If Only I Had a Magic Nose…

The Reality of a Pet Sitter’s Life.

You know the one.

The little nose twitch.

Twitch.

And somehow, everything gets done.

If only I had Samantha Stephens’ magic nose from Bewitched.

Because there are days when I could really use it.

One little twitch and the dog walk would be done, the pet visit would be done, the messages would be answered, the shopping would somehow appear in the cupboards, the house would be tidy, and dinner would practically cook itself.

Oh, and while we’re at it, could we make that twitch fix the mysterious noise coming from my car too?

That would be helpful.

When Pet Sitting Becomes Your Whole Day

Being a pet sitter isn’t simply about arriving at someone’s home, taking a dog for a walk or feeding a cat and then going home.

There is the driving between appointments.

There are keys to remember.

There are messages to answer.

There are dog walks, pet visits, meals, fresh water, litter boxes, medication and all the little things that come with caring for someone’s pets.

Then there are the things that aren’t technically part of the appointment but still have to be dealt with.

And somewhere in the middle of that, life is still happening.

My own home doesn’t magically stop needing attention just because I’ve been looking after other people’s pets all day.

Sometimes I look at everything I need to do and think:

If only I could just twitch my nose.

An Then The Car Decided to Join In

The other day, after finishing my last pet-sitting appointment, I was driving home when, just as I was getting close to my home, I started hearing a strange squeaking noise coming from the car.

Of course I did.

Because my car had decided that my already busy schedule needed a little extra excitement.

I contacted my mechanic, and the next morning, after my first dog walk, I took the car in.

Thankfully, he found that the engine belt had moved out of position and put it back in place where it should be.

Problem solved.

Or so I thought.

As I was getting ready to drive away, I heard another little squeak.

I called out for my mechanic.

He got into the car with me.

Naturally…

Nothing.

The car was suddenly as quiet as a church.

Of course it was.

I’d even tried recording the noise on my phone, but somehow the squeak never sounded quite as dramatic on the recording as it did when I was actually driving.

There were no warning lights, and my mechanic wasn’t particularly worried. He told me not to panic and arranged for the car to be booked in for a proper service.

But this is another part of the reality of pet sitting that people don’t necessarily think about.

The car is part of my job.

I use it constantly to get from one appointment to the next. So when the car makes a strange noise, it’s not simply an annoying little problem with my transport.

It’s something that immediately makes me think:

Can I still get to my appointments?

Is it safe?

How much is this going to cost?

What if it gets worse?

And that’s when Samantha Stephens’ magical nose would have been particularly useful.

One little twitch.

Car fixed.

Thank you very much.

If only I had a few extra arms too.

Actually, while we’re making requests, perhaps I could borrow some of Inspector Gadget’s equipment as well.

Because sometimes a magic nose isn’t enough.

I’d quite like an extra pair of arms.

One for holding a dog lead.

One for carrying everything I seem to accumulate during the day.

One for answering the phone.

One for opening the front door.

And perhaps another one for dealing with whatever unexpected thing has just happened.

Because that’s the thing about pet sitting.

You can have your entire day organised.

You can know exactly where you’re supposed to be.

You can have your appointments written down and your route planned.

And then something unexpected happens.

A dog needs a little extra time.

Traffic is worse than expected.

A client messages you.

The car makes a mysterious squeaking noise.

You remember something you forgot to do at home.

And suddenly, your beautifully organised day needs reorganising.

Again.

One Thing at a Time

I think that’s probably one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from doing this.

You can’t always do everything at once.

As much as I might occasionally wish for supernatural powers, I don’t actually have Samantha’s magic nose.

So instead, I do what everyone else does.

I deal with one thing at a time.

One appointment.

One dog walk.

One pet visit.

One journey.

One unexpected problem.

And, apparently…

One mysterious car noise at a time.

There will always be something else waiting.

Another walk.

Another visit.

Another litter box.

Another message.

Another thing on the to-do list.

And then I go home, where my pets are waiting for me and the second shift of pet care begins.

Maybe that’s why a magic nose sounds so appealing.

Because sometimes you don’t actually want a magical life.

You just want to make everything fit into the hours you’ve got.

So, if anyone happens to know how Samantha Stephens managed to make that little nose twitch work, I have a very long to-do list waiting for me.

And honestly?

I’d probably only need one little twitch.

Twitch.

Everything gets done.