We have agreed to dog-sit for a friend in a few weeks. Not a big deal.

Wrinkle: the friend is currently housesitting, and that house also has dogs, which we’re also sitting into the bargain.

So, for four days (luckily not on any days when we have guests), the ‘list’ in the house will be:

• Jake (Dane/Lab)
• Diz (German Shep)
• Two Pomeranians, whose names I’m about as likely to remember as the names of fish, and for much the same reason.
• Some sort of small but bossy sheep dog.
• A 3-year old Bull Mastiff named Hercules.

Why do people have pets that can eat them? Luckily, the mastiff is a big baby.

(And by ‘big’, I mean 100+ pounds.)