Dog Sitting

We're dog sitting again!  I never saw myself as the dog sitting type, especially because I'm not the best with animals and I'm allergic to dogs.  I am not a calm person and animals feel that, but my husband and daughter are ecstatic about dogs and they are both quite good with them.  It all started out with my sister-in-laws dog, Lucy.  She was just a puppy the first time we ever watched her.

She was scared, I was nervous, and needless to say it ended with her getting attacked by a cat, getting diarrhea, and vomitting!  Poor dog, poor us, we were all a little traumatized after her weekend visit.  But we all got over it and she came back once she was bigger to stay even longer.  The first couple days took getting used to, especially because Ryan had to go to work and couldn't help out.  It was a challenge, figuring out how to walk the dog, push the stroller, and keep her from dragging us everywhere.  But eventually we all got the hang of it and right when we had a good routine going it was time for her to leave.  Surprisingly enough I was disappointed to see her leave.  Now we are dog sitting Lola, my husbands parents dog.  She is smaller than Lucy and calmer, but she is used to being coddled and that's not the type of house we run.

Lola goes to work with the family every day and gets a lot of attention and snacks, and can curl up in a corner and sleep whenever she likes.  But here, she gets harrassed by my 2 year all day.  The only sleep she gets is when my daughter sleeps!  Also the town Lucy and Lola live in is much quieter than the bustling city center we live in.  I can imagine it's overwhelming for them.  So far Lola seems to be adjusting, she tolerates all of Sophia's hugs and kisses, and has quickly grown used to the fact I don't drop food or give her table scraps.  I must sound wretched, but I do actually have a soft spot for dogs, I'm just strict.  When my husband suggested letting the dog sleep in our bed last night, I had to admit I had already let her up there at the end of Sophia's nap so the three of us could cuddle.  Luckily the dog didn't stay long in our bed, she evetually slept in her basket which Ryan had also moved to our bedroom.  He is a big softy for dogs.  Having a dog and a toddler is a lot of work, it's not like you can just let the dog out.  It's cold so we all have to get bundled up, we have to walk far to get to a decent patch of grass so we also need the stroller, it takes about 15 minutes just to get out the door.  But the pleasure my husband and daughter get makes it worth it.  We're even considering getting a dog once we move, we've checked into all of the hypo-allergenic dogs available in The Netherlands and we've basically agreed on an Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier.  I'll end the blog with the picture that sold us on the Wheaten Terrier's.