The Housesit Dispatch #1

A barking dog, one giant waterslide, and an existential breakdown

I stood in the kitchen, door shut, frantically trawling through Cesar Millan videos on YouTube. I punched in, How to get a dog to stop barking. Also, How to calm down a barking dog. And, How to show a barking dog you are the alpha.

Turns out, Maisie — a seven-year-old cockapoo — was just flummoxed about her parents disappearing with no explanation and leaving her in the guardianship of a woman from Yorkshire and a man from Australia. Completely understandable.