We have been fortunate this summer to have landed some great pet sitters, one of whom happens to be my vet's daughter. The other is a recent Master's grad between jobs who loves nothing more than running or swimming with my pack. And boy do they love him.
It occurs to me, however, especially over this Labor Day Weekend, that taking care of my dogs requires vigilance not only on the part of the pet sitter, but also on my part. For some reason, I always end up lugging all three canines to the vet before I take off, even for a weekend, just to make sure all medicines are refilled and still necessary, and the dogs are in good health.
It is a major pain, as you can well imagine to haul nearly 300 pounds of dog (yup, that's about right considering 2 are about 96 and Phoebe is tipping the scales at a mere 80 plus) on this trek but it always leaves me with peace of mind. Not to mention, enough pharmaceutical goods to break the bank.
Next comes the detailed list of instructions--one for general care and one for food. I leave color coded food cards for each dog (one for AM and one for PM) so feeding my pack is truly like Dog Food For Dummies. Not to insult anyone, but I try to make it as easy as possible because on the surface it can be overwhelming.
As for the medications, well since we discovered Pill Pockets (which manage to fool even the most discriminating Miss Phoebe), life is much simpler since the offending meds. can simply be smuggled into the respective food dishes.
And I always leave my cell phone number and a contact number for a friend or neighbor as well as the number for the local 24 hour veterinary emergency center.
Sometimes by the time I get where I am going, my head is so full of details, it takes me a day to unwind, but if you do your homework before you walk out the door, it truly is a vacation...
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