Pet Care and Life on the Road with Dogs and Cats

Before I ever cared for someone else’s pet on the road, I had to figure out how to care for my own while everything else in my life was falling apart.

When COVID hit, I lost my business. Not long after, I lost my father. Then the housing crisis in South Florida made the decision for me: it was time to leave. I didn’t have a plan beyond that. I had an RV, and I had a direction, which was away.

I ended up traveling through more than 20 states. Somewhere along that stretch, I rescued Bluey, a fearful, reactive dog who had no interest in trusting anyone, least of all a stranger living out of a camper. Bluey didn’t make it easy. He tested every bit of patience I had left, on days when I didn’t have much left to give.

Bluey taught me more than any classroom ever could.

Living on the road with a dog like that means you learn fast. You learn to read a stiff tail or a held breath before it becomes a bite. You learn that routine matters more when everything else is unfamiliar: a new parking lot, a new town, a new set of smells and sounds your dog has to sort through every single day. You learn patience because the alternative doesn’t work.

Bluey passed away suddenly. I wasn’t ready for that, and I don’t think you ever really are. But that loss is part of why I do this work the way I do now. When I’m caring for someone else’s pet, I’m not just following a checklist. I’m paying attention the way I had to learn to pay attention to Bluey, because I know what it costs to miss something.

That’s the thread that runs from those years on the road to what I do now in Princeton. Pet care isn’t just feeding and letting a dog out. It’s noticing. It’s showing up the same way, at the same time, so a nervous animal has one less thing to worry about. Whether that animal is riding shotgun through Texas or waiting by the door for you to get home from vacation, the job is the same: pay attention, be consistent, and don’t rush the trust part.