Beau and Sweet Baby on the couch

This holiday, I got the call to sit for a new client that has two dogs. One is a Papillon and the other is a hairless Chinese Crested. I had never sat for either of these breeds before, although my sister has a Papillon, so I was familiar with that breed.

When I went over to meet the dogs before the sit, the Papillon Beau barked and was a little nervous. His special doggie treat, consisting of tripe, won him over. Sweet Baby, the Chinese Crested, took to me right away but also loved the treats. Since the meet and greet went well, I didn’t anticipate any problems with the sit.

Sweet Baby ready for Christmas

My first visit was midday to let the doggies out for a potty break. Beau wasn’t too happy to see me and let me know by barking at me for quite some time. Sweet Baby was very friendly and we had a nice walk. When I went back that night to spend the night with the puppies, I was a little worried that Beau would bark the entire time.

 This time, however, Beau decided I was OK. I gave him some treat bites and he let me put his harness on him and went outside to do his business.  Soon, both dogs were sitting on the couch with me and watching TV. Sweet Baby likes to cuddle up in a blanket and was happy to pose for me in her Santa hat. 

Around 9 p.m., both dogs ran upstairs like they were ready for bed. Their pet parents said that sometimes they had to be coaxed up to bed, but not that night. We cuddled in bed together and went for another great walk in the morning. I had a great time with the two little dogs and look forward to staying with them again soon and cuddling with both of them.

- Read more Confessions of a Dog Sitter -