The Mini Pack

We arrived in Black Forest - a suburb of Colorado Springs - after a 90-minute drive from Evergreen. Homeowners Bill & Karen welcomed us and explained that their flights had been changed on account of a scheduling snafu. The delay was no problem, and it afforded us the opportunity to get to know the couple before they left for Mexico. Bill is a former Marine who, until his recent retirement, worked in the private sector as as a Defense Systems Engineer. Karen is still working as a Physical Therapist but hoped to join Bill in retirement in the near future. We swapped countless stories, most about dogs and travel, and you would have never have known we'd met just two hours prior. There's a lotta nonsense on the internet, but it's pretty cool when a transactional exchange on Trusted Housesitters grows into a wonderful, in-person connection.

Now for the pets. We knew the dogs were going to be small, but we didn't know exactly how small until Bubba, a Yorkshire Terrier, poked his head out from beneath his favored pile of blankets; with a wiry face and beady eyes, he looked like a cartoon chipmunk! He weighed-in at five-and-a-half pounds, and he fit perfectly between Sonia's forearm and leg when she sagged back in the recliner. He was the cutest <squeel>.

While Bubba loved to be held, Emma, a Yorkie-Chichuahua mix, liked her own space. We couldn't find her until Karen showed us where to look; nestled on a blanket placed under an ornamental bench, she wasn't thrilled when we extracted her for introductions. With scuffy hair, a gray goatee, and pointy ears, she immediately reminded us of Master Yoda (that's a Star Wars reference for non-nerd readers). 

And lastly, we got to meet Hayley - our first cat! With icy blue eyes and a super-soft coat, she was about three times as large as her canine siblings.  Bill and Karen told us that Haley like men better than woman, so it wasn't a huge surprise when Dorian's lap became he favorite spot!

With two small dogs and an indoor cat in our care, we didn't plan much outdoor adventure. Walking to the end of the 30-yard driveway and back was as much as the dogs could handle, and they needed a mix of encouragement and assistance to overcome the pair of six-inch steps which led to the front door. The dogs for which we cared in Evergreen were ten times as large (50lbs versus 5!) and had much more energy, so this sit was was a bit of an adjustment. We learned to appreciate the slower pace, and we had fun watching television with the animals snuggled on our laps. 

Bubba and Emma confront the driveway frontier......

Though snow and frigid weather kept us inside on a number of days, we did explore a bit of the surrounding area. Our best outing was to Garden of the Gods above Colorado Springs. The huge, rocky formations are stunning, and series of trails tour visitors through their shadows and high onto the surrounding hillsides; the park encompasses 1,300 acres, so there's a lot to see and do. We watched some expect rock climbers scale the vertical faces, and we intersected a group of a dozen Bighorn Sheep barely 200 yards from the main parking area. The place is really spectacular, so it can can get crowded, particularly on the weekends; we suggest arriving early if you'd like a bit more personal space. And it's dog friendly, so feel free to bring your pups!

As is becoming customary on out sits, Dorian busted out his camera and took some fun photos of the pets. We use the images in the blog and on our Instagram, but we've also been printing them as 'welcome home' gifts for the homeowners. It was a bit of a challenge to highlight such tiny dogs, but we found some perches which elevated their personalities. Te dogs didn't take direction very well, so it took some time to get them seated and looking at the camera. Hayley was a bit more cooperative, but not my much. Regardless, the shoots are are fun leave us with lasting memories of our temporary packs! 

Bill and Karen returned on March 5, so we packed up the car and headed towards Texas for sits in Austin (March 15-21) and in The Woodlands (north of Houston, March 22-26). You can see our complete schedule by clicking the 'Sit List' tab under the main banner heading. We're definitely going to miss Colorado after out three wonderful weeks in the state, but were going to be back in mid-July and early-September for reasons which will become clear as the year progresses. So, stayed tuned for those an other adventures!