It's finally happening! All the talk across the last few months has led to this -- our first pet-sitting gig of 2022! If you haven't explored the 'Adventure Backstory' tab beneath the banner heading, here's a quick sumamary. We, Sonia and Dorian, lost our beloved rescue beagle, Roody, in July of 2021. Undergoing a routine tooth extraction, our furry son experienced a massive craniofacial hemorrhage and bled to death in the care of our vet. We'd envisioned bringing him with us on a cross-country adventure when we became digital nomads in 2022, so his heart-breaking passing forced us to reevaluate our plan and purpose. Knowing Roody would want us to love other animals as we had him, we decided we'd pet-sit our way across the continent as a way to remember him and care for whatever animals -- dogs, cats, lizards, snakes, fish, pigs, sheep, goats, etc -- need affection and attention while their owners are away.
And that's how -- drumroll please -- we landed in Henderson, Nevada (a suburb of Las Vegas) from January 13-16, 2022! We weren't 100% sure what to expect when we arrived at the one-story residence, but Gloria and Anthony made us feel right at home as they toured us around the property and introduced us to their two dogs, Coral (lighter fur) and Ruka (darker fur). Coral showed no hesitation; she ran right over and began licking our faces when we bent down to pet her. Ruka, however, was very shy and stayed a consistent ten feet away from us. Gloria and Anthony said she'd warm-up eventually and suggested that tasty treats and long walks would help build trust. Their suggestions worked wonders through the afternoon, and -- following Coral's lead -- Ruka joined us for a snuggle as we climbed into bed on that first night. We were stoked that the dogs had welcomed us into their pack!
The next three days were an extension of the first, and a six-mile hike in Red Rock Canyon on our final morning was the perfect conclusion to our time together. Coral and Ruka loved exploring the rocky terrain; every boulder presented an opportunity for climbing! We like walking dogs in neighborhoods and parks, but we love walking them in wilder areas where they can access their inner canines. After all, beneath those adorable faces are wolf-descendants, right? The dogs wanted to see and do it all on our hike, but we were able to get them to sit still long enough to snap this photo. Pretty incredible landscape!
While we each worked around our dog-sitting responsibilities, we did get out and enjoy a bit of what Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County offers. Beyond our amazing morning at Red Rock Canyon, Dorian made two swings through the Henderson Bird Preserve. Wide walking trails connect nine impoundments, and over 300 species of birds have been recorded at the suburban oasis (eBird Hotspot). The reserve is best visited from November until March, when temperatures are bearable and wintering waterfowl abound. One of the impoundments is show below.
We also took a drive to and walk around the Hoover Dam. It and the adjacent Interstate 11 Bridge are engineering marvels and totally worth the visit. Unfortunately, Lake Mead seems doomed; as of fall 2021, the artificial body is just 37% full. The huge drop is visible as a white band on the cliffs behind the dam. It will be very interesting to follow Lake Mead's future as climate change continues to force drought on the American West.
And, of course, we took a (fully-masked) stroll down the Las Vegas strip! Glitz, glamor, and gambling don't do much for us, but we were still pretty impressed with the city and the surrounding areas. Town was clean and in excellent repair, many main streets featured well-marked bicycle lanes (Dorian is an avid cyclist), traffic seemed manageable even at peak hours, and the outdoors were surprisingly-easy to access from the sprawl.
Gloria and Anthony returned from Boise on that fourth afternoon. We handed-off the dogs, re-packed our car, and headed west towards Prescott, Arizona and our next pet-sitting engagement. It felt great to get the first sit under our belt, but it was hard to leave Coral and Ruka after forging such meaningful bonds with them. That's it for now, but we'll have more after Prescott.
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