The Enchanted Nature Park

Glover Park, located 2.8 kilometres north of Union Bay on Vancouver Island, presents you with a wide footpath through a coastal forest in transition.

During our house and pet sit gig from April 22 to May 13, 2019, we had the daily pleasure of taking Alex, our walking companion, on several excursions through the captivating nature park. 

Frank and Alex in the woods

Our homeowners granted us permission to use their truck to transport Alex to a variety of trails in the area. 

Glover Park and its wonderments became our favourite. 

Sitting on nearly every tree, tree trunk, fallen log, or imaginative surface are variations on a fairy theme. Fairies with translucent wings, frogs, dogs, and all of the seven dwarfs. There were many tiny homes, cleverly crafted to fit nearly invisible in their hidden settlements.

When we first spotted a ceramic mushroom sitting on a log, we stopped and turned in every direction to admire all the treasures that hikers had placed along the side of the path. There were no intrusive footprints disrupting the forest floor almost as though it had been the fairies themselves who placed the precious ornaments. 

Our life as house and pet sitters brings us to many locations. Union Bay is a hidden treasure.

Not Dog-Friendly

Frank and Lilly

“Lilly is not friendly with other dogs, so you need to pay attention to other dogs around you and hold on to her leash,” the dog owner said. 

“She’s very strong. Frank, you look like you can manage,” she chuckled.

A dog that is not friendly with other dogs is called a dog-aggressive dog.

We witnessed Lilly’s dynamic change in behaviour on our first walk with her and her owner. Because of her Rottweiler brute strength, the lead is first fastened to her neck collar and then wrapped under her belly up over her back and interlaced in place. The rest of the lead was held in the owner’s hand. It wasn’t long before we witnessed some one-on-one action between Lilly and another dog. Her lunge was powerful enough to pull her owner off balance. The tug on the lead and shouts from the owner did not deter the dog. With all her might, she dragged the snarling Rottie away. We carried on from there. 

Frank and Lilly on a walkabout

As professional house and pet sitters, going for a walk with a dog is one our favourite ways to exercise and relax, but if the dog is not leash trained or is not friendly with other dogs, our pleasant outing can quickly turn into a stressful one.

In the house and backyard, Ms Lilly is very cooperative, respectful, gentle, and fun to be with. 

Dear Pet Owner,

We are very happy to care for your pet and your home. We take great pleasure in managing a dog that is leash trained and socially adjusted. We are not professional dog trainers and we believe it is your responsibility to ensure that your pet is well behaved around humans and other dogs.

You described Lilly as 56 centimetres high and weight at a slim 37 kg. You said that she is very strong and you need a person fit and capable to manage her pulling and lunging at other dogs. You reported that she is very friendly with humans. You warned us that she is not able to join other dogs in the dog park because of her unsettling aggression. You also recommended we keep her on a leash because you could not guarantee that she would come back to us when called.

We would greatly appreciate you taking the time to train your dog to be social with other dogs along the public walkway. Or if that is not possible, please supply us with a mussel. She may also have to be ‘mussel trained’.

We look forward to caring for your pet and home.

Susan and Frank

Professional House and Pet Sitters

Beyond the Call of Duty

On October 10, 2017, we arrived at our five-month winter house sit in Sicamous, British Columbia. 

We had spoken several times on the phone with the homeowner about his daily routine with his two cats and his habit of bringing in a housekeeper once a week.

I'm a bachelor," he said. "Housekeeping is not my favourite thing to do."

We assured him that we would maintain the house, and he could cancel his assistant.

As a professional house and pet sitting couple, I look after the chores inside the home and Frank does the outside tasks, including picking up after the animals.

Socks

Our introduction to Socks and OC, short for Orange Cat, included a leg rub, loud purring and tails straight up. We responded with a head scratch and a slight tug on each tail. Our five-year caring for people's pets lifestyle has taught us that felines give signals on how they are feeling. We took their reaction to us to be friendly and content.

OC Orange Cat

While the homeowner was in Florida, we immersed ourselves in the community. 

Books to sort

I took to the streets, walking around the town exploring the local shops. I met a very wonderful bookstore owner and soon found myself at her store several times a week. We became fast friends and I helped her stalking the shelves.

Frank stayed indoors for several weeks playing familiar tunes on his violin 

Later that winter, we attended a church service and met another group of fabulous folks. We celebrated International Religion Day with a pancake breakfast courtesy of Frank along with other fun foods and drinks. We've learned over the years that immersing yourself into the community is a keen way to feel like a local.

While Frank was tending to the cat's two litter boxes and I was preparing their medication, the phone rang. It was the homeowner who announced that he was at the nearest big city hospital; that he'd been flown in by air ambulance and his stay in the infirmary could be three weeks or more.

"How can we help?" Frank asked.

"I'd like you to come and get me when I get out," the homeowner said.

Frank delivered the homeowner to his residence where he settled into a daily routine. The cats followed him from one room to another and sat patiently under the table waiting for food scraps.

I had taken to preparing his doctor-prescribed meals. Frank became the chauffer and delivered the homeowner to his doctor appointments, picked up medicine, and joined him on grocery errands. The homeowner trusted Frank enough to provide him with his debit card and pin number so that he could get him some cash.

House and pet sitting is a rewarding way to be of service and to meet new people, create dynamic memories and live life to the fullest.

Lots of trails to explore

No Rules Log Cabin Cake

No Rules Log Cabin Cake

I stood at the kitchen counter staring at the ingredients listed on the side of the box of the all-natural gluten-free vanilla gourmet cake mix. The double layers boasted on the front of the container were separated by a mouthwatering layer of filling and its entire body was slathered in a thick layer of luxurious white icing. Instinctively my lips pursed, and I let out a short sound of cynicism. My experience with gluten-free desserts made by others was to hold a dense imitation of the ‘real’ thing between my index finger and thumb and bite into a dry attempt at a sweet. This would be my first time working with a rice free, trans-fat-free, wheat free and soy free product. I would present whatever came out of the oven to my husband and his relatives on his 75^th birthday.

I poured the powdered contents of the package into a large mixing bowl and followed the instructions. I began searching through this homeowner’s kitchen cupboards for vanilla. As professional house and pet sitters, my husband and I move from house to home as often as necessary throughout the winter months to take up residence in a secure warm place out of our small recreational vehicle. We don’t bake desserts in our travel home and tend to count on using a small amount of the homeowner’s personal stash of spices and extracts. 

House and Pet Sitting in Kelowna, BC

There were no baking products in her kitchen cupboards. What few spices she did have would contribute to dishes suited to those who enjoy hot Mexican food. I placed a chair against the counter and climbed up to search the top cupboards. They were filled with empty containers from various food outlets. The homeowners had revealed to us before they left us to care for their small log cabin and large dog that she didn’t cook. It became obvious that my search for any extract would be fruitless. 

What might jazz up a white cake other than vanilla?  My eyes spotted two large oranges in the fruit basket. Orange zest is a spectacular food additive. I was immersed into the aromatic fragrance as I scraped the colourful skin of the orange against the grater. I sprinkled the zest into the powdered mixture and squeezed orange juice into it.

Orange zest

I stirred the rest of the ingredients together and divided it between two round pans. I slid them into the hot oven. At the thirty-five-minute mark, I removed the plump golden cakes and set them on a cooling rack. When they settled I removed the beauties from their pans, spread a thin layer of cream cheese frosting mix on one surface, flopped it face down on the other and slathered the two-layered cake with the remaining frosting. My husband and his relatives enjoyed my no-rules-log-cabin birthday cake.

Candle Lake Cautionary Tale

We had a house and pet sit agreement set up months in advance and had several lengthy phone conversations with the homeowners. It is our habit to keep in touch with the homeowners over long periods to assure them that we are coming and the homeowners have told us that they like this.

It is always a bit of a gamble for both parties. We don’t want to be the ones who cancel because some homeowners put a lot of money into their travel plans; buying plane tickets for example.

If a cancellation must happen one should at least give as much time to inform the homeowner or the house sitter as reasonably possible.

As we sit in our campsite about 100 km from Candle Lake and a couple of days early, we give one more call to confirm our arrival date and time. At that time, we were told by the woman of the house that her husband has injured his leg but is getting therapy, so not to worry. We’re told that their departure date will be a couple days later. The contact call was initiated by us and this conversation with the homeowners should have been a red flag! We’d had a similar experience with the last minute cancellation last year because of a health condition.

We accept their explanation of a delay – no problem.

Two days pass and we get a call from them to come to the house and that our room is ready. They told us that Farley, their cat, was looking forward to meeting us. They confirmed that they would be leaving early the next day.

Because there is no place in Candle Lake, Saskatchewan, to purchase bulk fresh produce, we let the homeowners know that we would be bringing up two months worth of perishables.

Later that day, we arrive at their beautiful log house on the lake and get a full orientation. They scrambled to prepare the spare room which we should have taken as a second red flag. In the meantime, we’ve stored all our vegetables and meat in their refrigerator and freezer.

The following morning, during breakfast, the husband tells us that he’s changed his mind and they will not be going on their vacation. We were shocked! He gave the reason that his leg was hurting too much.

We bring up the idea of compensation for all the goods we had purchased and that we don’t have the storage capacity in our small RV. They agreed to calculate the cost from the receipt we provided but not much else. Even though we were provided with a financial settlement, the whole experience left us feeling empty. We call the house and pet sitting experience a bit of a crap shoot. We experience strong pangs of disappointment when there is no practical notice of cancellation.

Cows Love the Ural

Dairy cows gaze at our Ural

We travelled east along Township Road 422 in Central Alberta with our motorbike and noticed that the cows in one of the pastures raised their head and paid attention to the Ural. In some cases, we were the only vehicle making noise on the road but on more than one occasion, we were among other cars and trucks. 

Their eyes were fixated on the motorcycle.

Weeds on beautiful display

We came to a stop at the intersection of Highway 20 and drove straight across to hitch up with Nesbitt Road. This beauty took us into the town of Rimbey. Along the way, the weeds were on display and showed us their fabulous colour. 

We drove the bike through the town and then headed home on some pretty sloppy roads. The sand is thick on these trails but the Ural seems to love it. Frank keeps her steady and works with her bucking and what seems like Bronco kicking.

Horses gawk at Ural

Afterwards, we glided along on a smooth paved secondary road and were gawked at by a group of horses.

These grazers rarely lift their heads to pull away from their feed. The Ural is worth the effort.

Our trek home was on a long gravel road. We arrived at our destination happier for having explored the area.  

Susan waves hello

Lesson Learned

Clear Instructions

We’ve learned to insist on written instructions from the owner on how to care for the pet and home we’ve been invited to dedicate our time to; in this case, 5 dogs and 2 cats.

We complied with this homeowner’s request that we arrive a few days early so that we could watch how she does things with her pets. Although we did ask, she insisted on doing all the feeding, bedding down, eye and ear cleaning, laundering of soiled blankets, opening and closing of overnight kennels, hand feeding three of the dogs, measuring the feeding amounts for each pet and all other things associated with tending to their needs.

Taking Notes

I’m embarrassed to admit that I followed her throughout the house and into the yard with my notepad recording her actions and instructions. Even after nearly six months of contact with the couple, and our asking for a working manual, none had been prepared. I also learned that if I didn’t get the directions correct when I spoke to her about them later, she would chastise me saying I told you before and would reluctantly tell me again. We asked for a brief meeting that evening. 

We let them know that it was their responsibility to develop a procedure manual with enough detail to identify the specific needs of each pet and how they want us to treat the house. Without a working manual, we are left to adapt the best we can to support the habits of the pets.

Results of Change of Habit

We know that when a pet, for example, is used to being let outdoors at a certain time of the day and it is prevented from completing its brain-seared habit, the pet may suffer from anxiety or relieve itself right there in front of you.

As house and pet sitters, we dedicate our time and energy to the well-being of the pets and are proud to protect the homeowner’s property.

Our learning has set in motion our asking the home and pet owner to send us written instructions before we arrive. The document will allow us to ask questions and for them to elaborate on specific instructions. It provides for open-minded conversations.

We depend on written instructions