Finding a Jake-Sitter
A major consideration every time we go out of town has always been what to do with the dogs. For the last few years we have opted to have a live-in pet-sitter at the tune of $50 a day. That gets pricy for a 3-week vacation.Now that we’re down to one 8-year-old well-behaved dog, it occurred to me there might be another way out of this dilemma. Why couldn’t we find a pet co-op arrangement where someone would keep Jake while we were away and then we would return the favor?
There is a loose association of dog-owners in our neighborhood who send e-mail messages around when a dog goes missing or there is other news of interest to dog people. I contacted the coordinator with my idea, which she floated to the members.
Within a couple of days I heard from the owners of Cassie, a border collie, and Xena, a shepherd puppy. Cassie doesn’t always play well with other dogs, so we were going to have a trial run of Jake and Cassie together. Then Xena’s owner e-mailed me to say Xena loves the company of other dogs and he was free during the period in October when we will be away. He said, “Just bring his food, and leash and any toys or blanket or bed if you want.” Seems perfect.
I assured him that we will welcome a chance to take care of Xena whenever he goes out of town.
This is definitely a win-win situation. For me, I can quit paying out all that money for pet-sitters and I can occasionally have the second dog I long for. For him, he gets the charming company of Jake, a “golden lab” who is the best of both breeds he represents!
posted by Barbara at 8:28 AM
6 Comments:
And you know I've already offered to dog-sit. We're known as doggie camp around these parts because we pet-sit everybody's pooches.
Keep me in mind.....
Kayla and Simone would love a new dog to terrorize. lol!
That's a great idea! I tend to house and dog sit for my boss and family, but they've got two aging dogs, a cat, some fish and a couple of guinea pigs, not to mention a huge, gorgeous house in the woods that they don't want to leave unattended.
With just Jake, though, I'd imagine your options have changed. Do you think that most people would see the opportunity or just go with what they already know?
Gewels -- It's nice to have so many options. Many thanks for the offer!
Kristin -- People are creatures of habit. But every now and then it's nice to think outside the box, especially when it saves you money!
I just returned Spencer to my sister's house after taking care of him for 3 days while she was away. She's pretty lucky to have someone who's so crazy about her dog take care of him for free. He's fun and fascinating (and looks a bit like Jake), but it's a big responsibility. Maybe I should raise my rates.
This is a much better deal than the kennel. The economy works so much better on trades than actual dollars some times.
This just makes perfect sense and Jake gets to stay in his own neighbourhood for his walks.
Good deal!
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