I’m learning from every dog that I interact with! All dogs have different set of behaviours and different preferences. What works for one, might not work for the second one at all. Sometimes you need to be very creative to solve a training puzzle (not problem!) Animals are my greatest teachers! That’s why I decided to pet-sit. And why not combine it with travelling and seeing incredible places? Travelling teaches us a lot about ourselves and how we deal with different situations. It helps us grow as human beings. And of course let’s not forget about networking and meeting incredible people along the way! I learn from them so much too! And I believe it makes me better equipped to help more animals and their human companions along my way. I already had many lessons in beautiful Cayman Island. And I’m grateful for all of them!

My passport got taken by Immigration, yet it’s no reason to worry

It all started at Immigration when they took my passport away and only gave me a temporary tourist permit to the Island. I didn’t know that I have to have a return ticket ready! [Remember to check things like that before you go somewhere - self reminder]! So they gave me 3 days to buy the ticket and then they will give me my passport back. I surprised myself with how calm I felt. Maybe it’s because I was very tired and didn’t have the strength to react in any way? Maybe it’s because I already felt so happy about my trip through the US that nothing could ruin that happiness? Or maybe as I recently say (after 7-day workshops with Chirag Patel) that “I live in the now” and therefore I’m not worried about the future because the only moment I have is now? Anyway, I just felt calm and I smiled to the immigration officer as she smiled to me too and all was good.

Who cares about no water in the house when you meet amazing animals and people?

I got picked up by Terry for whom I will pet-sit for and he took me to his house where I met his 3 lovely dogs and immediately fell in love with all of them! They are so affectionate and happy to see you! Absolutely adorable! So it made me smile straight away. The problem was, the water in the house comes from a cistern that didn’t dry fully after being painted and now the water is mixed up with the paint… Not an ideal situation. Terry told me that he will have another apartment for me to stay if the issue won’t be fixed. I was so tired that day that I couldn’t really think much of it. We went for a dinner and I met amazing Caymanians! Mel is a groomer at a vet and CJ works in One dog at a Time and is rescuing dogs and finding them forever homes! And that includes sending them to New York as there is not enough people on the Island that could adopt them. And all of the dogs send to NYC are finding homes! How cool is that? I also met CJ’s mom and all 3 ladies are incredibly friendly and fun to be around. I felt so lucky to be able to meet them. We exchanged contacts and I will see them again soon.

Cars sometimes do break 

Terry told me at the very beginning that I will get a car while I’m on the Island. We were supposed to take a second car and then we both could drive but the one that he was driving had brakes failure! So he parked it and called the mechanics for the next day. We got to the second car and guess what? Brakes weren’t working properly either. It was better than the first one but still not good. We had no other choice but drive this one until the other one will be fixed. Next day when Terry went to work, I took the car and drove back to dogs. In a foreign country, on the left side of the road (I got used to that in the UK though) and in the car with a warning light on. Fortunately, I made it just fine ;) The first car got fixed the next morning and I can travel safely through the Island.

There is no problem (puzzle!) that cannot be solved

Additionally, the WiFi wasn’t working in the house and when it finally was back on, the password wasn’t working for me. It must have been changed from the original one. Fortunately, I got a SIM card with Data and I could text my family that everything is fine. The next day I Googled how to get a password from an iPhone and there is a very easy way to simply share a password with other Apple device. There is always a solution! You just need to find it ;)

See the positive about every situation – life is just easier that way!

Now, a plumber came and said that they need to dry the cistern completely and then fill it up again. And it will take at least couple of days, so no water in the house. Therefore, I got the keys to the other place with swimming pools and gym and I moved there. The problem is, I need to drive to the dogs for approximately 9 minutes. It is not a long drive but I don’t like to leave them all alone for too long! It’s not something I’m fully comfortable with. But I can’t stay in the house with no running water either. And unfortunately the other place do not allow dogs. So I will spend a lot of time in the car here. Anyway, in this heat, being in air-conditioned car is not a bad place to be! There is always something positive about every situation!

On top of meeting amazing people that also love animals, learning more about behaviour from the dogs I pet-sit and learning more about myself on how I deal with difficulties, I also enjoy the Island a lot! It is incredibly beautiful! And I get to stay here for 45 days! It’s not bad at all!