Fudge and Vern Get a New Pet Sitter!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

When you move, you don’t really realize all the “start overs” you will have to do until you get there.  A couple of weeks ago Vern was very sick and I had to find a vet on short notice.  It started out with him throwing up and peeing blood and had both of us so scared with how sick he got so quickly.  I quickly had to find a vet and used Yelp for reviews and ended up taking him to a Vet who I really like.  Vern had to get an IV for fluids, shots for anti-nausea, antibiotics, X-rays, and a complete blood test.  When Vern does not get you up in the middle of the night and won’t eat a snack, you know Vern is sick and it took him a bit to recover, but he seems to be doing great now.  That was a major “start over”.  Finding a vet who the dogs felt comfortable with and made me feel like they were in great hands.

 

Another huge “start over” was finding a pet sitter.  Most of my family thinks I am mildly insane, but I start to get a panicky feeling when I out and about and have been gone over six hours.  I know my dogs are home where they are safe, but I can’t shake the feeling that I need to get home because they are waiting.  Just this weekend, my older sister, who has never been a big dog lover, said, “Laurie, you are the problem, not your dogs!” I thought about slapping her upside the head and saying, “duh,” but John, who is always willing to come to my rescue, added, “she is just as bad when she thinks the dogs need their walk.” He went on to mimic my speech and issued a long statement as me telling him that the dogs need their walk right now or else the world would end.  At that point, I started thinking more about harming my spouse than my sister.  I have found in my marriage that I almost always have to go it alone, because as soon as John thinks someone is challenging my judgment, he acts as if he has found a much needed ally in his quest to prove that he is the sane one in this relationship.  My sister also said I had too much stuff hanging on my walls in my new house and John added, “No, she doesn’t. We can still see some paint on the walls.” See what I mean?

 

My mom is at a 24 hour Care Facility and spends the majority of my visits telling me the Lord had better call her home soon.  She is pretty miserable and it makes our visits depressing and tedious, but every now and then her sense of humor emerges from someplace deep within her and she makes me laugh.  She told me the other day if one more person told her to look on the bright side, she was going to scream because she had just about enough of that S-H-I-double hockey sticks and my mom doesn’t swear.  One day I listened to complaint after complaint and finally said, “mom, is there anything I can do to make this better?” and she replied, “Are you an undertaker?”  It has gotten to the point where I just start adding stuff like, “fingers crossed here,” when she says 2016 had better be her last year and that makes her laugh.  The other day she told me to put a pillow over her head and push down hard.  First I said, “Mom, who would take care of Fudge and Vern if I went to jail?” and then I added, “and besides, I don’t have time right now because I have to get home to Fudge and Vern,” and all she said was, “you and those darn dogs.”  She was laughing, however, and at this point that’s what counts.

 

The point of all that is I needed to work on finding a new pet sitter so I could leave for the day and not have to worry about the dogs, visit my mom and have more time for morbid jokes, and also to take John out of the equation.  For some reason, John thinks his job is more important than racing home early to let the dogs out and has no problem telling me he will be there and then getting tied up at work.  We disagree on where Fudge and Vern should fall in importance during his workday, so to save our marriage and his eardrums, I realized I needed a pet sitter.  Luckily, I found a site online that helps you find pet sitters in your area and contacted several and eventually narrowed it down to one I thought would be the right fit, interviewed her in person so she could meet the dogs, and we tested her out this past weekend. 

 

When my kids were little, I never stressed over a sitter.  In fact, we used to see this crazy guy walking around downtown all the time carrying a big, orange bucket and I never passed him by without wondering out loud if he would babysit.  Now, before people start thinking I was a terrible mother, I promise you I would have warned my children NOT to touch the bucket, because I was pretty sure it might have been his portable potty.  Anyways, eventually both kids started telling me the joke was getting old and to get some new material and that was that.  My kids were so vocal that I never worried when they were at a sitter’s because I knew they were just waiting to tell on the other and anyone else who they thought had robbed them of their rights.  Usually, with all the bickering that went on in the car on the way over, I was so happy to drop them off that I had to stop myself from yelling, “I’m free, free at last!” as I backed out of the driveway.

 

I don’t feel that way about Fudge and Vern.  I worry so much about them when I leave for an overnight trip or vacation that sometimes I don’t think it is worth it to go.  Well, this past weekend we tried out the new dog sitter and she did a great job.  We had to leave before she arrived and since she had met the dogs I figured it would be fine. What I didn’t expect was how seriously Vern took his watchdog duties and that at our initial meet and greet he had been pretty sick and sleeping the majority of the visit.  When the new sitter opened the door, she said Fudge was fine, but Vern barked and barked and barked and wanted nothing to do with her.  He decided that the best place to keep watch over her was from the bed in the kitchen and let it be known with a growl or two that he was not going to rollover and let anybody into his house.  This information via text put my worry meter into overdrive and I was ready to race home, forget about our weekend plans, and vow to never leave my dogs again.  John stayed very calm and told me to give it just a bit of time before I panicked, which only proved to me that he does not always pick up on the subtle clues I give off when I am panicking, like raising my voice, thrashing my arms about, and repeating over and over again, “It’s been five minutes since I heard anything. Should I call the sitter again?” Well, it wasn’t long and the dog sitter sent a picture of Fudge and Vern snuggling up beside her and a text that Vern had decided he liked her and all was well.  By the time we got home the next day, both dogs were happy and fine and the sitter said they had been great!!

 

We have already worked it out for the next time that she will stay at our house the night before, so the transition is easier for all, and by all, I mean me.  The other day on the phone, my mom said she worried that those dogs tied me down too much and my life would be easier without them and who knows if she believed me or not when I said, “I wouldn’t want it any other way!”

[Colleen, Jake & Baxter]

I just read about...me!  I truly did tell myself that Jake and Baxter were just dogs and I could leave them home alone like normal canines......silly me!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

So happy to see you back in the blogs --even if I haven't been here much either. We miss you being close by (if 2 hours is close:)  but I'm glad you're nearer your mom.  All we can do is try to make them laugh (you're better at that than me for sure) and let them know they're loved.  My mom turns 90 this year and I hate the way she's losing her friends and her world is shrinking. Although she doesn't complain much I know it's hard.  I take her down to Virginia to see family a couple times a year -- and I'm usually reduced to feeling like a teenager and wanting to smack her by the time we get there -- but I love her dearly :)   I rarely minded leaving my other dogs (maybe because they didn't care -ooh new people, yay!)  but everybody thinks I'm pretty crazy about leaving Finn.  I didn't have half as much guilt leaving the kids.  I may need a 12 step plan.  I love our petsitter, but I am starting to look for alternative sitters (just in case) and Daycare 1 day a week. 

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

Laurie, I'm so glad to hear that Vern is doing well, poor guy! That's sure one way to find a vet. Good to hear you found one you like and also a pet sitter! Not an easy task! I am so sorry to hear about your Mom. Even though this move took you farther away from us - I'm still working on that issue - it did indeed bring you closer to your Mom and I guess in the end that is what counts. : ) I'm glad you are there for her. <3

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy &amp; Pippa]

Wow, here is just so much to comment on here that I don't know where to start.  I think its great that you found a Vern approved sitter and vet and that he is feeling better. I worry about my girls when I am away as well and that is just sad because most of the time if I go away, Im leaving them with their "Daddy" or their "sister". Actually, the sister is my last choice. She is young and tends to think only about herself and her plans for the evening. Things like feeding and letting them outside are not high on her priority list. 

Im kind of in the same boat with my Mom. She has Alzheimers and to break up the monotony of answering the same question 20 times in a two minute time span, I resort to changing my answer to make myself laugh. I guess we all have to laugh to keep from crying.

[Pauline Rackley]

Veterinary practices are a great place to find pet sitters. Many times technicians or other staff will be willing to pet sit. Two advantages are that they know your dog and any health issues they may have, and you will have backround information on the person. Many times the veterinarians will be more receptive to any concerns of one of their employees and can be easily reached. I am a RVT and this has been my experience in my practice.

[BG and Gavin]

Oh I hope Vern is okay now.  Did they figure out what the problem is?  I bet you were worried sick.  I am glad you found a sitter you trust.  We had to leave town to be with my FIL who is hospitalized and I was so happy when our sitter took Gavin on short notice and said to pack extra food, she would keep him for as long was we needed.  It was such a relief.  Also she would not accept payment under the circumstances.

[Leslie and Halas]

I'm glad you're still making your mom laugh.  Tell her Halas is available if she really wants to be smothered.

I'm so glad that Vern is ok.

[Charlotte and Bo]

I'm glad to hear that Vern is feeling better and that he eventually accepted his new sitter.  It is scary when they get sick.  I'm very sorry to hear about your mom.  It is good that you are there to give her the occasional smile but I am sure the stress is a lot to handle.  With the move, the new house , sick Vern, visiting mom in her depressed state, ..... if it was me I think I'd need some Prozac.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, Nancy. Yes, I know you understand the sadness that comes from watching your mom decline. It is hard to know what to pray for, but this stroke really did a number on her and it won't get better. Thanks for continuing to remember her and send cards. She always mentions it to me :) Poor Bogey. He just wants his people home. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Sheri, I used DogVacay. You plug in your zip code and it gives you sitters in your area and then you can review and do a meet and greet. I just didn't know any other way to find a new sitter. The sitter I had in PA I found online too and she was with us from the time I got our dogs until we moved. Sorry about Mike's brother and glad you could figure something out for the funeral. I hope you can find a local sitter in your area soon.

Linda, Thank you! So far, so good with the sitter. Leaving PA was hard because we had a wonderful dog sitter and my groomer would watch them too for me. 

Jenny, Thank you!! I wish I could get over the worry I feel when I leave, but probably not going to happen and I do have a grandson I have to visit :) LOL

Jane, I know exactly what you are saying. I am usually exhausted or sick when I finally take a vacation from all the stress I feel about leaving the dogs and that darn packing :) I should look into Daycare.

Karen, Thank you! I am so relieved that Vern is better. I honestly thought we might lose him. My mom has bad and ok days, but it is nice when she can laugh.