Toe beans!

When I care for animals in their homes, I regularly end up on the floor just as much as I end up on the couch. Helping a pet feel comfortable with me as a sitter often involves reducing my height, lowering myself to the ground so that I seem less intimidating. At times, this means not just sitting but lying down at their level. Owners politely tell me that this isn’t necessary, but making their beloved family members feel safe is a priority to me as an animal caregiver. I keep a book with me and I read aloud to them, because a calming voice is comforting to animals just as it is to small children and babies. With time, nearly every animal comes to me. Dogs will curl up in my lap or spread themselves out, leaning against my legs. Cats will sleep on my back or literally right on the pages I’m trying to read to them. This story time is not a hardship or burden to me, nor do I feel I’m do anything extraordinary as a pet sitter. It is essential to my work and I genuinely enjoy it. Reading to a purring cat or rubbing a dog’s belly, stopping only to turn a page, comforts me and gives me strength. They remind me that good moments, ones of peace and gentleness and warmth, are real and happening.