Sunday, May 31, 2009

Adventures In Pet Sitting

Remember Emma and Gracie, my first official pet sitting clients?

They are just the cutest things, aren't they?

I got the chance to pet sit for these two again over Memorial Day weekend, making me one of the happiest people in NC that weekend. I love these girls. They are adorable, lovable...frustrating. :)

OK, the frustrating part: Emma gave me my first job-related injury on Sunday morning. It was a great morning really. Emma ran around outside more than anything, while Gracie sat with me in the living room. We rough-housed a bit (she loves to growl back and forth with you). The weather wasn't too bad, so I left the back door open so Emma could come and go as she liked. She mostly stayed out.

Time to leave and I got Gracie in her crate with no problem. No sign of Emma. I walked around the house to find her in the yard "playing" with a chipmunk. (Little critter was beyond playing by that time.) I tried to get it away from her, and she was having none of it. She managed to drop it, and I got my hand under her collar to pull her away. She was barking and yelping, I was fussing...I'm sure the neighbors thought I was killing the poor girl. She wanted that chipmunk bad.

At one point during all this, she twisted and went under my arm trying to make her way to where the chipmunk lay in the grass. When she twisted around, my fingers got caught up in her collar and got yanked good and hard. I managed to keep myself from saying the words that came immediately to mind as I extracted my finger from the collar. Wow...that hurt like heck.

My mind finally kicked in and I went back into the house and got Emma's leash. She saw that in my hand and came running, chipmunk firmly in mouth. I hooked her up, managed to get her to drop the chipmunk and led her to her crate. All this time, my finger was throbbing like crazy.

I guess the finger was just bruised pretty good. Got one of those little finger braces and have been wearing it. I could barely bend the finger for a bit, but now I can make a fist without much pain in that finger. I still wear the brace at night since it seems I manage to bang it around in my sleep.

Funny thing is, it was my middle finger. Perfect.

I still love these dogs.

























7 comments:

Stephanie Stark Poling said...

Oh my gosh - I am so sorry about your finger!! That Emma can drive you crazy - I have had several dog-related injuries myself...once, I got tangled in the leashes outside the vet's while picking them up and fell down on my leg, causing a tremendous bleeding "lump" on my calf which caused quite a panic. Another time, Emma jumped up to lick me and hit my glasses into my face and gave me a black eye.

Let me know how your finger is - I feel bad about that!!! I am glad, however, that still love my crazy pooches, even with the hazards they cause!!

Vicki Lane said...

...and she looks so innocent ...

Susan M. Bell said...

Stephanie - Don't fret a bit. It's part of the job (and of ownership, obviously). I was laughing about it later on...at myself mostly. I mean, I grabbed her like that trying to save the chipmunk, and it was obvious that he was beyond saving. And the finger is fine. Hurts very little now, and I'm just using the brace off and on at night. (Keeps me from banging it around. What the heck to I do in my sleep I wonder. Jumping jacks?) {If your neighbors ask, no I was not trying to kill Emma.} :-)

Vicki - Yeah, they both do, don't they. Gracie, the beagle, is a sweetie, but gets sneaky about trying to lay down on the sofa, where she isn't really supposed to be. So, they both have their little "wicked" side. :-)

Angie, Catladyland said...

Yikes! Poor finger! Those dogs, however, are adorable. I am not a dog person, but I love Beagles. Both of those pups have such sweet eyes -- I can tell why you're smitten.

Susan M. Bell said...

Those two are so adorable and sweet. And Beagles are one of my all-time favorite breeds. Such cuties. Gracie is my buddy...likes to sit with me sometimes while Emma runs around the yard and...well...does whatever.

And boy, can she hold her own against Emma. They rough-house like crazy.

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Your Best Friend said...

Hi, I'm a professional pet sitter and found this post - I'm always interested in hearing about other pet sitter's adventures! I hope your finger is okay!
Feel free to check out my blog at http://yourbestfriendpetsitting.blogspot.com/
Thanks! Good luck with your pet sitting business!