Why Pet-Sitting Encourages Empathy, Responsibility, and Creativity
By Audrey Mackaman
I got my first pet-sitting gig around eight years old. The neighbor needed someone to feed her cat while she was on vacation, and I volunteered. On the first day, my mom went over with me, made sure I understood the neighbor’s instructions, and then gave me the key to the house, saying, “I’m trusting you to do this on your own, and so is the cat.”
Eager to prove I could do “grown up things,” I took that job seriously. Twice a day, I went over and fed the cat, even though I hated the smell of her food — raw meat juice, yech! I religiously put clean water out for her. Every few days, I scooped out her litter box — and I thought the food smelled bad! When the neighbor got home, she gave me fifteen dollars for the week, which was more money than I had ever earned outside of birthday gifts. But more important than that, she told me how happy she and her cat were with my work. In that moment, my earned “grown up points” gave me a greater sense of pride than the dollar bills stuffed in my pocket.
From then on, I built upon my newfound reputation as Pet Sitter Extraordinaire. I began to sit for all kinds of pets: hamsters, gerbils, turtles, fish, frogs, and, of course, dogs. Dogs were my favorite. As a kid, I was awkward around people. I never knew what to do or say, or how to articulate my thoughts. But dogs…I always understood them, and they understood me.
My first stories, at age ten, were about my own dog, Sophie, and her adventures with her dog friends. I imagined a magical world for her, where dogs got to solve mysteries, like who stole all the treats, and tell ghost stories, like the vengeful cat who haunted every dog who had ever chased her. I imagined a world where dogs solved their dog problems with dog logic.
As a child, I could never seem to make myself understood when I spoke. But when I learned how to put pen to paper, my words started to flow. You couldn’t shut me up.
Being a domesticated animal is a lot like being a kid: You don’t have the ability to make many of your own decisions and you depend on someone else to feed you, maintain a routine, and generally take care of you. Here are a few tips for young and beginning pet sitters.
Advice for First-Time Pet Sitters:
· Animals like their routines. It lets them feel safe and in control. Establishing a routine early allows an animal to know what to expect from you and that they can trust you to be consistent.
· Let animals go at their own pace. Allow a dog or cat to approach you first for petting, and don’t try too hard to get an animal who isn’t hungry to eat.
· Try not to fuss over an animal that is scared. Animals feel much more reassured that things are safe and okay if the people around them go about their business as usual.
· Always keep safety in mind over efficiency, both for you and the animal. If you find yourself uncertain of an aspect of the animal’s care, prepare a list of backups (neighbors, vets, etc.) who can help in a pinch.
Dog sitting is a great way to teach children about responsibility and empathy. One of the hardest things to grasp at a young age is that others around you can’t tell your intentions just by looking at you and that earning someone’s trust takes more than just words. Animals don’t instinctively know that you’re a friend; you have to teach them that by being consistent, kind, and gentle. Being able to put yourself in the mind of a dog or a cat or a hamster takes creativity and builds empathy for people who are in different situations as well.
What was your first pet-sitting experience? Do you have advice you’d add to this list? Tell us in the comments below!
About the author:
Audrey Mackaman grew up in Des Moines, reading fantasy novels and hoping someday to write her own. Now she lives on Whidbey Island in Washington, where she helps aspiring authors with their books while writing Cavall’s adventures. Audrey is an animal lover who volunteers at animal shelters and dog sits whenever she can. Her clients’ pooches were the inspiration for Cavall and the rest of the dogs at Camelot. Cavall in Camelot #1: A Dog in King Arthur’s Court is her debut novel.
About the book:
