Something You Should Never Offer To Do For A Friend…Especially If You Have Kids

 

Something You Should Never Offer To Do For A Friend…Especially If You Have Kids

8-15-2012

 

 

Don’t agree to watch their pets while they go away on vacation. Let me tell you what a headache this has been..not to mention a heartache. Starting the day of my daughter’s 7th birthday party, which was on Sunday, this has been quite an ordeal.

 

1st of all, I’m not even sure of how this happened to start with. This friend of mine got her birthday invitation, said nothing about not coming to the party, much less going away, and they are best pals her daughters and my own. She bailed last year over a car inspection that apparently ‘HAD TO’ be done that day . I was quite ticked off. She said that to us via text AFTER they were already supposed to be at the party. My daughter was crushed.

 

So I was going to say to her to not dare do anything to her car until after Sunday’s party (ha ha…inside joke from last year), and what happens? No nothing with the car, but she tells me Thursday she is leaving Sunday to go on vacation, so no party again. And then asked me if I would watch her two dogs, hamster, and fish for 4 days. She told me she didn’t trust anybody else and what is a nice person to do?

 

She made it sound so simple. Just come over and feed them (like 1x a day), take them out fast, then put them back into their cages. The other pets, just make sure they are alive. Nothing needed to be done. (I know I feed my fish everyday, but…) She insisted they didn’t need any tending to. First of all, dogs need to eat more than once unless they have a special diet. These dogs do not.

 

One of these dogs, a 9 month old pup, she only got 3 weeks ago. Plus, they need to go out and pee and poo more times a day than once for certain. We are on day 3 4..(I wrote this yesterday and never was able to complete it.) It’s been nothing but an enormous pain in the arse. I love the dogs, but you’ll see what I mean. Keep on going.

 

 

The first day they left at noon. It was on the day of Mikayla’s actual party which meant leaving my guests to go a town over and take care of the animals then returning. Then when the second to last guest was gone which was late..close to midnight, I was back over to tend to them once more.

 

One of my friends came with me to help because the dogs are very strong and hyper. How could they not be being locked up like that? When I held both leashes before she grabbed one, I got dragged across the front lawn quite literally, which broke one of my friend’s color changing lights on the front lawn of her house. I was so upset over this ‘light’ I broke with her dog, but maybe she got dragged before herself because the next day I noticed that every other light was snapped in half as well.

 

She only has one tie out for one dog outside and you have to hold the other by a leash since her back is not yet gated in and close to a main road, naturally. Of course, there are not 2 tie outs and I had to find the one for myself. Nothing was easily accessible for me. No instructions, no guidance. These dogs are young. They definitely need to run as they are pent up with energy. I stay as long as I can, but I have my own kids and pets to tend to. It’s been tough.

 

They are so cute.

 

I don’t see how anybody could just feed them, let them go potty, and stick them right back into tiny crates. It’s heartbreaking, so I stayed as long as I could. At about 2 am I was exhausted and my friend had to leave to go back home anyway. I’d have stayed overnight if I were still single. I wish she had asked one of her single friends. It would have made more sense. Anyhow, here is where the story gets crazy stressful for me (and my husband).

 

Now if I didn’t have kids It would have been much easier. To begin with, I came into that house and it was DEATH! It was so hot I could hardly breath. The air conditioning not left on for them AT ALL. I always leave some kind of light and definitely air on for my 3 dogs. I had it on while there with my friend but she said it may be a fire hazard overnight and to leave it off until the next morning when me and hub would come again, which was early. I hardly slept. Let’s just say ever since that next morning through now that air is on full blast. It’s not humane for it to be off. Am I wrong? Plus, my husband said that air conditioner is NOT a fire hazard. He had a look at it. I didn’t know.

 

Ok, now when me and my friend left those cages they were closed and locked up…no two ways about it. I triple checked, as did she, and we left for the night. (What was left of it.) The next morning at around 6 am, my husband had stopped by and let them out because I had gone to bed so late and he’s coming home from work at that time anyway. He agreed. The bigger dog had somehow, someway gotten out of her crate. I still have no clue how. She must have shaken the cage, as they have gotten the underneath pans out of the crates by shaking or scratching, so I don’t know.

 

I have never been one to be able to crate train or leave my dogs in cages for any amount of time though many swear by it, my father included. Yes..that means I have had my apartments and homes over the years trashed in parts, some furniture eaten.. but it’s just how I am.

 

So sad

 

Anyway, he goes there and the dog is out, half way on the kitchen table mind you. About 6 big turds scattered all over the place. Thank God the younger one didn’t get loose or her furniture would have been eaten. There were ripped up papers, poo and pee all over, and the dogs legs were up on the table where my friend had left the hamster and fish. My husband found the fish..somehow, someway on the kitchen floor. How that occurred is absolutely and completely beyond me. Can fish jump? Did the dog do it? I was horrified by this early morning phone call I received from the hub.

 

The wonderful man cleaned up all of the mess. which was considerable he assured me, and took out the dogs, but assumed the fish was dead and was ready to throw it away. Mind you this is a beta fish and though I never had one lived a long amount of time, they apparently have had it for a year she told me. I was just absolutely DEVESTATED. I still am.

 

RIP

 

She doesn’t know yet, but yet when I called hub back and told him put the fish back in the bowl do not throw it out, I wanted to see it, it started to swim. I felt SO relieved, and had much hope for him. But alas, at noon when I returned the fish had passed away. I have no clue what happened to it. Was it from the heat, did it jump, did the dog have a hand in it? I’ll never know, but I was crying because my friend entrusted me with her pets and now this fish is gone.

 

Today I’ll be scouring the pet stores trying to find an identical replacement. It reminds me much of the TV sitcoms where something like this happens and they hunt for a new pet to spare the kids any grief, though I will tell the mother, my friend. UPDATE- since I didn’t get to publish this yesterday we DID already go to Petco and Pet Smart. We couldn’t find an exact replacement. We could only do the best that we could. I’m so upset and nervous over this situation.

 

 

If I had no kids..again, I could stay over there and they wouldn’t have to be in cages, but that isn’t a possibility for me. It’s a very hard undertaking that has gotten more complex by the day. I’m stressed, the dogs are clearly not happy in those crates. In fact the small dog was in such a small crate, we brought over a crate we never used that was far bigger so the poor thing had something larger to get comfortable in. I know that goes against the ‘crate training process’, but screw that! We are washing the messes up anyway.

 

This was nothin’.

 

The house is finally cooled off now. That one A/C isn’t even strong enough for the area she has it in. I’ve been nerve-wracked every time I go there now. I’m petrified that the dog may escape again. The other dog squeals and screams in the crate because she very obviously does not want to be in there, which breaks my heart. The smaller crate she was in even has a broken/bent bar from her trying to get out.

 

I am going over not once, not twice, not three times, but four times a day now. With 4 children how much better can I do than that? Plus, she said I don’t have to walk them…yeah right. I have been. I can’t just come and leave. They are breaking my back yanking me in all directions. They have so much energy, but I feel it’s got to be done.

 

Here’s the hamster she said I didn’t need to do anything with. No new food or fresh water????

 

I know I’m saving her a lot of money on a pet hotel, but I would have opted for that over this. You can find a nice, cage-less place. You’ll pay, but….And she only told me to come over there once a day? Plus, hasn’t called to check up. I have texted and texted and called..NADA so far. Her backyard is so full of mosquitoes, I am covered in itchy bug bites. Not fun at all! And since there is no roadside fence I can’t bring my smaller ones over to go and play out back, nor the dogs. It sucks all around.

 

Mikayla is afraid of them because they jump up, so she only came with me once.

 

 I have cleaned up more dog doodie than ever before. I have three dogs of my own to care for, and it’s been such an inconvenience. I can’t take my kids out for the day like I usually do because of the dogs. I’m frantically worried about them. Just don’t ever take on a task like this..EVER! My family says how could you say yes to that, but in my mind.. I didn’t know how I could say no. They say to never say yes to her again, but I don’t know how to say no to a friend in need.

 

I wish I could take them home with me .

 I will miss them.

 

Ah…got to go and get dressed and make my way over there. My husband went in the middle of the night while I was sleeping (what a guy), and it’s 7:30 am now. I wish I had some clue of when she’ll be coming home. My daughter has her last swim lesson of the Summer today, and they are having a little party. I was never told and she hasn’t replied back to my texts. Maybe she doesn’t get great reception where she is at, but there is always a way. I’d call every day if they were my pets, but maybe that’s just me????

 (This was written yesterday morning. I didn’t have time to publish it yesterday for obvious reasons. I don’t have time to proof-read. I hope this is written alright. See you all later!)