It has been a few months since we unfortunately lost our dog. It remains a sad memory and not one I like to think about. I drove by the hotel parking lot where stopped to check on him on the way to the vets that evening and I was overcome with sadness.
As sad as thinking about the passing of my dog is I have lived without having a dog for a few months. We still have a cat to care for but that is not nearly as much work. I understand this because we recently had to take in a dog for someone. This is part of my job so complaining about it feeling like work seems silly when you consider that it is work, but I am going to complain nonetheless.
It might be the personality of the dog or their refusal to do all their bathroom business outside. It is hard to say but I found myself wondering where all my time was going during the day and then I realized I was walking this dog four to six times a day for around 15-20 minutes each time. That is where all my time was going.
Then I thought about the rewards of pet ownership and how I wasn’t feeling that with this dog. Perhaps it is because it is a job and eventually the dog that was staying with us would have to go home. Or it could be that this dog doesn’t like to be pet and it is hard to build attachment to an animal without that physical contact. I can’t say exactly what it is but I found myself focusing solely on the care. All of the responsibility of pet ownership with none of the reward.
That’s not a great selling point for the career path that I have chosen but it is how I felt during the couple week period that dog was in our midst. I still see the dog everyday. they are a daily walking client and a bit more.
I do walk dogs for a living so it shouldn’t come as a surprise when walking a dog feels like work but it is shocking to go from being able to meander around and do whatever I want first thing in the morning to racing to get a dog outside before they can potty on the floor. Then there is the fact that the commotion of walking a dog tends to wake the rest of the house up and my quiet morning turns hectic pretty quick.
That’s probably what lead to my feelings. Going from being able to ease into my mornings to feeling like I’m getting bullrushed by the sunrise.
David Huzzard Writes 