Not everyone knows this, but living with a pet sitter tends to be somewhat unusual. It may be amusing, enthusiastic, or even a little bizarre at times. If your significant other is a pet sitter, there are a few things you should know.
Do you have a parent, best friend, or neighbor that likes to drop in whenever they feel like it? This will need to be politely discouraged. I mean, don’t go all Howard Hughes on the world, but uninvited guests will become even more vexing while you are scouring the neighborhood to recapture your dogs.
Since dogs, like humans, love escape and adventure, be sure to also secure the fence gates to dissuade meter readers and nosey neighbors from ambling through and releasing the hounds when you least expect it.
Also, when you leave the house, all the dogs will assume they are going with. Plan accordingly. My strategy was to keep the dogs in the backyard when I knew someone was arriving or departing.
A pet sitter’s car is going to be smudgy, smelly, hairy, and goobery most of the time. You must accept this. But no problem! Just designate one car in the household to be the dog car.
The carpets and furniture are no prize either.
Remember not to leave your sandwich on the coffee table. It won’t be there when you get back. You cannot leave your sandwich in the trash can either. In fact, never leave your sandwich.
Please do not remove the harnesses from all of the dogs. We’re going back to the dog park in ten minutes and now it’s going to take twenty minutes to untangle and put them all right-side-on.
Feeding the dogs, believe it or not, is a one-person job. It is impossible to explain, but sitters actually understand the distribution system for that mysterious collection of unmarked food, medication, supplements, and homemade gravy.
Sidenote – They may keep all those bits and pieces in the laundry room so avoid going in there unless you absolutely have to. Also, don’t eat that jar of gray stuff in the fridge.
Sleeping option one: It is advisable to have a “no dogs on your bed” rule while ensuring your guests have other options such as the couch, guest bed, or one of the five doggie beds in the house.
Option two is to give guest dogs the green light to hop in bed with you, but you will need to clear this with your own dog first. This situation becomes even more hairy when you have five or more guest dogs. I recommend purchasing the largest bed on the market.
Pro tip: Sitting for smaller dogs will NOT solve the bed loading issue.
Well, you get the idea. Pet sitting is full of surprises and normal dog owners don’t usually deal with things like going to the dog park in the rain, or discovering a dog is under the bed. . or under the shed, or behind the water heater. . .
Another major point of contention is how often to clean the house, but if you are dating a pet sitter, you may be just as eccentric and rumpled as they are.
Deciding to live with ANYONE is a big decision, whether you are both pet sitters or not. Sometimes, the pet sitter in your life is an offspring, roommate, or grandma, so part time pet sitting may minimize the chaos. However, once they get the fever and begin grossing that mad pet sitting money with a dozen day campers and overnights – well, good luck!
Featured photo: Nitro and Millie resting between rogueries
The Pet Sitter Compendium 