If you don’t know Ms Claudia, you are missing out. The first time I met her, she was a burst of sunshine in our front yard. I drove up to find her sitting on the ground, four-month old puppy climbing all over her lap.
“I’ll be glad to keep him!” she said, her Scottish accent melting my heart. “He’s the cutest dog in the world.” Little did she know how much energy he really had. How many walks he’d want to take. And how much love he’d bring.
A few months later, she came to pick him up for his first stay. Our van was packed for a week-long vacation and the dog was going beserk. “I’m sorry,” I said, ashamed of his behavior. I was at my wits end with the puppy and desperately needed a break. We had had him for four months, and I was pretty sure he had ruined my life. “He’s a little upset. He wants to go with us.”
All smiles, she reassured us, “Oh, he’ll be just fine! He’s just a puppy!” We went to the mountains and Leo went to stay with her family for the week. She sent us pictures, she gave him snuggles, she laughed when he jumped in the shower with her.
Several months later, we brought him to her house so we could go see The Nutcracker the next day. He hates being left alone, and I wanted to be able to enjoy the show without worrying about him. When David pulled up to Ms Claudia’s house, Leo bounded up the stairs, as if to say “Oh! I’m so excited to stay with my new family again!”
Her family loves our Leo as much as we do. She gives us a break when we need it most. And there’s no way we could do life without her. Raise a glass to Claudia, the best dog sitter around!
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This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series "Cheers!".