Boy, I tell you, running Emma’s B and B can sure entail a lot of hard work! I opened up this year with Buddy the end of February, then Lena was here for 11 days and today Buddy is back for 11 days…spring break is almost always booked up way in advance. My dog family and friends love spending their spring break at my place, I mean my B & B. Once March is over things will quiet down until late May.
Lena and her mountain of luggage!
It is always amazing to me what my guests bring with them for their stay. Lena, being a girl, brings just about everything under the roof with her! I took this photo of her waiting for her ride home last year. Can you believe all her stuff!
Buddy is a guy, he just brings his bowls, food and leash, typical guy. Good things dogs don’t need underwear because I bet he would forget to bring fresh pairs! He just figures we have everything he might need I guess.
Buddy, the guy, brings just about nothing!
Here at my B & B we do pretty much have everything the guest might need, they really only need to bring their own food. We have crates, bowls, toys, beds, everything for all sizes of dogs so we are ready. The thing that creates the work is when the guests leave. Mom does the stuff like vacuuming and moving the kennels back to storage but I have to get everything else ready to go for my next guest.
We have so many beds at my house, all different styles, sizes, etc. and since some of my friends are small, they can use cat beds too. I
So much laundry is a real project!
like to make sure that everyone has a nice fresh and clean bed when they come to my B & B, that means laundry. Since the guest often uses multiple beds I like to wash all the ones they used so there is no strange dog odor for the next guest. Lucky for me we have a pretty big washer and dryer. I also use tennis balls in the dryer with the beds to get them all fluffed up again. I can’t do that when guests are here since they are almost always tennis ball crazed dogs that would steal my laundry set of tennis balls.
I also have to wash up all the towels. Having 3 dogs out walking and playing every day means lots of dirty towels from wiping down paws and bellies. Bert likes to help with the dryer portion to make sure that they are completely dry before I start taking them out and folding them. Sometimes that cat bro of mine does come in handy, and since he likes my dog guests it is only fair that he helps with the clean up.
Doing dishwasher loading and pre-washing!
Once the laundry is all done I have to get all the dog bowls washed. What dog wants to eat out of a dog bowl that is dirty? Ok, us dogs all could care less but having a B & B means that I should have everything cleaned up, if for no other reason, to stop any spread of germs. I gather up all the bowls from food, water, inside and outside and load them in the dishwasher. Being the good girl I am, I enjoy helping the dishwasher by doing a little pre-washing with my tongue before turning that machine on. Sometimes I get some really good crumbs!
These poor Stuffies need medical attention, stat!
The last task I have is to evaluate all the toys. My guests love our toys and always head up to the toy room as soon as they arrive. Since Katie and I don’t play much with toys, they are all a bit older and not in the best shape. I need to go through all of them to determine which ones might need a trip to the Stuffie Hospital. This can be a sad task as some of the Stuffies are in bad shape with missing feet, gaping holes, stuffing coming out of their little bodies and exposed squeakers. I put the ones requiring surgery together so they can be rushed by pawambulance to the Stuffie Hospital in the hope of being saved. Unfortunately, on occasion, there is a Stuffie whose injuries are just far too severe and they have to be put out in the blue can in the garage, never to be seen again. At least I know they did have a good life as one of our Stuffies and we did all we could for them.
That about covers it, now I am ready for my next guest to ring the doorbell.
