We Blew it!

Last week we were away for a few days for some R & R, and yes, I admit it... we wanted to get out of the fog and go some place warm.

As we always do, we arranged for a pet sitter to come in and feed Koa our 4 pound Yorkie, Kia our 16 pound cat, and Vinny our African Grey Parrot. She has done this many times in the past, lives just two doors down, has a key and knows the drill regarding each completely spoiled pet. We left Monday morning after taking care of their morning routine, and the pet sitter was to come in Monday night and then each morning and night through Friday.

We arrived home just after 11:00 pm on Friday night. The first thing I noticed was dog doody in the garage, which is fine, that's where he's supposed to go when we can't let him out in the back yard. Going up the stairs I noticed that cat litter box was full... I instantly knew that our pet sitter had not come at all while we were away. As soon as I opened the door to the house there were two very thirsty, but happy, animals greeting us with as much enthusiasm as they possibly could. The first thing I did was grab their water bowl and fill it so they could have a much needed drink. There was still a small amount of food in the feeder, so I knew they weren't as hungry as they were thirsty. The parrot was hollering "hello, hello, hello", just as loud as he could. He had a bit of water left but no food. I immediately gave him an almond while I filled his food dish and gave him some fresh water.

We were absolutely sick to think they had been there all week without anyone to take care of their daily needs and provide the companionship they deserve when their people are away. Thankfully they were fine and we lavished extra love, kisses, and hugs with full apologies for a very long time that night.

What a disaster this could have been. What if we'd been gone longer than five nights? What if there water bowl had been a lot smaller and the food feeder not full?

This was totally our fault. They are our pets, we are responsible for their care. We broke two cardinal rules... 1. ALWAYS confirm with the pet sitter the night before. 2. ALWAYS call to see how things are going and if there are any questions. We did neither. I thought about it, but our pet sitter is a very responsible person and dearly loves not only our animals, but all animals. I also knew that if anything had happened to her, that her husband would have made arrangements for our pets care. I'll say it again, it was our fault.

It doesn't matter how it happened, the fact is it did happen, and it would never have happened if we had only followed those two simple rules. The good news is, the animals are fine and like all animals, very forgiving. One thing I can absolutely guarantee... IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!