Adventures in Petsitting
When life offers a moment of magic, reach for it with both hands
By jane Thomas
I’ve always loved stepping off a plane into hot, sticky air. Passengers need to walk alongside the runway on St Kitts, the sea and palm trees all waving invitingly. My friends met us with their boat and whisked us across the water to Nevis. Then it was just a short, sharp climb up past the mango trees shaking with scrapping monkeys, to their home set high on the slopes of the Peak. The view was due west: perfect for sunsets.
When I first house sat on Nevis I’d looked after four dogs for a month. During that brief period, I fell in love with the island. I was offered opportunities to go back and look after other homes, other dogs, and before I knew it, I’d been there two years. Many of the dogs I’d looked after in that time – my best friends, if truth be told – had moved away with owners, and many had died. Reconnecting with the few that remained was a little touch of magic.
We took Shumba to his favorite beach at least once a day, slowly helping him overcome his fear of the water. For week after week the three of us chased each other through the shallows, the only pause being when either Grant or I crashed further out into the sea when we needed a break, or when Shumba was distracted by a crab that he just had to pursue.
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