Missing the Pitter Patter of Little Feet and the Welcome Home

Yesterday  Brodie the canine left with his family to Van Isle. We miss him. We keep expecting to hear his gentle whine waking us up in the morning or to hear the pitter patter of his little feet on the stairs or hardwood floor. When we got home last night there was no welcome home from Brodie.

When we first found out we were going to be dog sitting as well as house  sitting, we weren’t sure how it would work out. We haven’t owned a pet in years and thought perhaps the daily care of a dog, making sure he was fed, had water, took his walks, would be challenging and cut into our time. We were wrong. Fiona loved making sure he had food and water, and I looked forward to our early morning walks.

So, yes, we miss Brodie! Do you hear that Brodie? We miss you!

Guest Post by Brodie the Canine

I asked Brodie, the dog we’re sitting for, to write a guest post for us today. I thought it would be a good idea for him to share his viewpoint of having us house sit and take care of him. I had a little trouble translating so I apologize to Brodie if I didn’t get this word for word correct.

Brodie here. So I’ve been asked to write this guest post. If you plan on having the Canfield Family house sit or dog sit for you in the future, perhaps what I share here will be useful.

Though my family tried to explain what would happen, I was quite surprised to find these three people show up at my door one day and move in and suddenly my family was gone. Sure, mum had taken me on a walk with the family and showed the little one, they call her Fiona, how to handle the leash. But by the end of the day I had wondered where in the world my family had gone.

The Canfields took good care of me that day, making sure I had food and water, taking me out for walks. I kept looking out the window and all around the house for my family but they never came home. It was quite unsettling. That night the Canfield family went upstairs and took over the bedrooms. They wanted me to sleep on my pillow in Fiona’s room when I usually slept in the other bedroom. I really didn’t understand what was happening and decided I’d just wait downstairs near the window for my family to come home. I must have fallen asleep because next thing I knew it was the next day, my family still wasn’t home, and the Canfield family were still there.

I did settle in though and finally realized that my family wasn’t going to be around for a while. I got used to sleeping in Fiona’s room. And the Canfield family is taking very good care of me. Fiona makes sure I have water and food every day and periodically gets me a treat. She loves to take me out for walks and sometimes we race to see who can get to the corner fast enough.

Sometimes they are gone for longer periods of time and I’m so glad when they get home. I really like having them around. It was hard enough to keep track of the two in my family when they were in separate rooms. Now there are three and sometimes they all end up in different rooms. It gets very confusing. Last night the mum and Fiona were reading upstairs and the dad was still downstairs. I kept waiting at the top of the stairs for him and couldn’t settle down till he came up.

This morning I did have to wake the mum to take me out. Guess they were a bit worn out from their day out yesterday traipsing in Lynn Canyon Park. Sometimes too the mum forgets that I like to curl up on the floor under her feet while she’s at the couch and she’s accidentally stepped on my toe a time or two. I had to let her know that hurt and she apologized so it’s okay. She’s trying to be more careful and I’ll just watch out for those big feet.

It’s been different but not bad. I really couldn’t have been more prepared I suppose. The family did their best to prepare me and the Canfield family has taken excellent care of me. I still miss my family and hope they come home soon. If they ever do have to leave for an extended period of time again, I would gladly have the Canfield family take care of me again.

Are there any canines out there who have had similar experiences? How did you deal with the changes?