Once upon a time, we had a fabulous dog-sitter, who we trusted implicitly, and who used to come sleep over our house when we went out of town. I never worried about my babies, because I could text whenever I wanted to check in on how everything was going. Sadly, we lost our sitter, and cancelled a vacation that was scheduled because we had to come up with a Plan B.

Scarlet has been with us for over five years now, and she remains a nervous little girl. She runs away if you drop anything, including a napkin! She has a nervous tummy and she will decorate the house brown (if you know what I mean) the second we walk out the door, even if she has just taken care of her business outside right before we leave. But we love her to death and she’s about the sweetest thing ever. It’s hard to imagine that anyone surrendered her for any reason at all before she found her way to us.

Sweet Scarlet.

Then there’s Squiggy, our bald little boy. We rescued him from a high kill shelter back in April when we were finally ready to grow our family after losing our beloved Marty . Squiggy is all of seven pounds and he is just about the coolest little dude you’ll ever meet. He is so chill, and just rolls with everything. He definitely is a calming force for Scarlet.

Squiggy boy.

The best part about these two is how much they love each other. It’s what I’ve always wanted for my dogs but never happened for a variety of reasons. These two play together, sleep together, snuggle together, and Scarlet is even very motherly and will sweetly clean Squiggy’s eyes and face when she feels it is necessary.

Stacked and sleeping.

Poor Squiggy!

So when we lost our sitter, I had to scramble just so that we could find a solution and finally get out of town. I went looking at “pet resorts”, fell in love with the people at a place super close to home (which makes pick up and drop off so easy), and began the process of getting both of the kids the required vaccinations, which I never have given any of my dogs simply because they were never boarded anywhere.

When that part was done, we arranged first for a half day at “camp”, which is what I told them was where they were going. When I picked them up, I was told that Scarlet was a little nervous, but Squiggy was fine and seemed to calm her down a bit. They had fun with individual and group play time, which made me very happy.

The various angles I can zoom in on when using the app.

Then I arranged an overnight stay for them so that they would realize that I always come back for them. With rescue animals, you always wonder what goes through their little brains when their humans bring them to these strange places. My heart was breaking thinking  that they would feel abandoned yet again. That night, I missed the white noise of their little snores and their snuggles. But having the ability to check an app and see them sleeping against each other in their “suite” made me feel a gazillion times better. When I picked them up and they came running out to me, I knew it would be ok. The staff took such good care of them that I almost felt silly for being so anxious.

A good report card!

Anyone who says to me “they are just dogs” automatically loses my respect because they are way more than that for us. They are members of our family, who love us unconditionally and bring us endless joy, and finding a place that makes me comfortable is worth the peace of mind it gives me, regardless of the price.

Happy pups heading home in their car seat.

I could never go off on a vacation without being absolutely certain that my kids are cared for just as they are at home with me. So even if they are in their suite, they have each other, and because they love each other it’s even more comforting for me. Although vacationing is not the easiest for me, I realize the importance of it for me and Bruce, and I know I’ll still miss my babies, but I’ll just check on them when I feel the need. As a child I spent all my summers at sleepaway camp, where so many of my happy childhood memories come from. Even though they have tiny little brains, I like to think that my kids will enjoy the experience as much as I did.

(I know they will be ok and I am thrilled that our former sitter is happy with her new arrangement, but I will definitely miss coming home to a spotlessly cleaned kitchen and bathroom! Just sayin…)