I was absolutely thrilled to be back in Victoria, not only because it’s one of the prettiest places in the world, but also because this time I was able to bring my mother with me!
Whenever possible, my retired mother joins me on my housesitting adventures. Unfortunately she was not able to tag along on my last sit in British Columbia, but after all the stories I shared with her about my time there, she was determined to come along this trip. I suppose dangling the promise of receiving cuddles from one of the sweetest poodles in the world kinda sealed the deal 😉
Sure enough, my mom fell head over heals in love with my old poodle pal. She would take her for morning walks, cuddle her in the evenings, and brush her curly hair after I gave her baths. In fact, by the time we had to leave, my mom was so smitten that she refused to say goodbye to the dog for fear she would start crying – oh my sweet, sentimental mother.
It was great being able to share this experience with my mom and make some lasting memories. It was also great having her help in feeding and walking the dog on days I got a little busy with work. She also helped me teach the poodle a couple new commands – “shake” and “down”. And of course, the couple day trips the 3 of us went on were a lot of fun. Some of the spots where we took “our sweet little lamb” included downtown Victoria (Red Fish Blue Fish), Mount Douglas Park, Butchart Gardens, downtown Sidney, Beacon Hill Park, Moss Street Market, Uplands Park, and of course a bunch of local beaches.
Needless to say, we are looking forward to our next visit. Until, then, we will miss our poodle princess!!
Duties:
–Â Care for 1 dog (including daily walks of 3+ miles)
–Â Keep 2 orchids alive (my Achilles’ green thumb!)
– Be at the house to meet with landscapers and give them access to areas of the property as needed
– Receive mail deliveries
– Coordinate with a neighbor who kindly offered to watch the poodle for the 18 hr gap in time between when we had to leave and the owners returned
– Leave the home in the spotless condition in was in when we arrived
Unexpected Benefits and/or Realizations:
– My sweet poodle pal remembered me! Even though it had been 14 months since my last sit, she remembered me – and that made me SO happy!! It also made this sit much easier as it can take time to adjust to a new pet and their personality. But in this case “my sweet little lamb” and I were quickly able to fall back into our friendship and established routines.
Unexpected Events and/or Challenges:
– I had forgotten how much this poodle likes to eat everything she sees. There were a couple times she got a hold of something on the beach and I had to chase after her to attempt to get her to drop it.* One of the times I didn’t see what she had eaten. Needless to say, there were a handful of days I was a bit nervous and kept a closer eye on her to make sure she was didn’t come down with any ill side-effects from her gluttonous behavior.
* I only let her off-leash in areas where it was legal, safe, and where I know her owners were ok with.
