Occasionally even my regular pet sitting clients ‘get lucky’ and find a neighbor or friend to take care of their animals when they travel. I sympathize with the need to economize, especially these days, and I know they’ll call on me next time they need me. But there’s a little part of me that worries when I hear this news too.
Most of us pet sitters have heard our fair share of horror stories from clients who used a neighbor or friend, with unhappy results, and will never go that route again. We’ve heard about all kinds of things that have gone haywire, from minor inconveniences to life-threatening oversights.
The following story is about Portland pet sitter Sherry Hasslacher’s experience saving the lives of three client cats by her mature, quick thinking . Her heroism brought tears to my eyes, and I think this is a profound example of why it’s so important to hire a professional sitter. This woman not only risked her own life for the client’s pets, but she helped the client save personal belongings and secure the house from looting. The moment she smelled smoke, she was off the clock. It was no longer an hour visit; it was whatever it took to make sure everyone was safe. Take a look at this true story, and then hug your fur-babies a little tighter tonight.
Sherry wrote this post to her Portland Pet Sitters Network. It is reposted here with permission. I have removed the names of the cats and used their descriptions instead, and removed references to the location to preserve the client’s privacy:
Sherry’s story –
“I took on a new client for a job starting on July 1st….The day before the job started my client sent me an email to let me know that she had hired a crew to remove the lead paint from the exterior of her home… They were using [flame torches]. On my third visit suddenly, the paint removers started beating on the door and shouting ….
I asked him in my 12th grade Spanish, “Es la casa en fuego?!?! (Is the house on fire?!)” He said, “Si!” . I went back inside and started looking for the cats while dialing 911. Amazingly, 911 put me on hold….I got through to 911 (FINALLY!!) and informed them that the house was on fire, that I was inside and so were 3 cats.
My only thought was that I had to get the cats and get out. I finished up with 911, grabbed the male cat and took him out the back door (where the fire wasn’t). I screamed at the painters “Ayudeme! (Help me!)” and when they came I gave them the male cat and told them “Dos mas gatos en la casa. (Two more cats in the house.)” …. I headed upstairs, and the smoke was already filling up the air there. I looked everywhere for him, but couldn’t see him because my eyes were watering so hard and I couldn’t breathe.
I went back down and a man was at the door telling me that there was an attic fan that was pulling in air and helping the fire to grow and I needed to shut power off to the house at the breaker box. I ran down to the basement garage and turned off everything there was to turn off after I opened the electric garage door. (I figured the fire department would need to get in that way.) I yelled up from the driveway that the electric was off, and went back in to look for the female.
Of course, the house, especially the basement, was completely pitch black now, and I couldn’t find her. Just brilliant. The gentlemen from the fire department had arrived and were telling me to get out and stay out.
I went out and called the client and told her what was going on. I’ve never heard someone begin to cry so fast. My heart was breaking for her. I was shaking so hard I almost dropped the phone. That’s adrenaline for you, I suppose.
I found a firefighter and grabbed him by the arm and told him that there were two cats inside, and they had to get them. I gave him one carrier and gave the other to another fire fighter and told them exactly where to look. “The 3-legged cat will be hiding somewhere upstairs, probably the bedroom at the end of the hall. The female will be hiding in the basement, probably towards the back of the house.”
Then I sat down on the sidewalk away from the house with the male who I had already brought out and tried to think of what else I could do. I couldn’t believe this was happening. The roof was fully engulfed at this point, and it was pretty apparent that my client’s house was going to be history. ”
For the rest of Sherry’s remarkable experience, click on the Articles tab and see the full story.
Good job, Sherry! You make all professional pet sitters proud.
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