Not just anyone gets to care for my babies.
I am a Grandma again, yep. Two Grandsons a week apart so needless to say I needed someone to watch over Elsa for several days and I have that. I feel extremely lucky to have found a wonderful woman whom Elsa adores.
When I knew that my daughters would be having babies close together; I worried about a sitter. You can't book a time slot for a baby arrival; they come when they want to come and you hope that you can get someone. Of course the better the sitter the more booked up they are so I hoped and crossed my fingers and anything else I could do that she'd be available, and she was.
Having my sitter available for the births of my first and second Grandson was HUGE. It allowed me to focus on the task at hand and leave the care and love of Elsa with my sitter. Being able to take that worry out of the equation is priceless. When my sitter arrives and Elsa comes unglued, I know that she is in good hands.
When you are away, the last thing you need to be doing is worrying. I don't know about you all, but I worry a great deal if I'm not happy with where my dogs are or who they are with. If I'm worrying, I'm not focusing on what I should be focusing on; whether that is babies, a conference, business or just plain fun.
I try to tell and show my sitter just how much we appreciate her. It means the world to me to have someone that I trust to leave Elsa with. If I did not have her I could not relax when I am away. Stepping out of my daily roll as caregiver and allowing her to step in is a big statement in itself. I'm sure you can all imagine.
I have interviewed handfuls of sitters who have not made it past the interview process. I have had to say "thank you but no," to many. It does not take me long to decide through the interview process if I trust the person to put Elsa first. I am always looking for new sitters. Like I said when someone is good they are busy and not always available. So having a couple of great sitters to call on is essential.
There are sitters and then there are sitters out there. Finding the ones who mesh with you and your dog/dogs is not easy. I am looking for the ones that are the elite caregivers; basically myself in a sitter. Not an easy task but doable if you do your research and go through the process.
If you have an amazing sitter, let them know just how much you appreciate them. It truly is wonderful to have someone who cares as much as you do.