Paying it Forward with Dogsitting

Two weeks ago my parents spent five days in Phoenix, AZ for my cousin Kelsey's wedding. Since my sisters and I had just gotten them a dog for Easter, they were in need of a dog sitter for the time that they would be away. And since we anticipate needing a sitter from time to time in the very near future, we thought we'd pay it forward and get one up on them while we could.

And that is how Shadow came to stay with Eric and I for several days. I don't think we knew how "needy" animals could be and are. Shadow, like any other dog, needed walked first thing in the morning and just before going to bed. She needed to be exercised, fed and watered more often than our 8 to 9 hour workday normally allowed, so Eric would travel home over his lunch hour to take her out and feed her. She also needed lots of playtime and attention. This forced us to take time to relax with her. I took lots of walks through the neighborhood. I quickly learned how many dogs our neighborhood had! They all wanted to take their turn barking at the new passersby. But Shadow wasn't a big barker, thank goodness. She was more of a sniffer and if any noise came out of her it was more of a whine.

Well, as the time came for Shadow to go home, I was surprised at how much her presence was missed. When we went to my parents this past weekend for Memorial Day, we were pleasantly surprised by her exuberant welcome. She had remembered us!

So maybe we aren't ready for a dog, but I think we are definitely ready to care for and love on something beyond ourselves (and beyond tropical angel fish). And ready or not our lives are about to expand by two precious little ones. Can't wait!!