Patience is the Main Ingredient
When thinking about the most important parts of my job I think about 3 things:
Patience
Patience
Surprisingly, patience
Sure, there are other skills involved. I know how to administer meds, follow detailed feeding instructions, decode “I swear he never does that,” and send top-tier photo updates. I am HIGHLY trained in the art of the Action Shot and the Cozy Couch Portrait.
But NONE of it works without patience.
Patience with The Shy Ones
Some pets greet me like I’m the best friend they forgot they had.
Others look at me like I’ve just broken into their home and rearranged their furniture all while having the audacity to be Not Mom or Not Dad.
The shy ones don’t need me to win them over in 5 minutes. They need me to sit on the floor. To look slightly away. To soften my voice. To give them space to decide that I’m safe.
And when they finally inch forward? When they choose to trust?
That’s the good stuff.
Patience with Routines
Pets don’t understand vacation. They don’t know why their person is suddenly gone. All they know is that there is a stranger in their place trying to feed them like their person does. All they know is that something is different.
So we move slowly. We keep things familiar. We stick to routines. We let the sniffing last as long as it needs to. We don’t rush the walk just because it’s cold or inconvenient.
Because to them, this isn’t a quick visit. It’s their whole world.
Patience with Myself
This one is definitely the hardest.
Not every visit is perfect. Sometimes a dog refuses to come inside. Sometimes a cat vanishes into the voice (which is usually under the bed). Sometimes I leave a house thinking, “Well, that was humbling.”
Bottom Line
Patience means not forcing progress. It means trusting that consistency works. It means knowing that relationship building, especially with animals, happens in layers.
And honestly? That’s one of the reasons I love this job. In a world that wants everything faster, louder, optimized, and automated, pets operate on their own timeline. And I get the privilege of meeting them there.
So if your pet takes time to warm up? That’s ok. I’ve got plenty of patience.