I'm in Puppy Heaven

4 Dogs and 2 Cats.

That was our life for 6 days in Portland, Oregon early October 2016. Throw in a storm for some different excitement and we ended up with a tiring but oh so fulfilling house sit, culminating in a new friendship.

Looking for an excuse to visit family in Portland, our first choice for house sitting was somewhere close by. How perfect to eventually find one so close.
Portland is darned wet in the fall as we soon discovered. Note to self - Bring better rain gear next visit. The first morning a storm hit the Oregon coast and the Portland area. Resulting high winds and rain caused parts (not us, thank goodness) to flood and branches to be blown off trees. 

Shauna in Heaven with Charlie and Penny

At the house, between full storm drains and problematic plumbing Don is now mopping, and mopping some more. To heck with that, now the wet vac is put into operation. Finally, after figuring out that we can't use the washer, and are frugal with the kitchen sink water, we manage to keep the laundry room dry.

On a positive note, I have never been surrounded by so many lovable puppies and of course, indifferent cats, in my life. 

Spike, the 21-month old Miniature Pinscher, is our dog. I was worried he wouldn't fit in after not being impressed with the puppy on our last sit. Not to worry, because he and his new pals absolutely hit it off.

Charlie was the youngest at 5 months. Still puppy cute, but large enough to bowl you over if you weren't paying attention. A Boston Terrier that loved cuddles and would crawl on my lap whenever he could.

Mickey's exclusive nap spot

Next is Penny, 6 months old and the cutest Toy Poodle you can imagine.She is all of four pounds and full of spunk. Her teething was definitely painful, so I moistened her kibble to mimic canned food so she would eat. 

Mickey, the 21 month old Boston Terrier, is the protector. When Spike is being manhandled by Charlie, Mickey bounds in to save the day.

One time I had Spike, Penny, and Charlie ensconced on my lap for evening TV watching while Mickey enjoyed Don's lap. HEAVEN!

Sawat distracted by hummingbirds

Then there were the two cats. Mit Mit, the indoor part Persian cat, had a perch in the office to observe her domain, and Sawat, the outside cat, only showed his face when he expected his dinner on the front porch. Both struggled to get to their litter box or kibble during the day and usually just waited to sneak by at night after the puppies were kenneled. Mit Mit allowed me to pet her and to David's amazement let Don give her a quick brush.

David and Gay are incredible hosts. They definitely suit each other with their various talents. David is the carpenter and loved showing off his newest build, the 'cottage', a small suite built behind the house including a living roof. Gay is an artist. Her paintings reflecting her travels are framed and all over the house. 

Mit Mit basking in a rare sunbeam

Gay is also the gardener, a gal after my own heart. She planted and now maintains the roof and grounds. As they are in Portland, the growing conditions are superb, and she takes advantage with style and skill. I was able to clip peppermint for tea, and chop fresh rosemary from her bush(!) for the focaccia bread I made for their welcome home lunch. They introduced us to some fabulous restaurants. The night before they left, they treated us to a seafood restaurant close by. Here we found out how much we had in common. When they returned, they once again treated us to dinner out. We all had a blast! 

Thank you for trusting us with your babies.

Living roof over our suite

Accomplishments:

With the moist Portland air, moss and plant material quickly make outdoor wood surfaces incredibly slippery. Our suite and the grassy area was down a flight of stairs off the deck. Don ensured it was scrubbed clean prior to their return home so they wouldn't slip on the steps.

I believe we also made good headway with the potty training. Every hour or two we were convincing the crew to go outside to do their business, rain or shine. At first they tried to evade our corralling, but in the end, knew we wouldn't let it slide so out they went. Each dog was monitored and not allowed back in until 'sightings' were confirmed.

Recharge time for Penny and Charlie

Always Learning: 

Keep up to date with the local news and weather before and during your stay. 

To all you house sitters out there, keep safe and enjoy life.

Our First Time, House Sitting That Is

View from front window. Eugene is between treeline and mountains

Just on the outskirts of Eugene, Oregon lies a lovely farm-style house on 20 acres. The view from upstairs is gorgeous both day and night.

Alan and Maureen live there with Panda, their spunky six month old lab/husky mix puppy, 3 chickens, and six horses that they pasture for other folks.

Panda with her favorite stuffed toy

Shauna feeding the horses apples

This was our very first house sit. Alan and Maureen were headed out of town and wanted someone to care for the works. We responded to their ad requesting 'House-sitter and Puppy playmate needed on 20 beautiful acres'.

Homestead with our dog, Spike

Don and I just joined housecarers.com; check out our profile at AllWhoWander (thanks Shirley 😉). We were looking for a way to travel inexpensively to interesting places. It works perfectly. We get a free place to stay while exploring the area and they get someone to keep their home safe and pets happy.

Interestingly enough, Maureen and Alan are also house sitters and this was their first time on the other end of the deal. They usually go to Mexico and stay for free in exchange for house sitting.

Some things I have learned from our first time:

1. Even if you have confirmed a few days in advance, home owners are anxious that no one will show up. Call several hours before your expected arrival to put their mind at ease.
   
2. Words like 'has a lot of energy' is code for Holy Cow! Reading between the lines is imperative to help with your interview questions.
   
3. Create a common list of questions to ask the home owners before arriving. Record the answers, email them in advance and ask them to confirm and/or expand on their answers. Get contact numbers at this time as well. This will help speed up the process when you arrive. They are busy packing and thinking about their trip.

Accomplishments:
Every house sit we wanted to accomplish a task, either in the house, grounds, pets, or even something on a personal level. This time around we were able to help curb Panda's penchant for biting (even if it is gentle) and chewing on people. When we arrived, this rambunctious puppy chewed on my arm so much I still have bruises. It wasn't that I allowed it after the first few hours, but that she was so quick grabbing my arm.

Don and Panda on their morning walk

The owners were adamant we watch a training video to mimic the style of training they were following, so we used the same demonstrated technique. By the end of the week, she had mostly curbed this habit. As we neared the end of our sit, Panda still challenged us on occasion but a firm No brought it to an end.

In the future, I will also be posting about our adventures with Purring Penelope the Pleasure Way. She is our trusty van conversion RV we picked up in August this year.



Next stop - Portland, Oregon to pet sit 2 Boston Terriers of which one is a five month old puppy, 1 toy poodle puppy, and 2 kittens, all in one household.

To all you house sitters out there, keep safe and enjoy life.