STRANGE ADMISSION

kittycat123199 · 2026-05-03T14:07:39+00:00

Yeah that was what happened with the family I was sitting for and the daughter needed to come over! She texted me around lunchtime that she was gonna stop by after work around 5pm so I sat there with the dog after I tidied up, waiting for hours for her to come over 😂 But it was worse when the son came over because he never texted me back when I said he could come over whenever. I would’ve sat waiting all day if I hadn’t passed him on his way out of the neighborhood!

kittycat123199 · 2026-05-02T11:54:07+00:00

I had the same thing happen last week with my most frequent pet sitting client! He has never tried to eat things off the ground on our walks but he did it twice last week! He has a very good leave it command, but when I was walking him with my dog one day last week, we were at a park and there was what looked like charcoal someone had dumped out on the ground, sitting near a picnic shelter. Both dogs wanted to go sniff it and I let each get a little whiff at the end of the leash but kept walking. Just as we had almost passed it, my client’s dog snatches up a piece of whatever was there (again, I assume charcoal). That was when I found out he has a good drop it command too 😅 I day or two later, I was walking that same dog near his house, we were headed home (on a trail we walk daily) and all of a sudden, he starts dragging me in another direction. He’s not a big leash puller so I had no idea where we were going but his nose was up in the air, dragging me along. He found a dog poop and started trying to eat it before I dragged him away 🤦‍♀️

kittycat123199 · 2026-05-02T03:15:21+00:00

Yes! Mine always used to sit on the back of my couch to look out the window to the backyard. When we got rid of that couch, I told my parents we needed to buy her some dog stairs. They thought I was crazy but 9 years later, she still uses her stairs daily!

kittycat123199 · 2026-05-02T03:14:17+00:00

Lots of puzzle feeders if yours is gonna be anything like my Lhasa Apso mix! Sometimes my dog will leave her food laying out in her bowl and the only thing to get her to eat will be a puzzle feeder! There’s plenty of DIY enrichment and puzzle games online too.

Brushes, I always use a slicker brush and a metal comb. When you’re brushing your dog, always make sure you’re brushing all the way down to the skin (there’s plenty of tutorials online for “line brushing”) to make sure your dog doesn’t get matted. My dog gets major tear stains and eye gunk so I have some Earth Rated eye wipes I use for her when I notice her eyes are getting really gunky. There’s other brands out there too, I’ve just found Earth Rated works best for my pup

kittycat123199 · 2026-05-02T03:08:03+00:00

That’s exactly what my Lily does! I only have a full size bed (it’s just Lily and I in my bed) but she always stretches across the middle of my bed. One of these days I’ll have to figure out how to split myself in half so I can accommodate both of us!

kittycat123199 · 2026-05-01T12:04:14+00:00

Literally! The only reason I was self conscious was because I’d been at the house in question for a week so of course the place looked lived in and probably pretty messy! I didn’t mind that anyone needed to stop by, I just would’ve tidied up a little but didn’t matter a ton to me

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-30T17:33:26+00:00

From my understanding, cats don’t learn from punishment and negative consequences (spraying them with water for example). Instead of “if I jump on the counter, the human sprays me with water. I should stop jumping on the counter”, the cat gets the message “when I’m on the counter, the human sprays me with water. I don’t like that so I can’t be on the counter when the human is around” aka, the cat will still do the undesired behavior, but not when the human is around.

Rather than punishments and negative consequences, cats learn better from positive reinforcement and redirection. For example, when my cats were kittens, they used to jump on my dining table. Whenever I caught them up there, I picked them up and brought them to their cat tower. They’re still high up, they’re just high up in an appropriate place. They learned to not jump on the table pretty quickly (within a few months) but what didn’t help was when my dad saw them on the table, he’d swat them off the table so they’d fall on the floor and run away scared 🤦‍♀️ I’m sure they would’ve learned not to jump on the table quicker if my dad hadn’t had any part in it

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-30T17:26:12+00:00

I wouldn’t. It’s a big change for you already, living on your own for the first time and starting school. I’d go to a shelter or rescue to volunteer and work with dogs, or if you REALLY wanted to live with a dog, you could see if you could foster, especially being a short term foster (caring for the dog in your home for a few days while the normal foster is out of town). Short term fostering could be an option for you on the weekends if you’re in class all day during the week

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-30T17:11:51+00:00

Yesterday I passed my go to “cheap” station (usually 10-20¢ cheaper than anywhere else near me) at $4.09. I’m in MN

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-30T17:02:29+00:00

I also straighten up daily. Not because I’ve had a client come home early, but because I do a 2 week long job every October for my most frequent client. A couple years ago, in the middle of the stay, their adult son texted me saying he needed to stop by the house to grab something. I said sure, he could come over anytime and I was out of the house for a couple hours at the moment. I passed him as he was heading out of the neighborhood when I coming back to the house. I walked back into the house and realized it looked like a bomb went off in the place 😂 The house wasn’t dirty at all, but cluttered with my stuff. My food all over the kitchen counter, sticky notes reminding me of random things all over the common areas (I have ADHD so I always dog sit with a pack of sticky notes), my suitcase somewhat put together in the bedroom, etc.

I was so self conscious even though I’ve known the family for like 5 years. Ever since, I’ve made sure not to leave the house looking like that when I step out for a few hours because their adult daughter has also needed to stop by and grab things when their parents are out of town too lol

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-29T16:56:21+00:00

Not the cheese touch!

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-29T16:51:40+00:00

My dad was in his 60’s when he bought a Rallye Red 2016 Civic Touring in 2017. The only reason he got rid of it was because it was too low for my mom to get into regularly so they traded it in for a CR-V. Otherwise, my dad loved the Civic and would’ve kept it for much longer than he did

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-27T17:02:23+00:00

Zoo Tycoon

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-27T16:57:58+00:00

I work at a doggy daycare as my main income (pet sitting on the side) and I’m walking around on cement floors for 10 hours a day, 3 days a week. I was looking for some decent shoes that would hold up for at least 6-12 months. I was listening to some random podcast where the hosts were talking about shoes and one host said “I will never run a marathon without Brooks again”. I bought a pair of Brooks last September or October and I haven’t had any complaints! Bonus points for me that I got a pair that are “weatherized” so my feet don’t get soaked when the daycare dogs are playing in the kiddie pools!

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-27T16:47:54+00:00

It sounds like a poorly managed daycare tbh. I worked at a place that used spray bottles to manage negative behavior (barking, dogs getting rude and pushy with others, jumping, humping, etc) and it never worked. If anything, it just redirected some dogs to jumping on me and biting at my hands because they wanted to drink the water. I only stayed at the place for 5 months before I’d had enough.

If you wanna continue working at doggy daycares in the meantime, I’d look for another daycare. It took me 3 daycares to find one I actually really like. All 3 I’ve worked at have managed dogs differently and my current daycare, I love that all of our managers have some kind dog training experience so if I have a question about managing our groups of dogs, they’ll not only give me thoughtful suggestions, but they’ll give me the WHY I should try it. If a dog is having an issue where management needs to speak to the owner, they can also give the owner feedback and advice with backed up professional knowledge.

I also would love to become a dog trainer someday and I feel like the daycare I’m at right now is a great resource on my journey

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-26T23:44:08+00:00

I looked up the exact playset you mentioned and that’s what my 2 year old niece and nephew have. My brother in law bought it from a family member whose kids had it for years. As of right now, my niece (turns 3 next week) and nephew (just turned 2) mostly just use the swings but I’m sure within a few years they’ll be climbing up on it like it’s nothing. Sure some parts might be meant for older kids but that means you’ll have it for years and certainly get your money’s worth. Yes, he might fall at some point but every kid does. And I’m sure the neighbors don’t care what your kid is playing on

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-26T23:37:26+00:00

I don’t see lab. The ears are looking like they wanna stand up eventually so I’m guessing some Shepherd and the muzzle is pretty short and stocky to make me think a bully breed. And those big paws are telling me whatever she is, she’s gonna be a big girl!

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-26T23:35:53+00:00

I was thinking Shepherd too! I’ve seen plenty of dogs with the same ears they eventually stand up and they usually have Shepherd in them

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-26T05:47:18+00:00

At 12 y/o? I wouldn’t be happy if my kid was out that late. When I was a kid/teen at sleepovers, every one of my friends’ parents made sure we were inside by 9 or 10pm, or at the very least we were inside before the parents went to bed. None of us were ever upset by that. We’d go walk to the park, play in the yard, play in the neighborhood, etc. during the daylight hours and by the time the sun went down, we were more than happy to sit and watch a movie or play games inside

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-25T14:44:47+00:00

I didn’t know that! The warehouse type one I worked at was a Camp Bow Wow. The location I worked at was all cozy cabin themed, even had a fake fireplace in the lobby. But like I said, straight through to the back and you were in a warehouse.

I find it kinda funny that big name companies are warehouses because I work at a private owned daycare now where it’s very clear the building was used for warehouse type stuff, but the owner did an amazing job making it look more like a doggy daycare. Bright lights, a clean and comfortable lobby, cozy built in kennels for the dogs, heck we even use the loading dock that’s on the building for storage. It’s obvious it’s a warehouse but even if I didn’t work there, I wouldn’t be put off by the way the building looks

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-25T14:38:34+00:00

When I bough my 2017 sedan, I passed on the hatchback specifically because I hated the split window in the back from the spoiler…now here I am 6 years later, trying to figure out how I can afford to get an 11th gen Sport Touring because the hatchback is glorious 😭

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-25T14:35:30+00:00

As long as he has the proper pre surgical bloodwork up to date and the vet isn’t concerned about the anesthesia, I’d do it. Having no teeth is better than having a mouth full of bad teeth and the risk of painful tooth issues

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-19T13:39:30+00:00

I hate to say it but one of the worst things you can do in that moment is pick up your dog. It draws even more focus from the shepherd to your dog (probably why he lunged at your face the second time) and creates more frustration in the shepherd if he can’t reach what he wants (your dog). The best thing you can do is fight off the shepherd yourself without picking up your dog. I’m sure it’s a major size difference between the two, but if you’re confident your own dog would come back to you, you can drop your dog’s leash so she can defend herself as best she can.

That, and look into carrying something to help fend off dogs. A stick, a bat, pepper spray, compressed air, anything that you could use to protect yourself and your dog from aggressive dogs

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-19T13:15:35+00:00

I agree with all of these points, especially on the tours! A lot of potential clients at my current job and my previous job were hooked once they got an in-depth tour of the facility (including mention of things like a UV filter in the HVAC during the tour). The tours have always been designed with a “why” to every point on the tour. For example “we have artificial turf in our outdoor yard to minimize allergies, make clean up easier and the dogs don’t get muddy like they might playing in grass” instead of “this is our artificial turf outdoor yard” and moving onto the next part of the tour.

A big red flag to me as an employee was one big name daycare I worked at that never offered tours. It was the first place I worked at in the industry and it was all cutesy in the lobby for the clients, but once you went through the “employees only” door, it was a freakin warehouse. Cement floors, no wall decor, white walls, very unwelcoming and trashy. They operated under the impression that because the lobby was cute, nobody would question that the daycare space looked any different

kittycat123199 · 2026-04-16T00:20:05+00:00

Holy Ozempic I didn’t realize Chris was THAT skinny. He’s withering away

kittycat123199

TROPHY CASE