Temperature control is a lie you tell your body. That lie dissipates as quickly as sweat droplets form on your skin from the wall of humidity that meets you at the threshold to the outside. The outdoors are for mornings and evenings. But for the next few days, we will be seeking midday shelter in the home of a friend outside of Nashville, Tennessee.
There are many ways to be nomads. Some stay in hotel rooms. Some stay in hostels. Some live in cars. Some camp. It varies by interest and resources. But it seems like pet sitting is a particularly delightful way to travel. Instead of a cramped truck bed, we stay in a house with temperature control, reliable internet access, and lively entertainment.
We are pet sitting for the weekend. Our friends are off visiting family. While they have plenty of neighbors to drop by before and after work to feed and walk their dog, we are in town and can offer round-the-clock services. In exchange for use of their washing machine, dryer, kitchen, cable, and internet connection, we are spending the weekend with the most delightful English Lab I have ever met.
We met this little lady two years ago when she was less than a year old. Now, she is bigger, but still very much a puppy. She is pretty clear with what she wants: picking up a ball to play fetch, nosing the back door to get out and relieve herself, or turning her soulful eyes on me just to get some attention. What she does not like is the clicking of my camera: I only get a few shots before she retreats from the shiny, noisy black box.
I think we make the perfect pet sitters. We love animals and, so long as there is a decent internet connection, we are happy to walk and play with your pets in between work sprints. Traveling between house and pet sitting gigs could be an interesting way to plan a season of travel. We may need to explore this further.
