Well - the dog walking doesn't seem to be going as well as I would like. When I started I envisioned myself as Jennifer Lopez' character in Monster in Law - that happy, free spirited dog walker, who walked out her door, and picked up about 7 dogs along her walk....strolling carefree along the beach, in the sun, with a coffee, then had a little sit and ponder while the dogs all obediently lay next to her..then up again, and dropping them all home....a couple of hours walking and you've made a decent living....enough for a starbucks soy chai latte at any rate.
Well - silly me for watching too many movies and believing that I too can live the life of the bohemian dog walker. The reality is horribly horribly cruel.
I walk one dog 5 times a week for the paltry sum of blah! Which barely covers my petrol...but at least I get excercise. I walk another two dogs 3 times a week, also for blah, but here's what annoys me....really chaffs my inners (is that even a saying? It is now!) - is that the first dog, lives no-where near the other two....so I can't walk them together....which means that once again....I have to DRIVE all over this godforsaken island to each appointment, and then what I make walking just covers the petrol....and maybe a coffee. hmpfh. AND the two dogs that I walk live in such a great spot - near a couple of beaches, and this beautiful esplanade...but their owner doesn't want them going to either of these spots as she doesn't want them "getting dirty" - so the "fun" part of the job, CHOOSING THE ROUTE, has now been taken away from me, and all that is left is to walk them on the noisy man road.....oh and they don't just do one poo each.....oh no......they each do about 3 little poos all along the course of our walk..along the main road....so there I am, squatting down in front of cars, with my sleeve rolled up, the plastic bag on my hand, trying to pick up their still warm faeces - and then....it starts raining.
I had forgotten rain would be an important factor in dog walking. I have been caught in the rain a couple of times now and have been consequently in bed with an annoying cold for the last few days...unwilling to expend the energy required to walk those little buggers, and unable to (thank god) due to the immense pour down we just had yesterday. I had thought that come rain or come shine I'd be out there, walking those dogs - but the reality is - I have no raincoat, I have no gumboots, the owners probably don't want their animals being walked in that weather anyway...and I certainly don't want to get life threatening pneumonia all for the sake of a couple of bucks. So - what shall I do for the winter?
I have already decided - I'm gonna become a commuter. Gonna be a city-side worker. Been to a couple of interviews - I'll keep ya posted. In the meantime, I shall continue walking those little bastards of joy....I mean bundles........
peace out.
Well - silly me for watching too many movies and believing that I too can live the life of the bohemian dog walker. The reality is horribly horribly cruel.
I walk one dog 5 times a week for the paltry sum of blah! Which barely covers my petrol...but at least I get excercise. I walk another two dogs 3 times a week, also for blah, but here's what annoys me....really chaffs my inners (is that even a saying? It is now!) - is that the first dog, lives no-where near the other two....so I can't walk them together....which means that once again....I have to DRIVE all over this godforsaken island to each appointment, and then what I make walking just covers the petrol....and maybe a coffee. hmpfh. AND the two dogs that I walk live in such a great spot - near a couple of beaches, and this beautiful esplanade...but their owner doesn't want them going to either of these spots as she doesn't want them "getting dirty" - so the "fun" part of the job, CHOOSING THE ROUTE, has now been taken away from me, and all that is left is to walk them on the noisy man road.....oh and they don't just do one poo each.....oh no......they each do about 3 little poos all along the course of our walk..along the main road....so there I am, squatting down in front of cars, with my sleeve rolled up, the plastic bag on my hand, trying to pick up their still warm faeces - and then....it starts raining.
I had forgotten rain would be an important factor in dog walking. I have been caught in the rain a couple of times now and have been consequently in bed with an annoying cold for the last few days...unwilling to expend the energy required to walk those little buggers, and unable to (thank god) due to the immense pour down we just had yesterday. I had thought that come rain or come shine I'd be out there, walking those dogs - but the reality is - I have no raincoat, I have no gumboots, the owners probably don't want their animals being walked in that weather anyway...and I certainly don't want to get life threatening pneumonia all for the sake of a couple of bucks. So - what shall I do for the winter?
I have already decided - I'm gonna become a commuter. Gonna be a city-side worker. Been to a couple of interviews - I'll keep ya posted. In the meantime, I shall continue walking those little bastards of joy....I mean bundles........
peace out.
