Not long after I started my pet sitting business I signed a client who had two absolutely gorgeous, fun, black Labs named Jessie and Remmy. They were only about a year old and, like most labs, full of energy. Unlike most labs though, they had an owner who doted on them and treated them like a king & queen. He even decided to rent the house he did because it had a pool for the dogs! He enjoyed it too, but I’m sure the dogs got more use out of it.
My regular routine with Jessie and Remmy was to take them out for a few hours each day, Monday through Friday, to wear them out. But, every now and then their guy would go out of town and I’d spend the night at his place with the dogs. I was more than happy to take care of them. Not only did I get to hang out with some great dogs, but we usually spent time in the pool, too! It was definitely more of a treat than work.
Here’s where the fun begins . . .
I was asked to take care of Jessie and Remmy for about 48 hours while their guy went away for the weekend. I picked them up early in the day and took them out to a few places to wear them out. We went to the park, to my house, then back to the park again. Eventually I made my way over to my client’s house with two extremely worn out dogs. I was looking forward to spending some time relaxing in the pool, followed by a good movie snuggling on the couch with two big lap dogs.
We barely got in the house when Jessie flopped on the kitchen floor to snooze. Remmy wasn’t interested in snoozing though. He decided he wasn’t all that worn out after all, and insisted I let him play in the back yard. When I opened the sliding glass door, he ran to the pool, dove in, and snagged a floating tennis ball. Then, just as quickly, he climbed out of the pool and headed back to the house insistent on me playing with him. He was so cute that I couldn’t turn him down. As I stepped outside and closed the sliding door behind me I had a mini panic attack. I suddenly remembered that the safety bar on the door was sometimes a bit troublesome. I turned around just in time to see it falling into locked position. I reached for the door, but some strange force was holding me back and making me move in verrrrry sloooooow motion. Contrary to what Mick Jagger said, time was not on my side. The bar was faster than me. It slipped down and, SNAP! I was locked out.
I stared at the door in disbelief for a few seconds until Jessie, who was still inside, woke up and came to the door wanting out. I looked up at her, and at the same time I caught a glimpse of my keys and cell phone, both lying on the kitchen table. Not good…I muttered a few words about how careless I was and went to look for the hidden key that would open a door to the garage. From there I’d be able to get into the house and all would be well.
No such luck.
Just as I reached down to get the key, I remembered the owner telling me he wasn’t hiding a key outside anymore. I pushed that thought out of my head, hoping he changed his mind. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I looked, the key just wasn’t there.
I walked back to the door and stood there staring at the darn thing. I probably looked as pitiful as my dog Archie does when he stands at the back door waiting for it to open! No matter how hard I stared, it just didn’t open. As if having my telepathic skills fail me wasn’t bad enough, mosquitoes started biting me. Mosquitoes love me. I do not love them back. It was clear they had conspired against me. One of those nasty little buggers had spread the word that I was locked in the yard with no way out. I swatted mosquito after mosquito, leaving my legs dotted with little splats of blood. I felt a sense of power though, when I thought of a way to put an end their family picnic. I slipped into the pool, where I planned to stay until I figured out how to get out of the yard or my clients came home. Relief!
I soon got bored with the pool and realized I wasn’t interested in spending the night there. So I got out, went to the fence and started yelling. I went from one side of the yard to another, yelling for the neighbors to come out and help me. Nobody came! I went to the front where I could peek through the bushes to see the street. When somebody drove or walked by I yelled. I could barely see them, so I knew they couldn’t see me. And because of the way the house was situated, they had a hard time hearing me. From their body language I could see repeated instances of “did I hear something?” The person would stop and look around. I’d yell again, even louder, but they’d give up and keep walking.
By this time, the mosquitoes had invited their out of town relatives. I gave up and went back to the pool.
I stood in the pool, up to my neck in water, looking around the yard for something that might help me escape. Nothing. I imagined the newspaper headlines, “Woman Turns into World’s Biggest Prune” or “Woman Eaten Alive at Mosquito Family Reunion.” Neither one appealed to me, so I decided to give the yelling game one more try. I went to the fence, peered through the bushes, and as soon as I saw a woman walking by, I belted out the biggest “HELLLLLLLLLLLLP MEEEEEE!” I could muster. You may have heard me, in fact.
It worked! The woman stopped. I yelled again. She turned and walked slowly toward the yard. I kept yelling and she kept coming. I started jumping up and down almost like an eager Jack Russell! Somebody was coming to let me out. I was so excited! Finally, the woman came close enough that she could see me and I knew I wouldn’t be mosquito bait very much longer.
Getting out of the yard didn’t happen instantly but it did happen. My rescuer handed me her cell phone and I called my brother, who came over with tools in hand. After taking the fence apart, he was able to wind a twisted coat hanger through the door to lift the safety bar and slide the door wide open. Freedom never felt so good!
I did get to watch a movie later that evening and cuddle on the couch with the dogs. But, I also spent time rubbing Benadryl cream on all the itchy mosquito bites. It wasn’t the last time I spent the night with Jessie and Remmy, but it was the last time I ever walked out of a client’s house without my keys and cell phone.
No comments:
Post a Comment