And now...let me tell you all a story...
I'm having my busiest day in a very long time due to three of my sitters being on vacation today. Usually, I would pout like a baby since it's Saturday and I want to get my Saturday on with my husband, but husband had a busy weekend with his company (he owns an adventure racing company that puts on days-long races) so it was a good time to do some visits myself...besides, I get to see many furry faces that I miss!
So, I got up at 5:30AM to get my monsters taken care of so that I could be at my first visit by 6:30AM. Get to first visit around 6:45AM, take sweet pibble, Candy, out in to fenced-in backyard, crack door from house to back yard so she can run in and out whilst I prepare breakfast and tend to indoor/outdoor kitties. I go outside to feed kitties and Candy jumped up on the door and slammed it shut. Well, fart...keys to car and client's house are on pool table inside house. I thought, "Perhaps I left the front door unlocked." I go around to front door...locked. My sister is always hounding me about locking the door behind me, lest a serial killer follow me in to a client's house. Curse caring sister!
Ok, now what...ah, yes...call other sitter who has back-up key. FAIL...she's about 2 hours away with 13-year-old son who is taking SAT's (darn you smart, little overachiever!!!). Next step...get next visit covered, b/c this is surely going to take a while. Got next visit covered (love you, Kate!). Call client to see if there is a key hidden somewhere...there is not. Client calls neighbor to see if they have a key...they do not. Call other pet sitting company who I referred once to client when I was solo and too busy to take her last-minute requests...no answer.
Ok, looks like I have to call a locksmith. Call locksmith...will be $20 and then tech will assess sitch and let me know other, additional costs. Locksmith tech comes...large, nice, Russian lad. I actually couldn't understand if he said he'd be there in 15 or 50 mins because of his accent, which vacillated between endearing and annoying throughout this entire fiasco.
I tell him the door in the back will be the easy lock to pick as front door is deadbolt only. Lead him around back and open gate, he see's Candy and says (in endearing accent), "No, no...no Pit Bull...two weeks ago...bit...no...I do front door for $250." Um....how about NO!
I tell him Candy is nice. Nope. He won't budge. I told him to send another tech because I can't do $250. He says I have to pay for his visit out there to the house (endearing accent is quickly turning to annoying). I explain that car keys are inside the locked house, wallet inside car. He says the locksmith company will call me to discuss. Oh, did I mention that every time I leave the back yard, the dog tries to dig out? She dug up the cable line AND a sprinkler head during this whole process. About 10 mins later, he comes around to the back gate...says he will do the back door (I'm assuming the company told him to suck it up and go back there) for $140. I told him fine. I was working on two hours by this time, so I was desperate.
On a side note, I did feel sorry for this guy...being bitten by a dog does do a number on you and leaves quite a mark, physically and mentally. So, he says (accent is returning to endearing), "You sure dog nice? I afraid." I assured him that Candy is sweet, although she lacks some manners and jumps. So, I open the gate, holding on to Candy's collar (no leash in backyard) and let her slowly go to him to sniff him. Her tail was wagging, no threat, she's a good dog, but the dude was visibly scared. Don't cha know...Candy pulls back suddenly and gets out of her flipping collar. Zooooom! Out the gate and proceeds to run about the neighborhood like a crazy dog. I, of course run and as soon as I get near her, she plays "keep away." Ugh...I look up to the sky and audibly say, "REALLY?!"
Meanwhile, large Russian is standing just outside gate and Candy decides she now wants to meet him properly. With a full-on GALLOP, she runs to him and he was, most likely, about to soil his pants. She jumped on him and he gently pushed her away. I yelled, "She's super friendly, don't worry!!"
After large Russian (LR from here on) gathers himself and Candy has lost interest and gone back in to her yard, I managed to find a rope in the yard that I tied to her collar (not safe, I know). I took Candy for a walk while LR does his thing and picks the lock.
BOOM! Not even five minutes and he was in. Great! Good! I get Candy inside and settled, gather my things and I'm out. LR is there waiting to settle up and says (accent now SUPER endearing since he just gained me access to this house), "Will this be cash or credit?" I said, "Credit." He says (endearing-ness is fading here), "6.5% interest with credit, no interest with cash." I say, "Well, sir, I wasn't planning on locking myself out of this house today, so I don't have a cool $150 on me, so credit." Get credit run and have to wait another 20 mins for the company to call him back to say it went through and he can leave.
GOOOOOOD GRIEF!!! Oh, and I know many of you are wondering about the locksmiths needing proof that I had authorization to get into the house. They gave me an e-mail address to have my client send a message stating that I was authorized, but the e-mail didn't work after four failed attempts. So, basically, LR let me in unauthorized. In this case, it was good...I must thank Candy for freaking LR out enough for him to forget this nugget of required info.
Moral of the VERY long story - ALWAYS keep the key ON your person even if in a yard, ALWAYS keep your phone on you...I would have really been up a creek if I didn't have it.
I post this message sitting at a local bar....
OMG..you deserve alot of drinks....and i was upset because Pinky somehow managed to cut his chin and head..i noticed because he came back to house Black!!!...never dull..LOL
ReplyDeleteI’m glad the story had a happy ending – with you posting the story from a local bar of course – but this is hysterical! For anyone who has done any pet sitting before, I think it is safe to say we have all had this type of thing happen to us – maybe our stories are not quite as funny as yours though! Glad everything worked out – and glad you were able to enjoy a drink afterwards! Cheers to you!
ReplyDeleteGiovanni @ Coastal Contract Hardware