Our Ecuadoran guide started the walking tour of Quito’s La Floresta neighborhood with a round of introductions. Standing in a crescent-moon shape, we each took turns saying our name, country of residence and reason for visiting. A German couple was in the final stretch of a months-long vacation. A Dutch researcher was laying over in Quito before her field work commenced up north. A pair of friends from Australia and England were bound for the Galapagos Islands. And then there was me.
The experience resembles a homestay with one crucial difference: In exchange for free lodging, you must care for the occupant. No money changes hands, an uncommon arrangement in the petsitting industry. You pay for your own travel, though the family might throw in a few extras such as use of their car or the contents of their fridge. They will also cover any pet-related expenses.
I pressed submit and took a deep breath. Now for the real challenge: Choosing a destination and a dog, and not necessarily in that order. I sent out my first batch of requests to a subway-riding Labrador in Toronto, a Portuguese water dog in Calgary, a special needs pit bull in British Columbia and a pair of rescues in Denver. The Toronto couple responded first, and we scheduled a FaceTime interview. Unfortunately, they had a roommate, which the company does not permit, due to the potential risk of same-species conflicts. I heard back from the B.C.
coffee maker and dog food container. Then she took me to the rooftop deck overlooking Pichincha, the active volcano that fences Quito in. As Fischer peered at the barking dogs below, I scanned the Andean peaks for a sign of the awakening giant. I asked Becky how many people had applied for the February stay, jokingly adding, “Tell me three thousand.”“Three, and one dropped out,” she said.When the family was ready to leave for the airport, Fisher and I accompanied them to the car. The kids hugged him tightly, as if he were going off to college. I led Fischer into the dark night. The street was silent, save for the sound of his nails clicking on the sidewalk and the insects chattering all around us.
This is a thing? I would totally do this.
SchotzHM This is the story I mentioned to you.
The traveling itinerant class. See how the 0.1% lives!
I actually met someone who does this! She’s been to Sweden and was on her way to San Jose.
Haha haha