I hate dogs.
I've always hated dogs.
And if you were living with the trauma of being been bit by numerous dogs as a child, you’d hate dogs too.
So when a friend’s friend asked if I wanted to dog and house-sit for her, my immediate internal reaction was ‘NO chance!’
Then she threw a curveball – a Google Images link for ‘Guanajuato.’ This triggered my self-diagnosed compulsive wanderlust disorder (and unreasonable addiction to tacos) and my fingers found themselves frantically replying "YES ME!"
It was beyond my control.
Regardless, I was now faced with the reality of a stranger’s dog, in a foreign country, under my supervision and responsibility.
A half-week of self-pep talks, frantic Googling, revived attempts at meditation and Tony Robbins clips helped quell my nerves enough to reach out to a friend who happens to run a professional dog-training and sitting service. I asked him to draft a 'How to Love Dogs for People Who Hate Dogs" handbook, to which he borderline-begrudgingly, yet thankfully, obliged.
48 hours later there was a ticket with my name on it from PDX to BJX.
I (think) I was ready.
Click here to read the rest of the story and see all the pictures (including a few 360 photos).
