since lost its squeaker. She would play day and night if she could. She pitifully carries the ball around all day hoping that anyone will play a game of catch with her. We throw that ball so often I think our whole family could qualify for a group discount on Tommy John surgery. But how can you refuse that face? Look at it! 
This round of dog-sitting consisted of ten days. The first few days are filled with getting the dogs readjusted to their new space. The middle days are just fun. Toward the end, one of two things can happen. Either I’m ready to send them home, or I’m wanting to keep them forever.
The latter happened with this stay. The day after they left I came home and no one was around, excited to see me. And I finally realized that all along I’d been thinking I was keeping them company, but the opposite was true. They were keeping me company. And I miss them.
So, I’m thinking maybe it’s time to get a dog…
Or maybe just dog-sit again for a while until I come to my senses.
~heather
P.S. My best wishes for everyone to have happy, safe holidays! See you in the New Year!
