My neighborhood is the "east" subdivision. There is a "west" one on the other side of the lake.
When we moved in twenty years ago, there was a rumor of an alligator living in the lake. If I remember it, the casual warning issued us by the realtor was, "just make sure your kids fish from the north bank. Gator doesn't USUALLY cross the midline of the lake." Are you kidding?
My client needed a quick weekend getaway. I don't remember many of the details, but as I was available and they were within walking distance. I took the job. Their home was lakeside. A cairn terrier, named "Pepper" and his cat, whose name escapes me, would be under my care and supervision for a few days.
On the afternoon of the interview, I watched as the terrier was let outside and he didn't seem to
be interested in the water. The owner and I sat on the deck and concluded the q and a. She offered me some sweet tea and gave me the key. Funny, I don't remember asking the client about the reptile.
The back yard was sloped and only fenced on three sides. Neighboring backyards and those across the lake all had full perimeter fencing. THAT made me nervous!
Their pets were territorial. The cat had the entire house. Pepper had claim to one easy chair in the family room and a spot on the kitchen floor with a placemat bordered in black paw prints. The scales were balanced because he also had the whole back yard. The master bedroom door was closed and locked, so I never found out who claimed that space. The cat's litter box was in the laundry room and her food bowls were atop the clothes dryer. When I tucked them in, I just said goodnight, made sure the nightlight was on and closed the door.
Day number one, I was excited to bond with them, but after observing Pepper's non-stop scratching, I picked him up for a closer inspection. Holding Pepper and seated in his easy chair, I found fleas! Checking the cat, I found more fleas! That's fixable. I couldn't find any dog shampoo, so I put the dog in the tub and gave him a long soak in Dawn dish soap. He'd be okay for a couple of days. The cat, however, was totally water repellent. The claws came out, she hissed and I gave in. As evidence, I put a couple of the drowned fleas in a ziplock.
When the dog went outside, so did his pet sitter. He never went to the water's edge. I stayed close and followed behind him, keeping one eye on the center of the lake. I tried to focus on the south
bank, but the overgrowth would not reveal its secrets. I thought I saw linear movement in the
very hot afternoon of day number two.
The last day of this job began about thirty minutes past my snooze alarm. I showered, put on scrubs and a light jacket and headed up the street, around the cul-de-sac, and through their garage door. Breakfast had options as there were two leftover canned cat foods in the fridge. I chose fish. I don't think the cat had a preference. I scooped one-third cup of kibble for Pepper and sat down at the table to keep him company. The sprinklers were on, so we waited for the cycle to advance and the two of us went out and stood on the deck. There's a lot to investigate when the lawn is soaking wet, especially when the frogs are frolicking. That little cairn was on a mission to catch the frogs! He was simply outnumbered and gave up the hunt.
Back inside, my hour's visit was up and I picked up the pet food bowls, washed them and left them to air dry on the counter. After leaving a quick note as to the morning's activities, I headed out the garage door and pressed the garage keypad. Something in my gut told me to go back inside. The door was locked. Patting my pockets, I found my phone but not the house key. I had two options.
First, call the owner and hope there was a spare key in the garage. Second, call the owner and tell them I called a locksmith.
I walked home to get my purse and car. The twenty minutes I was quoted by the dispatcher at A to Z Locksmith turned into an hour. The doorknob was rekeyed and I paid the quoted rate, put the new key on my keyring and went back inside to check on Pepper. He was visibly agitated and I let him back outside to run off his excess energy.
That morning didn't go as planned! Thankfully the rest of the day was uneventful. Our last
visit was scheduled for just after dinner. I decided to take Pepper on a long walk, this time past MY house which gave my herd of dogs quite a surprise!
My client was expected around dinner anyway, so I vacuumed, put the freshly laundered dog towel back in the cabinet and said goodbye. Lights on both their front porch and in the kitchen were switched on. I left Pepper to monitor from the front windowsill and the cat, being the official sentry, curled up and went to sleep in the middle of the hallway.
I enjoyed working for my neighbor. I recognize her walking Pepper now and again. They prefer to keep across the street from my house. I suspect it is Pepper's choice.
Maybe the thought of seeing that gator gave me a new appreciation for just letting things be and trust the wisdom of Mother Nature. Mutual respect is the basis of a community. Does a fence keep us in or does it keep us out? Maybe we don't need one. Pepper never thought he did.
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