Let me start by saying that I'm not a 'dog person' – or more accurately, I wasn't a 'dog person' until Frankie, the two-year-old labradoodle, came to stay. My children on the other hand are most definitely 'dog people' – which is how I ended up dog sitting in the first place.
When Frankie's humans planned a winter get-away, they asked if we would like to dog sit. My girls were jubilant at the very idea and since they've been begging us to get a dog, it seemed like a good opportunity to test the water.
I wasn't sure that I had it in me – it wasn't that I didn't like dogs, I just didn't like dogs being anywhere near me. But as Frankie soon taught me, dogs don't really care much about personal space – a bit like toddlers. In fact, as Frankie's visit wore on, and I got used to having her around, I realised that looking after a dog is an awful lot like looking after a toddler. Here's how.
1. They need a lot of attention
Frankie wasn't shy about asking for cuddles. When she wanted some love she literally jumped on me and pawed at my arms until she got what she wanted – lots and lots of pats and cuddles. It was like hanging out with an affectionate teddy bear. Frankie couldn't get enough cuddles – and by the end of the week I was enjoying them as much as she was.
2. Everyone wants to talk to you
My first daughter was an extremely cheerful baby – she loved sitting up in her pushchair and bestowing her huge smile upon anyone we passed. The result? Everyone wanted to stop and say hi. Being out with Frankie gave me déjà vu. In fact, I had to start allowing extra time to get from A to B because invariably, Frankie would attract lots of conversation.
3. You get "mother" guilt
I work from home, so I only had to leave Frankie alone twice. Putting her out in the backyard made me feel awful – like I was abandoning my new fury friend. The look she gave me didn't help. It said, "how could you?" and her little face pressed up against the window slayed me.
I felt a severe pang of a familiar emotion – guilt. As a mother of two I'm well accustomed to twinges of the bad stuff – I just didn't expect to feel it about a dog.
4. You take ten million photos
Since I got my smart phone, its main function has been a camera. There is a fair amount of texting, a bit of web surfing and occasionally a phone call. But the camera I use every day. My camera roll is filled to the gunnels with pictures of my kids... or at least it was, until Frankie came along.
During her weeklong stay I took close to 200 photos of Frankie. I spammed my instagram and most likely bored all my friends senseless. What can I say? She was just so damn cute.
5. Sooner or later you'll have a bit of poo on you
All parents have at least one really good poo story, it is just par for the course. Sooner or later, you have to deal with the fact that you have a bit of poo down your top. That's parenting. Turns out, the same applies to dog sitting.
I was totally prepared to pick up dog poo. Every time I left the house with Frankie I took enough poo bags to pick up after ten dogs. But the first time I had to actually pick up a poo, my nail caught the bag and my thumb slid right into the freshly deposited turd. Oh. Em. Gee.
Thankfully, my children have given me plenty of experience. I kept my cool, got the poo bagged and binned and legged it to the nearest public toilet for a good scrub.
As we continued our walk, I said something to Frankie that I've said to my kids again and again and again. "It's a good job you're so cute!"