A 4am start, a worried trip to the vet with Fluffy, back-to-back pet-sitting appointments and a punctured tyre that brought my day to a grinding halt. What followed was a long day of an unexpected delay, a few personal errands, and caring for my four-legged clients, all while running on nothing but water and effervescent supplements until 4pm. This is what a day in the life of a pet sitter really looks like when nothing goes to plan.

I was looking forward to finishing my last appointment of the day and heading home. It was supposed to be a straightforward 30-minute dog walk. Instead, I opened the door to find water flooding the living room and kitchen. What followed was an unexpected emergency involving a leaking water filtration system, frantic mopping, and a FaceTime call to the client. Ever tried mopping the sea? Welcome to the unpredictable side of pet sitting!

Ever wondered how a pet sitter stays fit without ever stepping foot in a gym? Between dog walks, pet visits, lifting, bending, standing and constantly moving from one appointment to the next, some workdays feel like a full-body workout. And while other people are heading out for a run in the heat because they want to exercise, I’m sometimes wondering how they have the energy! A humorous, honest look at the physical reality of a busy pet sitter’s life - and why, after a long day, putting my feet up can feel like the perfect workout recovery.

Ever wished you had a little magic to make everything on your to-do list disappear? If I had Samantha Stephens’ famous nose twitch from Bewitched, I could make the dog walks, pet visits, messages, household jobs and unexpected problems magically sort themselves out. But until that magic twitch arrives, I’m left juggling the realities of pet-sitting life - one appointment, one responsibility and occasionally one mysterious car noise at a time.

Pet sitting might look like cuddles, walks and happy pets, but there’s another part of the job that happens long before I reach the front door: the journey. Between motorways, roundabouts, holiday traffic and drivers who seem to think they’re starring in Fast & Furious, getting to an appointment can sometimes feel like an adventure of its own. I often find myself wishing for one simple piece of technology - a teleport button. Because as lovely as virtual work can be, dogs still need someone to physically show up.