Sidehill Sitters

_I came across this video on my phone recently and had to share. This was taken just shortly before my pup Xander passed away so you can tell he does not feel great, but he and our cat Aislinn always got along wonderfully and this cleaning was almost a daily activity. Sorry for my terrible video skills!

As many of you already know, my dog has been battling bone cancer for around 6 months now.  I am sorry to say that earlier this week we received the news that his cancer has spread to his chest and is progressing very rapidly.  It is hard to predict an exact time frame, but they are giving him a few months, on the outside.  I know the next few months are some of the busiest, but due to this news I will be limiting my overnight stays to short trips (me being gone overnight makes my pup sad).  He currently feels fine (no one told him he was sick!), but as his health begins to deteriorate I will limit the regular visits I do in order to spend more time with him.  That being said, as most of you know, my sitters have been fantastic in stepping up and will be happy to fill in for me whenever needed.  Your pets will receive the same great care, so you do not need to have any concerns, I just wanted to keep you updated as to the situation.  Thank you so much for your patience and understanding and if you have any concerns please let me know.

-Liana
Sidehill Sitters

Do you have a dog that smiles?  Many dogs do a little smile where they pull their lips back but a choice few dogs actually give a full smile when they are extra happy with you.  When it is unexpected, a toothy smile from a dog can be slightly alarming, especially to those people unfamiliar with dogs, but I think a smile from a dog is the best! 

We used to have a wonderful Dalmatian that was ambivalent about new people.  Unless you were feeding her she had no use for you and would quietly go lay on her bed until something caught her interest.  However, once you had earned her friendship she would be beside herself with enthusiasm when you arrived.  She would dash around, lick your hands and grin.  There is nothing quite like having this crazy dog leap onto the back of the couch with a full mouth grin when you came in the door.  We always told people they had earned her friendship and were now part of the club.  To those with the smiling dogs: enjoy every grin!

No doubt about it: I love my job.  Today I visited 5 cats, 4 dogs, a parrot and a rabbit.  They are all fantastic and fun to be around!  In what other job do you get such diversity?  In what other job job does everyone leap to their feet and meet you at the door, no matter how many times you come in and out? (Actually the parrot chatters and the rabbit stands up in her cage, her front feet on the bars, begging for an apple slice.) 

Most of my time today has been spent with a great pair of Border Collies, all the more rewarding because they were nervous of me at first.  Now they are excited to see me when I arrive and are sleeping next to me as I write this.  Nothing is more rewarding than working with the animals, no matter what else is going on in life.

I have been a little lax lately with my online work.  The blog and Facebook are a couple of the first things to go when I get busy.  Lately I have been spending half a day at CSU every few weeks for Xander's chemo or blood work, keeping me nice and busy.

People have been asking me how he is doing and I could not help but record him the last time we were in for chemo.  This has become his routine after he comes back out to the lobby, I think he is just happy to be alive!

As you can see, Xander is doing great.  His chemo slows him down for a few days but his last chest x-rays were clear and he is enjoying life.  I will take any time I can get!

As a side note, I put together this blog post with a Great Dane hanging her head over my computer.  She just wanted to see what I was doing and give me a challenge!

A week and a half ago my nightmare came true when my dog was diagnosed with bone cancer.  I always knew it was possible, as he is a 9 year old Rottweiler and cancer, especially bone cancer, is extremely common in Rottweilers.  As he grew older every time he would limp I would cringe and call the vet., but this time luck was not on our side.

The decision for treatment was hard.  Over the next week I watched my normally strong pup go downhill quickly.  He went from some limping to miserably laying around, in too much pain to play.  My options were straightforward: amputate the leg and give him some pain-free time or have him euthanized when the pain became too severe.   With amputation and chemo dogs make it on average another year before the cancer spreads, usually to the lungs.

At first I could not decide.  When I looked at my boy I saw the puppy I brought home 9 years ago, so cute and full of life.

I spoke to more people than I can count.  I met with 2 specialists, spoke with clients that are vet students, asked other pet sitters, looked at cancer websites and spent many hours with my pup enjoying our time together.

In the end I could not give him up if he had the chance to live another year without pain.  When I dropped him off for surgery I had doubts.  Did I make the right decision?  He had never stayed at the vet overnight.  Was it all just too much for him?  I felt like I had betrayed him by allowing him to go through so much trauma, after all, it is my job to protect him from such things.  My doubts remained when I talked to the vet after surgery, the next morning when I got an update, when I picked him up and two days after surgery when he hesitated to get up. 

My doubts evaporated this morning when my pup rolled on his back to get his belly rubbed and bounced around excited to be fed.  As he bounced on three legs I really believed for the first time that he was going to be ok.  I know that eventually the cancer will spread and there will be nothing I can do, but until then he will be a happy dog enjoying life and all that it brings.  I will sleep well tonight knowing I made the right choice.

I have been volunteering at the Avalon Aviary for about 8 months, but this story comes from one of my early days.  I really wanted to learn more about parrots and was excited to help in any way possible.  One day the woman that was working with me decided to get out Moti, a Hyacinth macaw that belongs to the owner of the aviary, to have some playtime.  For anyone who has not spent a lot of time around parrots (most people) Hyacinth macaws are the largest of the large macaws.  This particular bird easily comes up to my knee when he is standing up.

After being out for a little while Moti proceeded to rip the window crank off of the wall (impressive in itself)  The staff member tried to get it away from him but Moti was hanging onto his fun new toy.  She was concerned abut him swallowing a smaller piece so she sent me down the hall to get a treat to trade him for the window crank.  I am halfway down the hall when I hear "Uh oh!"  I turn around and discover that Moti has decided I am a fun new toy to chase.  He has lowered himself to the ground and fanned his wings slightly and is running after me down the hall.  A little stunned, I stopped in the hall to watch him coming after me.  All I remember thinking is "Wow, this was not what I anticipated when I decided to volunteer.  I am being chased by a parrot the size of a toddler."  I stood there contemplating the bizarre situation until the woman gently encouraged me to continue on my quest for a nut: "Go, go!  Get a nut!"  I grinned, just another day in the world of animals!

I am going out of town next month for a business trip, the first time I have been out of town in a year and a half.  In order to get ready I have been planning for months. I have notified my sitters that they might need to do last minutes visits while I am gone. I have booked the hotel and flight.  My husband and I have hired and trained a new employee for our retail store. 

My last thought was concern about my own pets as they are pretty simple and I have a handful of sitters that work with me, whoever is available will just watch my house, no biggie. Today I had some free time while being a dog valet for the winter farmer's market (that is another story), so I began to type up my pet sitter instructions on my little smartphone. After 3 pages I came to the realization that I am completely dilusional: I do not have easy pets!  From scanning over the details on how to feed (different if you are staying or leaving), when to feed (3 or more times a day or they will throw up), etc, there is no other conclusion to be had than my pets are a handful!

My dog Xander needs to be fed 3 times a day or he will throw up. He also needs to poop after the last feeding otherwise he will throw up. He will not poop unless you tell him to. What dog does this?  Mine!

The cat Aislinn recieves medication in frozen balls of wet food (prepared in large batches and hand rolled) which can only be given once a day when you are leaving. The fact that more than one will make her throw up does not prevent her from crying in the kitchen periodically in case you change your mind and want to give her another one.

It is no wonder why I am never surprised when clients have special requests or leave a long list of instructions; no one is more particular than my house!

I spend a lot of time walking dogs and see many other owner out walking their dogs.  So often the owners are talking on their cell phones or otherwise not paying attention.  I admit I can be guilty of the same thing when I am walking my dog but a couple of weeks ago I was reminded of how much we can learn from the dogs just by paying attention!

I was walking a client's dog, a rescue she had recently adopted.  As we were walking, a motorcycle came racing around the corner and I was surprised to see how excited the dog was!  She was dancing at the end of her leash, her ears were up and she tried to follow the bike as it went past.  We went on, me not thinking much of it, but I mentioned it to the owner in my note.  Later I found out that the dog's name had been Harley when she adopted her!  From that quick moment I was able to learn so much about her previous life, especially since she was excited to see the motorcycle rather than upset!  It reminded me value the time I am walking my own dog as the special bonding time that it is.