Aloepuppy

 

The one thing I could say about pet sitting was it was interesting.

The best part was meeting new people and their pets, and they all had character.

Sometimes certain situations would present themselves disguised as pet sitting contracts and unfold as another journey all together.

One day a lady called looking for pet visits for her aging dog and rambunctious cat. What she failed to mention was that I would also be providing visits that included her mother who was suffering from Alzheimer’s, a disease of memory loss. I decided to accept the contract anyway as I had worked with seniors before as a volunteer. 

When I arrived for our consultation, I could see that Trudy’s mom was in her mid eighties. In her present state, she seemed friendly and happy. I sat down in a nearby chair to discuss the care they needed.

Trudy spoke up; “So as you can see our Mum has Alzheimer’s. She is in mid to late stage and is attending a day program near by. Every Thursday she needs someone to put her on the bus in the morning and then again to take her off the bus in the afternoon. My brother gets home from work at five and she should be okay for an hour or so. She basically needs help getting from the bus into our home. Also, if you could let our aging husky out for a pee a couple of times a day that would be great.”

I looked down to see an older and somewhat arthritic dog sprawled out in the center of the room.

I turned to Trudy and asked; “Is your dog able to get up and down on her own?” Trudy responded by saying; “Yes, but she may need a little help with her back end. Especially on days when the weather is colder.” 

The husky’s name was Mable. I then noticed a second animal in the room, a black and white tuxedo cat and asked; “And who is this little creature?”, I smiled as I looked down at the curious ball of fur. Trudy replied, “This is Timmy. He’s much younger than dear Mable. You must watch him when you let Mable out for her bathroom breaks, as he tends to try to escape behind her!” I took a closer look and could see Timmy with a devilish look on his face, as if he understood our conversation. Mable was an old grey Husky, Timmy was a younger energetic domestic short hair. He looked like he could scale a wall with no effort and run fast!

He crouched on the back of a love seat that was close to a large central window. There was a big Maple tree in the front yard where I could hear the robins and chickadees wildly chirping.

Timmy looked on, ready to pounce his way through the window. I paused for a second before I turned to Trudy and said, “Okay when would you like me to start?”

I supposed at the time, this pet sitting job was exactly what I needed. There wasn’t much care taking involved in letting old Mable out for pee breaks, Loretta however, did need some help.

Every Thursday morning, I would arrive to see the Personal Support Worker coming down the stairs with Loretta. I  guess she needed help bathing and getting dressed before heading out to her day program. “Hi there, I’m Lisa the pet care lady. I will be looking after the animals and handing off Loretta to the attendant who helps her get on the bus.”

The young support worker smiled and replied; “Oh yes, Trudy mentioned you would be starting today, nice to meet you.” So, we all sat in the living room waiting for the bus to arrive. Loretta was dressed and sitting on the love seat. She was in a good mood and despite not really having a memory, I could tell she was looking forward to going out. She would repeat herself, asking questions like; “And who are you? Where am I going?” I would tell her I was the lady who would be coming to care for the animals and visit with her.

Five minutes later she would ask the same question, and I would repeat myself once more. Her daughter Trudy would mention that this was part of the disease and what to expect. Just as I came out of that thought, Keiko the personal support worker spoke up; “I think the bus is going to be late again, and I must catch my own!” I could see she was stressing about getting to her next  appointment on time. “Oh yes of course go ahead” I said. “I will make sure to pass Loretta to the attendant when she arrives.” And then Keiko headed out the door. “Bye, see you next week!”

While I waited, I let Mable out for her pee on the back deck which led onto a grassy area. I could see she was stiff. She only got as far as the deck and did her best to crouch down to relieve herself. 

Meanwhile, I could see Timmy eagerly pacing behind the screen door waiting for his chance to escape. “Not today, Houdini!” I said. and blocked his way while I let the dog back in. We quickly returned to the living room where Loretta sat quietly. Just then I could see the shuttle bus pull up in front of the house. “Oh, time to go Loretta, the bus is here!”

 Just then the doorbell rang; it was the bus attendant. So, I passed Loretta to her on the porch and watched them slowly make their way down the steps and onto the bus. I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, I thought to myself, “That was interesting.” I turned back to Mable and Timmy. Mable had already settled back onto the floor. Timmy perched on the back of the love seat watching out the window. I checked my i-phone and headed out to my next appointment.

I knew I had to receive Loretta in the afternoon and made sure to arrive five minutes before the bus did. So once again I tended to Mable and let her out in the backyard, with Timmy not far behind. I didn’t have much time before Loretta would be returning so I didn’t linger with Mable.

Again, Timmy tried to escape so I had to shoo him away from the screen door.

“Now Timmy,” I said. “Be a good boy and stop trying to escape!” And proceeded to let Mable back in. Just at that very moment the phone rang in the living room. I knew it would be the senior centre calling to let me know that the bus would be arriving at any moment. “Yes, it’s Stansfield Senior Centre calling,”. “We want to let you know that Loretta should be arriving back home any time now.” “Okay thank you.” I said and hung up the phone. 

Mable had just settled onto the floor and Timmy on the back of the love seat. I met her on the front steps and helped her in. “Hi Loretta.” I said, “I’m the lady who cares for the animals and will visit with you today.” “Oh,” she said. “Where is my daughter?” I replied, “She is away at work and won’t be home today.” Loretta looked at me with a puzzled look on her face as she struggled to understand our conversation. I said, “Don’t worry Loretta, lets go inside and have a cup of tea and a cookie!” “Oh yes”, she replied, “That would be lovely.”

And that would be one of my pet sitting assignments for the next six months. Twice a week, three times each day. I would tend to the animals and  sit with Loretta. We would have the same brief conversations repeatedly. She would always ask me who I was and where her daughter was. And I would always reassure her that all was well.

We were encouraged to look at photos and picture books. Loretta loved horses. So on the days I was there we would chat about how much she loved animals-especially horses. Even though she suffered from this disease, I felt as if I could connect with her spirit which was kind and happy. And while I sensed the part of her that was frustrated and seem to know that she couldn’t communicate as she once did, there was her spirit that could. 

So, we made the best of those visits, and it helped me to realise that even a disease like Alzheimer’s could not stop us from connecting on a soul level and that each day we have together in life is a gift. That even in the darkness you can find a friend who understands you.