Dog-sitting

My parents are away in Israel for 2 weeks and I have been the designated dog-sitter to their two little ones: Rusty (a Pom) and Shaggy (a Shih Tzu).

Typically, they come to the centre every weekday with my parents and play their own little "jobs". Rusty is the CSO or Chief Security Officer, barking at every foreign sound and scaring the nice maintenance guys who come regularly to service our machines. Shaggy is the resident "friend" who endears himself to anyone. If you're feeling down, just look at him and you'll melt inside and feel all better.

These two have become so close to my parents that it takes a toll on them when my parents go away. They won't eat and are very listless, and they just stand at the door waiting for the all-familiar footsteps. SO... to minimise their misery, I go pick them up and bring them to the Centre as usual, so they continue their little routines and send them home after work and my brother takes over.

It's been one and a half weeks already, and all I can say is... it's REALLY hard work! I must take my hat off to my mum who cleans up after them. They are toilet-trained, but if the newspaper is soiled/wet and I haven't changed it, and they need to go again, they do it somewhere else... like the carpet! And I, the MIT (Mummy-In-Training), have to clean, scrub and disinfect the area.

Although I don't like doing it all that much (especially today, when Shaggy did a HUGE and smelly one on the carpet), I take it as a chance to hone my mothering skills. Despite their little mess-ups once in a while, Rusty and Shaggy are like little children... needing attention and doing the funniest things sometimes. And when they look at you with those longing eyes and a big wide smile, you just feel joy inside.

Having said that, I still look forward to my parents coming back this Sunday. :o)