Pay for Dog Sitter While on AT Mar-Oct

[irritable_badger]

I don't know if anyone is interested but I thought I would ask. My amazing Bassett Hound, named Caoimhe, needs a loving place to stay while I am hiking this year. I am willing to pay, a reasonable and negotiable amount, for someone to care for and love her while I am gone. She is housebroken (99.8% of the time) and walks well on a leash. She also does well without a leash but tends to stop without warning to sniff around. We walk or hike everyday so she is used to regular exercise. She is 13 weeks old so she is still a puppy, with all that entails.

I have a few other options for housing her but they are not fantastic, a friend of mine offered to keep her but he has three small children and a cat; it's a very busy house and I don't think she would like it there as it's nothing like my empty and quiet home. My second option is to have her boarded and from previous experiences that just sucks and I don't want to do that to her.

Here are a few pictures of Caoimhe (pronounced kee-va):

http://heritage-motors.com/images/caoimhebigheadsmall2.jpg
http://heritage-motors.com/images/IMG_2581.jpg

While not obvious, this post does have something to do with the AT, namely my hiking it. I hope no one is too offended by my creating this thread but I think it's better to ask than to annoy tons of people by bringing my dog on the hike. (Which was the original plan but after a lot of research I think it may be inconsiderate to bring a dog as a lot of people seem to have a problem with dogs being in the woods) Plus most of the people on whiteblaze seem like such nice people, unlike what you experience with the world at large, so I figured I would ask the nice people.

[Big Oz]

I don't know if anyone is interested but I thought I would ask. My amazing Bassett Hound, named Caoimhe, needs a loving place to stay while I am hiking this year. I am willing to pay, a reasonable and negotiable amount, for someone to care for and love her while I am gone. She is housebroken (99.8% of the time) and walks well on a leash. She also does well without a leash but tends to stop without warning to sniff around. We walk or hike everyday so she is used to regular exercise. She is 13 weeks old so she is still a puppy, with all that entails.

I have a few other options for housing her but they are not fantastic, a friend of mine offered to keep her but he has three small children and a cat; it's a very busy house and I don't think she would like it there as it's nothing like my empty and quiet home. My second option is to have her boarded and from previous experiences that just sucks and I don't want to do that to her.

Here are a few pictures of Caoimhe (pronounced kee-va):

http://heritage-motors.com/images/caoimhebigheadsmall2.jpg
http://heritage-motors.com/images/IMG_2581.jpg

While not obvious, this post does have something to do with the AT, namely my hiking it. I hope no one is too offended by my creating this thread but I think it's better to ask than to annoy tons of people by bringing my dog on the hike. (Which was the original plan but after a lot of research I think it may be inconsiderate to bring a dog as a lot of people seem to have a problem with dogs being in the woods) Plus most of the people on whiteblaze seem like such nice people, unlike what you experience with the world at large, so I figured I would ask the nice people.as cute as this puppy is I would keep it for free but I know my
kids would get so attached in 6 months it would break their heart when
you came back.But if you decide you can't find a sitter and want to hike
more and won't come back for it.E-mail me.The way my kids have wanted
a dog like this they would offer anything just to get to keep him.I know this
would only be disaster.

[irritable_badger]

ah ha. A new plan. Leave the dog with someone and then when I come back and they are attached I can charge an outrageous price for her.

Just kidding.

Thanks for the offer but the only way I won't be coming back for her is if I am dead. She has become my best friend in a very short time, I couldn't leave her.

[Ender]

Holy crapoli that is the cutest dog ever! Wish I could help, but I can't. But, just wanted to say what a cute little dog you've got there.

One of these days I'm going to live in an apartment that allows dogs.

[txulrich]

She is an absolutely beautiful puppy!! I had a bassett hound when I was growing up. She would make a great companion for my 14 yr old Springer Spaniel.

I have some questions though.

Is she spayed? Crate trained? Current with all her shots? Will she require non-emergency vet care while you're out?

When are you planning to hike? How do we get her from Eastern Tennessee to Dallas and back again?

[The Solemates]

PM Sent....

[Pickles]

I live in Fort Worth and work in Irving, TX. If you figure something out with TXUlrich, I can be his back up if he has to go out of town. I have a beagle and doggy door from the kitchen to the backyard.

[irritable_badger]

I apologize for leaving out this crucial detail but Caoimhe has not yet been spayed. Our vet advised us to wait until April, when she will be six months old. The breed has a problem with weight (soft joints, super dense bones, and a long back) that can be accelerated due to weight gain if the procedure is performed too early.

Obviously I will cover (in advance) the cost of the procedure however I thought I would disclose her lack of "fixing" now as several people seem interested in this detail.

I am leaving to start my hike on March 20 and will return before the end of October.

Thanks everyone for looking even if you can't help. :)

[mweinstone]

if you want to you could give the dog to a loving owner as what you plan is traumatic.

[irritable_badger]

How? It's no different than boarding school. I expect she will learn new things and be able to leverage her new knowledge for the rest of her life (like boarding school). Please correct me if I am wrong.

[Cuffs]

Ok, I have to now offer my thoughts... there is another thread I started because I will be in the same situation in '07... Look for a thread called "pet sitting."

I am in Birmingham, not terribly far from you (but not next door either)... If you dont find someone better/closer, I can make room (1 dog/4 cats). You are welcome to visit before making your decision, see how my kids behave and how I have trained my drooler. If you would like more info on me, please send me a PM.

Happy hiking and I hope it all works out for you!
(You had me at the sad puppy face!)

[txulrich]

I spoke with my wife last night. I even showed her the pictures. She said that if we sat for your dog, there would be no way that you were getting her back after 6 months. She would get too attached to let her go! I hope you can find other satisfactory arrangements.

[Fullmoon & Piglet]

ah ha. A new plan. Leave the dog with someone and then when I come back and they are attached I can charge an outrageous price for her.

Just kidding.

Thanks for the offer but the only way I won't be coming back for her is if I am dead. She has become my best friend in a very short time, I couldn't leave her.

I don't mean to be too harsh, but if she is truly your best friend you need to either take her with you- which means you hike HER hike or you reconsider your hike all together. 2000 miles is tough on dogs, but they can make it. Carry her food though, it won't be that much more weight for you. She is too young for a pack full time. I may never complete the AT in one continuous journey because I'm not sure if my dogs will ever make it that far. I have hiked two 1000+trips with dogs and when they were finished I was finished. Summer can be brutal on the dogs.

Again, sorry if I'm harsh, but you did just get her and now you want to leave her with someone.

[The Solemates]

I spoke with my wife last night. I even showed her the pictures. She said that if we sat for your dog, there would be no way that you were getting her back after 6 months. She would get too attached to let her go! I hope you can find other satisfactory arrangements.

diddo. when i emailed the pictures to her yesterday, she fell in love with her from the start and said "lets do it". but that is the problem. after discussing it last night, she said there is no way she could her up after 6 months. so if you need an adopter.... but sorry to give you false hope.

[irritable_badger]

No worries. I knew it would be tough to find a place to keep her while I was gone. I completely understand. My offer of helping you out in the future with whatever you need still stands. Thank you once again for considering it.

To address some other concerns, I really do not see what the issue is with leaving her with a sitter for six months. As I stated above it is very similar to boarding school, a lot of my friends went to boarding schools from a very young age and they have benefited greatly from the experience. I do not think a 2000 mile hike with a four month old puppy is responsible.

My plans for the AT were set in motion long before the puppy came. It is difficult to explain here but she was a gift. A gift given in "kindness" but part of a greater plot to prevent me from doing my hike this year. The individual who gave me the dog is no longer a part of my life, due in part to this hike. I already left my job and sold my home (before the dog came), I am living in an apartment until I leave. I will not have the opportunity to step away from my career again, if I want to hike the AT (planning for which started three years ago) this is the year I have to do it. Too many things were already set in motion when the puppy came.

The Basset breed lives for 12-14 years, there is plenty of time left for our friendship to continue to grow. I do not believe she would begrudge me making this trip. Actually I think she will be happy she didn't have to go. She is exhausted after our 12 miles hikes, I don't think she would be happy with 160 fourteen mile hikes in a row.

[syncop8ted]

I can't offer to sit for you; I would if I could but my 78lb Rhodesian Ridgeback would make a snack out of her. She doesn’t get along with other pooches.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
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I did have a thought though, if you can manage to somehow coordinate multiple sitters at various points along the trail in different states (I would even be willing to offer transportation services thru the VA area even though I can't actually sit for you), you could have visits with your puppy on quite a regular basis.<o:p></o:p>
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You never know, maybe you can find a few kind hearted people who are willing to drive a few hours out of their way in addition to sitting for a couple weeks at a time. That way there's no getting 'too attached' by any one person. All they have to do is meet you at designated points and you get a day or two hiking with your best doggie friend as well as your new friend.<o:p></o:p>
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Now, the only major drawback here would be whether or not that type of lifestyle is recommended for a puppy that age. It might cause behavior problems not being settled in any one place for very long. An older dog might do ok, especially seeing their 'master' on a regular basis, but it would be hard on a puppy I think. I’m not a dog expert but maybe you could talk to a local vet and find out what they suggest for the situation over-all no matter what route you go.<o:p></o:p>
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Word of advice, make sure you have clear documentation to back up the fact that you intend to return for your puppy. Don't wanna see you on Judge Judy going through some sort of custody battle at the end of the 6 mo. Also, when you find someone to keep her during her operation, pay the money directly to the vet who will be performing the surgery and not to the person providing the pet sitting services.<o:p></o:p>

[irritable_badger]

Thank you to everyone for your offers of assistance and kind words about Caoimhe. I found a sitter for her. An old school friend of mine from Florida heard about my plight and she is coming to pick her up and keep her at her dog friendly house so I found a great place for her to stay during my hike.

Once again thanks to you all.