November 2022
These two might have been the easiest care creatures my partner, Aaron, and I have encountered in our 40+ home & pet sits. So chill and affectionate, both of them. Lila is, after all, 13 years old so she has reason to be chill. Moose being the largest dog we have cared for, weighs in at 125 lbs. Approximately my weight so, when on leash, if he does not want to go in the direction I do, he does not have to. But this is what makes him so delightful to care for — he is a devoutly loyal boy who simply wishes to please his people; he’s a big old softie.

When we arranged to care for the two pets belonging to Jay and Mir, and their rural jungle home outside of Volcán, we were pretty sure we were in for an adventure. But still, two mellow creatures? Comparing this to another jungle sit experience (Costa Rica 2018) with 13 hyperactive rescue pets, it just had to be tame. As it proved to be — where the pets were concerned, that is.

However, when torrential rains pounded on the roof daily, pools of water flooded the property outside the windows, and water began to appear in the middle of the tile floor — it became more of an adventure than we had bargained for. As the days progressed and we debriefed the situation with Jay via WhatsApp, we all agreed that this issue could await his return in a few days. That was until we awoke one morning to a larger than expected pool in the living room, and the day progressed with a steadily increasing need to mop the puddle. It became clear that this plumbing issue would not wait a few days and would need to be dealt with before nightfall. A couple of panicked hours ensued, as well as considerable cursing, compounded by an inability to contact any assistance, either James or the emergency numbers he had left us with. After all, what could Jay do from Texas anyway? Water flew and words flew (one of those ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’ moments), and before you know it — as though by magic — we had figured out the source of all that water and how to turn it off. Whew!

Relief flooded through us (get the pun? ; ) We enjoyed the balance of our time immensely — walking the dog by the riverside daily, watching the amazing variety of colourful birds that we drew to the property with fruit treats and hummingbird feeders, writing and reading — the simple tasks of rural life. Rainy season ended while summer and her blue skies replaced it. Suddenly we would have been delighted to extend our stay at this jungle paradise : ))