Dog-Sitting

We watched Sharlee for 3 days while Dayton's friend Ashton and her parents were out of town. We haven't had a pet in our home since we moved to Chicago 2+ years ago, but our kids LOVE pets so we were excited for this opportunity. Sharlee was just as great with the kids as they were with her. The kids followed Sharlee everywhere, and vice versa. Dayton and Daphne squealed anytime she barked. They loved playing fetch and tug of war with Sharlee. They also enjoyed taking her outside to pee- both kids insisted on accompanying Sharlee outside every time, regardless of how cold the temperature was.

I love this action nose-picking shot of Daphne

If I asked Dayton to do something for me,
he'd say, "No, I'm taking care of Sharlee." Daphne told me that Sharlee pees on the grass,
and she added, "Nana lets me pee on the grass!"
Really Nana? Don't you have standards?

Daphne liked Sharlee laying on her

One of the great benefits that we miss from having a dog is the dog picking up any scraps that we drop on the floor while preparing or eating food. We were excited to have Sharlee to perform this task for a few days, but she did not meet expectations! Once an M&M was on the floor- Sharlee picked it up and spit it out three times, eventually leaving the soggy M&M back where she found it. She did the same with a piece of popcorn- sampled it and then abandoned it a few times. Derrick and I cracked up anytime we saw her taste-testing scraps of food- it was quite entertaining to watch. (We didn't TRY to feed her junk food- these were just items she grabbed when they were dropped.)

My kids got 3 full days of entertainment and fun from Sharlee, so dog-sitting was definitely worth it, and we'd love to do it again, but we're not getting a pet anytime soon. Mommy's not ready for the extra responsibility and commitment.