Sort of like a vet

This weekend I am dog, fish, and cat sitting for one of my TAs. I've dog and cat sitted before, and so far it's been a pretty no-brainer activity, which makes me think I am not yet ready for kids. Because if couples get a dog to see if they can handle it before a child, then I'd most likely fail at the kid thing when I measure out 1/3 cup of a dog food for the baby.

The cat, Nonsense, has diabetes, which means I have to give it an insulin shot every 12 hours. I have a pretty long history of hating getting shots and while I don't particularly mind administering them, I do mind the 2-3 steps I have to take toward the cat brandishing the shot right before I poke it in the scruff. During these 3 seconds, any number of things could happen that could lead to the needle poking right into my eye: I could hit a patch of ice, slip on a banana peel, be knocked over by the small terrier dog they have, have the ceiling cave in over me, or have to itch my eye and unknowingly use the injection to scratch. I have constructed escape plans for basically each of these situations, so I feel like I have my bases covered. Except for if an alien spaceship lands, I still have no clue what I'd do to prevent a serious injury with the needle in that case.

The dog came from a rescue and her name is Ethel. After Ethel Merman. She's a little bit...jumpy, and scared. And very wee. She sleeps in my TA's bed at night after I put her there, and gets up when I take her out. On her walks I usually end up carrying her for part of the way because she doesn't like the snow and starts feigning a limp half way down the street, or just refuses to walk. But she still has to go to the bathroom so I end up putting her down and telling her to poo and pee. Or rather, since I am in college and now extremely sophisticated, to "defecate," and since I (evidently) talk to dogs while I walk them, I end up telling her a lot more.

When I know I'm not going to come into contact with people for a longer period of time and I have to go outside, I refuse to wear anything less than a pair of tights and 2 pairs of pants, plus my sweatshirt, jacket, and earmuffs. Or 2 pairs of tights and one pair of pants, plus sweater, jacket, and earmuffs. So basically, I am very large and puffy. I never really thought about the sizes of dogs until I went on a walk with my dog-walker friend. He said that people look at him with more respect when he is with bigger dogs, as if he were with a REAL dog instead of a toy. I don't really know if this is true. But I guess I know how I'd look at someone who looks remarkably like the Michelin man towering over a tiny, shivering, limping dog and telling it to poo on command.