Last week, we went away for a couple of nights. This was Riggs first time EVER, being left alone (for more than a couple of hours). Earlier this year we had 2 separate weekends planned away with a new sitter. The end of June and the end of July had been in the books before our loss. Great dog sitters are EXTREMELY hard to find; and when you do find them, they are often booked. So it is essential to have at least 3-4 on a trusted sitters list. This is especially important when you tend to have short notice plans. Good sitters are always booked. I cannot tell you how many things I’ve not gone to because all of my sitters were booked.
When we are trying out new sitters; I always like to go for a short trip to see how it goes. It is very important that everyone involved is happy. Sitter is happy sitting at our home with our dogs; dogs are happy being sat and we are happy and able to enjoy ourselves. No point in having your dog’s sat at your home if you are constantly worried and can’t enjoy yourself.
The June trip was cancelled due to our loss on June 22nd. At only a week out, it was too soon to even consider leaving Riggs. Riggs has shared his entire life with Elsa; so when we went away, he always had her to lean on. After cancelling the June trip; we made a conscious decision to keep the next one. I had just over 4 weeks to deal with the fact that we would be leaving Riggs alone.
I’m going to be honest, I was freaking out at the thought of leaving Riggs alone. But life happens, things change and the best thing to do, is to move forward. We could do this, he could and I could. I had faith in my new sitter, she was very concerned with all the details of how to best help Riggs to get through this new newest hurdle.
The sitter and I met a few days before the day we were to leave. We talked about everything that needed to be covered about Riggs; and I told her that I had no idea how he was going to react. He’d never been left alone before. She was wonderful and asked lots of questions. She is very knowledgeable with regards to dog behavior so Riggs liked her from the get go.
This was going to be a quick 2 nights. So we decided to do a staycation, close to home, just in case. So, long story short, he did great. She did great and I have to say that it was nice to get away for 2 nights. I’ve had my grieving on the back burner because I’ve been trying to help Riggs with his. So to have a few days to not have to worry about him was nice.
My biggest concern with leaving him alone was eating. His eating had changed in the last 4 weeks so I wasn’t sure that he’d eat. That first night I waited for the news. HE ATE!!!!! The biggest hurdle, conquered. We were in constant contact; and the fact that she was as concerned as I was that he be okay, helped me to relax. His first night was a little rough, staying up and looking for us. But by the second night he had settled in and was being pretty free with his hugs and kisses.
When we got home he went crazy as he typically does; but I tried to my best “chill Mom” mode. And like any other time we have been away, he was stuck like glue for a few days following the trip. It went way better than I had anticipated and he got to see that even when left alone; we will always come home.
This had been planned for both dogs; but life had other plans, so we had to adjust. I highly recommend searching for sitters. It’s sort of something that I am always doing; because when you have great sitters, they are often booked. This means that you need lots of great sitters to be able to call. There is a process that I follow when looking for new sitters. But the most important factor is how that person and your dog get along.
I am so happy that this worked out and things have changed even after the 2 days away. It sort of reset Riggs back to who he was before our loss. Of course not completely all the way back; but he is much more himself after our trip. I think he was so happy to see us that the sadness he was feeling was just a little bit less.
Life is a little less heavy now.