"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."
Roger Caras
I have created one other post about dog sitting and could not wait to post another! Recently my friend Kelly allowed us to watch her dog, Bailey, while she was out of town at a conference. We got Bailey on a Tuesday night and got to keep her until Sunday afternoon. John and I were delighted to have her for so long.
This might sound silly, but I would consider Bailey to be my best buddy friend. I have known her since she was a puppy and liked her since first pet. We have had the pleasure of watching Bailey many times and always feel joy from her visits. She is a happy and sweet dog that likes to cuddle and play. Each time she stays with us, she makes me feel special because she follows me around like she is a part of my shadow. Every time I would turn around, she was there to say hello. If I said something sweet or said her name, she would wag her tail with vigor to show me she was happy. I am not sure I could ask for anything else in a buddy friend.
In the evenings during her visit, we would play her version of fetch. This game consisted of me throwing a tennis ball, Bailey chasing the ball, retrieving the ball, and than running around me in circles teasing me with the ball. I would have to chase her to get the ball out of her mouth. We would sometimes play this game for a half hour. It would usually end with me running around our downstairs and her chasing me. Sometimes we would switch and I would chase her. Even though she is two, she still has puppy energy!
After our fun, John and I would begin cooking dinner. She would act as our vacuum cleaner as she searched our kitchen floor for any crumb or morsel of food that was dropped. She did not miss a thing! We tried to be careful, but she is fast! John and I eat dinner at our coffee table (this habit will be stopped once we have kids) and she would rest behind us on the couch looking over our shoulder staring at the food. For several dinners, she even laid her head on John's shoulder as he ate. It was really cute! I wish I had gotten a picture.
Later in the evening, we would usually retire to the couch as I used the computer, read, or watched TV. She would hop right up and cuddle next to me. Sometimes she even cuddled on me. I found it especially funny when she would lay on my wrists and lick my hands as I was trying to type on the computer. It made me giggle and she received the pets that she desired.
At night, we let her sleep on the bed with us on a big blue towel. Each night she would creep off of the towel and on to one of us to cuddle. We fought it for a while, but by the last couple of nights, we just allowed her under the covers with us. During our last night with Bailey, she slept cuddled with John with her nose in his armpit and her body under our covers. It was hard to say no to her when she acted SO cute!
It broke my heart when she had to go home. John and my Dad dropped her off to Kelly and I was glad to absent from the goodbye. It is always too difficult for me to say goodbye and leave her. Going back to our place is just not the same. Her wiggles, jumping, and noises of joy are absent from our entrance and her sweet little face is missing.
The memory of her visit stays me. I anticipate the next time that I will be blessed enough to be e graced with her sweet little licks, wagging tail, and soft cuddling.
