As I spent my Sunday relaxing with the two loving Labrador retrievers in my care, I decided if there is such a thing as reincarnation, I hope to return to Earth as a dog. 

I’ve been dog sitting for friends and family since I started college. It is an additional source of income, and was a reason to get out of my parents house for a week at a time, but it was also a learning experience. 

From house to house, dog owner to dog owner, dog to dog, I had to adapt myself to their schedules for the period of time that I would stay. My days went from revolving around me to revolving around the dog’s habits, which may or may not have been defined by their owner’s schedule. 

It might be crazy that when I dog sit, I stay at the dog owner’s home and change my lifestyle to make the animals comfortable, but I truly believe it just adds to the animals contented nature. They are habitual creatures and they like the status quo. 

I rolled over in bed Sunday morning, to receive a wet kiss in the face. As I focused my eyes on the clock, it wasn’t even 6 a.m., but I had been warned the two dogs like to start their days early. Rather than ignore their cries and paws on the bed, I got up, fed them, let them out and then pled with them for at least one more hour of sleep before their morning walk. 

They let me sleep a bit longer, and waited patiently while I had breakfast. They were rather excited to see me lace up my sneakers and pick up their collars. 

Here comes another glitch in the works of their habits. Their “mom” usually walks them off leash, and while I know they would listen to me, I refuse to let them loose — I do not want anything bad to happen to them on my watch, so they have to deal. 

Deal they did. However after the two dogs became tangled in each other’s leashes, caught up on mailboxes and random poles in the road and pulling in two directions, I realized there is probably a reason she walks them without a rope connecting everyone together. Honestly, the movies make walking multiple dogs seem much easier.  

They are excited to be freed by the time we are back in the house and ready for their treat when we get inside. After caring for at least a dozen dogs thus far, I’ve learned it is dog custom to receive a treat after any amount of time spent outside — just one of the long list of reasons to receive a treat. 

Then, what does the Labrador duo proceed to do but to lounge around for the remainder of the day — on the comfy couches — getting occasional rubs and love from me, until they are ready for dinner. They eat, go out and ask for another treat, which of course I give. 

So, while there is a whole universe of creatures that I could be reincarnated as, I would chose to come back as a dog because dogs are fed regularly and praised often, massaged frequently and loved lots. They are let on the furniture because owners stop trying to keep them off and given cart blanche of the house while the owners are at work. Then, they get cool babysitters like me to make sure the four-legged family members are adequately cared for when humans go on vacation.

— Emma Bouthillette