This pet-sitter is taking no chances

A friend recently went out of town and asked me to watch her dog. Pet-sitting is not one of my favorite things to do because I worry that something will happen to the animal — like it will die! That actually happened to a friend of mine. She was watching a friend's elderly collie while its owner was in Nepal. Sure enough, the poor, old thing croaked on her — from natural causes.

I don't know why my friend trusted me with her dog. I can't even take care of my groceries. Once, while loading my bags into my car, I placed my gallon of milk on the roof of my car and forgot about it. I had driven about a mile before a fellow motorist honked, laughed and pointed at my roof.

I vowed to be more careful with Tilly, my friend's sweet, ancient Siberian husky. I watched her like a hawk. When she was asleep, I'd stick a mirror under her snout to make sure she was still breathing.

I also cut her food into small pieces so she wouldn't choke. I guess I did OK because when my friend returned, Tilly was still alive.