Dogs are not the only pets

For ages I've been meaning to write a bit about the petcare business years, and I haven't partly because it preceded cellphones, so no digital pictures. Also privacy issues. I had a lot of private information about people's home setups, families, and was careful to keep it safe.

So, text only here. I didn't even use my own street address at that time, used a PO box, because once people hear you work with animals it's only a matter of time before you find an abandoned dog leashed to your front door, or a box of kittens. People try to pass their responsibility to anyone who looks likely. Also I kept the files and keys secure that way. And I was bonded and insured, so owners didn't worry about exactly where I lived. After a while it was all word of mouth and a waiting list.

Onto happier things. I'd done a lot of work with pets one way and another, and had always had a full-time, for many years pretty high falutin, day job, so that I didn't rely on my art as an income. In the fine arts, it doesn't work for several reasons I can bore on about another time. 

Eventually I really needed daylight hours to work in the studio, so the petcare business was varied enough day to day, to do that.

Early morning , then noon, then late afternoon then late night rounds seven days a week, allowed day time artwork in between. Live animals mean only the occasional day off, when there just don't happen to be bookings. Yes, it was a lively life! 

Over the twelve years I took care of thousands of pets --multi pet households being a big feature -- and their humans.

One home had a dog, a cat, a ferret, dear little Suzy, who rode around in my sleeve while I tended them, fish, lizards, birds, mice and various other forms of animal life. There was a safe way of letting them have free  play, keeping natural prey safe from their predators. That house was involved!

Then there were the hapless owners and the hellbent dogs. Like the two friendly giant Schnauzers who tore off the front of my skirt greeting me at a preliminary meeting, while their owner wrung her hands exclaiming oh, the naughty, naughty dogs! I was holding on my skirt and suggesting she call them off. 

And tuxedo kitties, short hair, who all seem like smart kids always following their own plans. One jumped on the counter and started the can opener when I arrived, the owner having forgotten to unplug it before they left. 

While I was in the fridge in search of any opened cans, her brother jumped in and I just saw his tail vanishing as I closed the door. Good thing I saw. 

One of them used to try to leave with me, sneaking into my coat sleeve, maybe I wouldn't notice. But I learned to do a pre departure check at every house,  to make sure everything was unplugged, all occupants safe and accounted for.

Then there was Molly the German German shepherd, bred in Germany to two national champions, but kept as a pet. Her intelligence was off the charts. 

She'd play tricks on me. One time she stole a banana out of the fruit bowl, ate the contents and left the skin right where I'd step when I came in. I think she watched too many cartoons. Or she'd pretend to be stuck in her crate until I called her bluff and tilted it so she slid out, looking sheepish.

And another Molly, a huge Rottweiler who wouldn't get in her crate when I left until she'd got a kiss behind her left ear. The owners had left various treats to use to persuade her, which I didn't use, not being a big fan of food rewards, but she had a soft spot for a kiss! 

I could write an entire post on animals I've been bitten by, usually in mistake for food, or playing and they forgot I was a human. Dogs who nipped accidentally apologized elaborately, play bowing, licking the owie. The funniest was the koi, when I was feeding at the pond, who leapt up out of the water when I came in sight and attached himself to my finger as I was scattering food. No harm done.

Rabbits make a v shaped bite, as I found moving one to clean his cage.

Then there were the guinea pigs. Dear Rushette, who would take her little container of salad I'd organized and push it into her miniature house like a busy housewife coming home from shopping. I could hear her excited meeping as I put my key in the front door of the apartment.

There were odd alliances, too, like the big cat who loved to play with the family hamster. The hamster, normally prey,  would run about on the cat, take a nap, perfectly safe. 

Or the big golden retriever who had weaned her own AKC pups, off to new homes, then nursed a newborn mixed breed stray puppy her owner found dumped. I had noticed how bonded they were, and the owner explained why. It was inspired of her to set it up. Dogs don't worry about pedigrees.

When small animals were children's pets the kids were often very worried about leaving them, so I'd meet them and ask them for instructions, make notes and promise to be their pet's friend. I already had copious notes from the adults, about vets, diet, house security, all that, but this was separate. 

I'd always leave a voicemail message the day I started at any booking, so they'd be reassured all was well. 

After a few years I deleted dogs from the roster, to save my arms from damage from untrained dogs, largely, also to cut out the dawn and late night rounds. I gave loads of notice, but there was still weeping and wailing from owners who'd got used to the service.

Owners were another story, ranging from wonderful people to complete nutjobs, what else is new. But the animals were courteous and fun, and became great friends. 

People used to tell me they didn't like working with people, so maybe they'd start a pet business. I'd explain that unless they made owners happy there wouldn't be a business, since they made the bookings and paid the bills.

It was certainly the most strenuous and demanding twelve years' work I've ever done, and the happiest. 

On the theme of  anything is possible, I'm reading Elizabeth Strout's novel of that name, and thank you Mary, for reminding me of her. I loved the structure of Olive Kittredge and the sequel, and that episodic style is how this unfolds.

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It's written in her sparse prose, eloquent, not fancy, and you notice how the connections between characters and events unfold.  Highly recommended.