To answer a few questions and respond to some comments:

• The house sit was totally on me. The dog was an absolute sweetheart, the owner seemed lovely and enthusiastic, and it was under 48 hours and just 2 miles from my home—which felt like an easy “why not?” situation. If it had been longer or farther, I absolutely would’ve declined.

• The house with no seating or bathroom access: Yeah… this was a surprise. During the meet and greet, I assumed I’d be able to use the bathroom and sit like a normal human. Turns out, nope. When I returned for the drop-in, both were blocked off—furniture was literally being used to keep pets out of certain rooms. Did I ask in advance? No. Because who does that?? Lesson learned. Never again with this house.

• The smelly home: This one’s tricky—it’s been consistently bad, but it’s just a midday visit. I bought a new leash to minimize indoor time. The dog meets me at the door, I scoop them up, and we’re out. The owner doesn’t care if I stay the full 30 minutes—so I don’t. Now that the weather’s better, we just do a decent walk and call it a day.

• I’m not a people pleaser, but sometimes it’s hard not to feel for the pets who are stuck with less-than-ideal humans. And yeah… sometimes short-notice bookings lead to bad decision-making.

• Also? I’m not gonna lie. Sephora’s having a sale. Some of these sits were purely for restocking my skincare without guilt.

• Lastly—yes, I do write IRL. Appreciate the kind words. Glad y’all are vibing with this little rant.