We fly the coop; no one blinks
March 5, 2012 at 9:15 am 3 comments
When the suitcases come out, Soho retreats to the closet and our guilt index goes up, up, up. How could we abandon our pets like this?
So before we left for our latest NYC visit, we amassed a novel’s worth of care and feeding instructions for all the animals. Our friends Pamela and Kirk are virtually godparents to all our critters, but they had never been charged with the day-to-day tasks of keeping two dogs, four cats and six chickens (Birdie is on holiday at PG’s – thank you, thank you!) sated and happy at all times. When they volunteered to house-sit, we said “Are you sure???”
We wrung our hands a bit. When you’re writing notes that say “Don’t forget Dodger and Cody’s Prozac” and “the chickens do like to be tucked in at night”, it gives cause for pause. Who lives like this?
Well, for the moment, THEY do! While we’ve been frolicking in the big city, I’ve received a number of reassuring messages that indicate all is well back on the farm. And Soho is most definitely not moping in the closet.
Little Miss in a post-grooming pose
In fact, not only are all critters happy and accounted for, they have completely forgotten us. Here is a photo of some of the defectors lining up to greet Kirk as he comes home from work:
Traitors! All of them!
Oh, and did I mention that up until last week, Kirk was not a cat lover?
Dizzy does it again. Kirk has fallen under the Diz spell.
I’ll fill you all in with a NYC update as soon as I come to grips with the fact that man’s best friends are as fickle as they come!
Entry filed under: Absurdity, Friends, Spoiled Pets. Tags: animals, spoiled pets.
1.
Katherine | March 5, 2012 at 11:57 am
Who DOESN’T fall under (the aptly-named) Dizzy’s spell? And yet, I can’t quite tell from the photo, but is Dizzy actually staring at a microwave, trying to hypnotize Kirk into cooking the chickens?
2.
Alexandra | March 7, 2012 at 11:52 am
I’ve visited a few times and can confirm that those animals are being very well cared for. I think the animals might picket if anyone else ever house-sits.
3.
Pamela Gilbert | March 9, 2012 at 9:52 pm
The Gutsche menagerie has no shortage of charm. Each animal group seems to have its own spokesperson. For the chickens, that would be Hope. She could be the president of the American Free-Range Chickens Association. Or a shop steward for the chicken’s union. She is not a fan of the mallard pair that has tried (unsuccessfully) to take up residency in the pool. As for picketing, I noticed the chickens downloading photos of Dave and Karen and rehearsing some catchy chants. We flatteringly consider ourselves acceptable stands-in.