We will not be having Melanie back, which is unfortunate because we travel a lot and we were hoping this would be a good option for us in the future. While fixing some recycling and garbage issues after our return, one of our dishes (caked with food) fell out of a pizza box. A deeper search led to a piece of my grandmothers china (also caked with food) as well as numerous pieces of silverware thrown in the garbage. The most disturbing garbage find was a dozen of the fish oil supplement geltabs that we give to our pup daily. We can only assume that they were in the garbage because they were not given as we requested. Our neighbors reported to us that they did not see our pup once in the 20 days we were gone, confirming our suspicions that he was rarely if ever walked. Melanie had agreed to at least 2 walks per day during our meet and greet. We had observed that the back yard was full of poop and the bin where the waste goes from walks was only 1/3 full (it usually fills up in a week). There were holes in the yard where our pup had dug, a behavior that he rarely exhibits unless left in the yard alone for long periods of time. The cat litter box was rarely scooped and we found it full on our return home. This was our first experience with hiring a pet sitter in our home. It was very disturbing to discover a lack of respect for our home and possessions, as well as a blatant disregard for the instructions we left for the care of our pets.

Jules and Melanie got along well. The weather didn't cooperate, but they had a nice time snuggling and spending time together.