Unreal Longings Books n Vid + Canine Inn Tales/Tails by Debbie D.

Do you long for “the good old days, when times were simple”? How we perceive events and eras in our lives fascinates me. My theory is that we romanticize the past because, as kids, grownups rightly shielded us from what was real life. Saudade, in Portuguese, means nostalgia for something that resides only in the soul. In Welsh, hiraeth describes a desire to reach a place akin to the proverbial home we can never go back to. From a very young age, I was curious. About e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, be it printed, spoken, or enacted. The gaslighting of my ongoing family experience led me to dedicate far too much effort on second-guessing what I think, feel, and do. That’s why I’m spellbound by anything from bygone days that clarifies how people genuinely thought and lived. Since I’m a novelist (about my soon-to-be-published books here), any wickedly intelligent storytelling I encounter along the way makes hope my stories will give others that same “aha” satisfaction.

Most recently, I’m swooning over Norman Lear’s genius by way of his clay-footed feminist goddess, Maude, the protagonist of his same-named 1972 sitcom. A staunch supporter of separation between church and state, Lear fearlessly addressed hot topics galore in all of his spinoffs from All in the Family. Here he tackles the right to abortion by having Maude become pregnant at the age of 47…

“Travels with Charley” is John Steinbeck’s thoughtful non-fiction account (though some say it’s more aptly categorized as creative non-fiction) of his 1960 road trip across the U.S. with his standard poodle, Charley. In it, he ponders the political climate of the upcoming John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon elections and racial segregation of schools. His account makes me wonder if we’ve evolved significantly in the ways that matter. Back then, like today, many citizens worked for justice and compassion. Like then, our political climate of today is mired in bigotry…

Now for a totally unrelated subject. Today’s guest blog post is by blogger/writer/photographer/digital creator Debbie D. who hosts THE DOGLADY’S DEN website out of suburban Toronto, Canada. Multilingual and a German/Canadian bi-national, she’s also known as “The Doglady,” in honor of her status as dog mom and retired dog sitter. Her passions span animals, music, travel, history, literature, cinema, hockey, and soccer.music, travel, history, literature, cinema, hockey, and soccer…

Unreal Longings Books n Vid + Canine Inn Tales/Tails by Debbie D.

From 1996 to 2021, I operated a boarding service for dogs in my home (with a lot of help from my husband, when he wasn’t working). Many people thought this was an undemanding job, but in truth, it was a lot of work. Dogs can have accidents, get sick, pick fights with others or be destructive, just like children. 

They may need constant grooming, require special diets, or have complicated medication schedules. Then there’s the mud! Rain is the bane of all dog sitters’ existence. Imagine having to clean six or seven muddy dogs all at once. 🐕

🐾🐾 Regardless, it was a labour of love! 🐾🐾

The dogs mostly had free rein (except for some who were crated overnight), and made themselves comfortable, as you can see in the top photo. That’s a lot of dog hair! 😆 

They would follow me around like the Pied Piper’s mice and I always had to close the bathroom door, but what a cute entourage! 🥰 Sleeping arrangements could be tricky, depending on how many jumped on the bed. 😏

Meal time, or, as I liked to call it, “feeding time at the zoo” required a little orchestration. The bowls were spread out in the back of the kitchen and I stood guard to make sure everyone behaved. 💂‍♀️

Once, a Dalmatian named J.J. sidled up to a Jack Russell’s bowl and tried to steal a morsel. The Jack growled, and J.J.’s response was to lift his leg and pee in the water bowl! We howled with laughter, all the while trying to scold him. What a definitive statement! 😂

Over the years, we hosted small dogs, large dogs, and all sizes in between. As with humans, each personality was unique. I had three stipulations: must be spayed/neutered, house-trained, dog and people friendly. Some people lied (which is why I bought a steam cleaner), but mostly, life at our little “Canine Inn” was harmonious.

We gave many of our charges nicknames to suit their personalities. 😃 Harley, a German short-haired pointer, became known as “The Brat Prince”, for his habit of barking at us when he wanted attention. Bailey, a golden retriever, became “son”, while Cody, another golden, we called “grandson”. After the water bowl incident (see above), J.J. became known as “The Clown Prince”.  

Several of these house guests vacationed with me most of their lives, and I mourned each loss. Some clients stayed through two or three generations of dogs.

In 2012, I started writing about them, intending to (eventually) publish a book. That hasn’t happened, but in 2014, three chapters were published in an anthology, titled “Read For Animals”. This was a charitable endeavour, meant to raise funds for animal rescue organizations. A second book came out the following year, but both are now out of print.

I opted to continue documenting my “Adventures in Dogsitting” [sic] on the blog, and there are 10 chapters so far. Although stalled at present, there likely will be more in the future. Click here for a listing of all episodes:

In 2020, when the pandemic grounded everyone’s travel plans, there were no more boarders. My beloved Dalmatian had passed away in 2007, and the guests had filled that void in subsequent years!

I couldn’t stand the empty, depressing house, so we adopted a black lab mix from a local rescue. The following year, when my husband retired, I did the same. Now, we’re a happy threesome! 😀