My husband, the pet-whisperer

Many who follow this blog will know that Greg and I are volunteer house and pet sitters. We are snowbirds, travelling to warmer locations to escape the cold Canadian winters.

This big chihuahua wanted nothing to do with us! 

Each of our sits has involved one or two pets. So far, it's been dogs or cats. Applying for a house sit can at times be highly competitive, so I thought I'd perhaps highlight some of our additional skills here. You never know when a prospective homeowner might read this blog and it'll perhaps give us an edge!

This one is an aunt to another that would fit in a coffee mug right now!

Let's deal with dogs first though. Lo de Marcos has a large population of dogs, many of which are street dogs. Most are placid and spend their days sleeping on the road, although some rush up to us for attention when we go by. They seem to have their home turf, so we've - OK, I've - given names to many of them. I'm not very imaginative though - spot, patch, shaggy - just a gut reaction really. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of chihuahuas here. Some of the young ones could fit in the palm of your hand; they are so cute. Greg has his favourite dogs, but he plays with many dogs most days. 

This is spot, who was clipped and no longer has a spot!

However, here's where the "pet-whisperer" comes in. He has great skills with many other animals. Take, for instance, these donkeys ...

So, if someone needs a donkey-sitter, 'we' have experience!

Let's move on to feathered friends.

Greg's partial to chicks, that's for sure! Every day we pass a house that has lots of chicks in the front yard. We first saw them when they were just a few days old, and they've grown considerably. Greg usually has food to share with them, and today he poured water onto the dirt and made a muddy pool for them to play in. I'm sure the owners will thank Greg for that!

Early days here, when Greg first kept his distance

Now on to his two bird friends who share a cage. His favourite is the bigger one on the right, but it's OK as whatever Greg feeds that one, it's handed off - well, beaked off - to the smaller one, so they're both covered. He's given them quite a buffet over the time we've lived here.

Yep, this is the bigger one sharing our cake

These two will talk, but I think only in Spanish. Greg talks to them when he visits, and they all (including Greg) make loud squawking noises and also say "hola" back and forth. 

Now here's Pepe. Pepe is a perico, a parakeet. He lives on our property, in an open cage we can see from our balcony. Greg and Pepe are best friends, most days anyway. Apparently Pepe must have been in a bad mood one day as he did give Greg a little nip. Greg wasn't impressed. Pepe usually shares much of what food we have at home: bread, cake, cashews, crackers.

So, we can now add donkeys and birds to our skills list perhaps?

No zoom used for these photos!

I also visited a farm and walked amongst the cows, goats, and chickens, so maybe that counts too? I'm not sure I'd want to 'house' sit where there are donkeys or goats, but you never know. House sitting is somewhat of an adventure, so we'll continue to keep an open mind.

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Location: Lo de Marcos, Nayarit, Mexico
Weather: High 79ºF (26ºC), low 70ºF (21ºC)
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