Sofía and Eli lived north of Montreal, and Caracara the baby’s big sister, lived in Montreal. But I actually walked a Siamese cat named Binki, in Los Angeles, and cared for a recovering German Shepherd who decided vaulting through a plate glass window from the second floor was worth the risk, because he thought he could catch up to his L.A. philharmonic violinist owner who’d just left for work. He wouldn’t let anyone put a tourniquet on his bleeding leg but me, so a very grateful daddy returned to find the bleeding controlled, and his wayward son otherwise unscathed. So the two happy campers quickly left for the doggy doctor, (also my baby dog George’s), thankful, but three blocks away!!Mission accomplished!

I’ve worked for two families long term. One with an overweight sweet girlie beagle named Sofía, and her upstairs nemesis cantankerous feline competition, Eli. It was a challenge with one-owner only Eli, but I got him in my lap for caresses eventually, and the girlie and I were quick fast friends, with additional exercise and incentives to the children not to overfeed her, in spite of the beautiful, agonizingly comedic soulful eyes pining for tidbits all day. She’d been hit by a car, so I taught safety to the family and set up frequent walking, to avoid the continual lightening speed beelines for the front and back doors! The other family had a 7–month-old “human baby, ” so I walked both, killing two birds with one stone for that contract!