Sleeps with Dogs: Tales of a Pet Nanny at the End of Her Leash

by Lindsey Grant

Overview

Go behind closed doors and discover the secret lives of some of the most devoted pet owners, whether they're serving their dogs filtered water or leaving Animal Planet on all day to keep their pets company. 

As a round-the-clock animal nanny, Lindsey Grant spent her nights with countless dogs, prepared custom meals for exotic birds, broke up brawls between animals and spouses alike, weathered end-of-life care for beloved companions, and catered to the often obscure needs of her charges—and the bizarre demands of their owners. She offers a hilarious inside look at the pet care industry and the lengths people will go to for their furry friends.

With a cast of unforgettable characters, from a toast-loving cockatiel to a gassy greyhound, Sleeps with Dogs is filled with tales of pets and those who love them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580055475
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	09/23/2014
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Lindsey Grant is the former Program Director for National Novel Writing Month, a nonprofit organization that encourages writers of all ages and backgrounds to pen novel drafts during the month of November. Her writing has been featured as part of Invisible City Audio Tours’ Armada of Golden Dreams, KQED’s Perspectives, and Line Zero. She co-authored the writer’s workbook Ready, Set, Novel! and she holds an MFA in creative nonfiction and English from Mills College in Oakland, CA.

Prior to graduate school, Grant ran a dog walking and pet care business in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has since moved to Zurich, Switzerland, with her husband, where she writes, tries to speak German, and blogs about her attempts to assimilate at ptxpat.tumblr.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Sleeps with Dogs is an absolutely marvelous book, filled with sharp wit and a deep compassion for the companion animals we sometimes call pets. As she learns about the animals in her care as a pet nanny, writer Lindsey Grant discovers a new depth to her compassion and important truths about the animals' owners. This is a notable debut by a thoughtful, intelligent, and articulate writer."—Philip Lee Williams, author of A Distant Flame

"Lindsey Grant's Sleeps with Dogs is a charming, poignant, and beautifully written memoir. Lindsey's life as a professional 'pet nanny' is filled with wonderful—and often hilarious—experiences. Each pet is a fully realized character with foibles, nuances, quirks, and neuroses; each owner with equal generosity, love, and grace. Along the way, Lindsey Grant shares all her very own insecurities, flaws, and anxieties with such stunning truth that you'll want to wrap your arms around her. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, you will truly root for her. This book is a wonderful—and wholly unique—love story: it's about pets, their owners, and their delightful, funny pet nanny who finds love along the way."—Amy Ferris, author of Marrying George Clooney

“[Sleeps with Dogs] illustrates [Grant’s] deep compassion for the animals in her care. Grant’s often hilarious account is thoughtful, empathetic, and articulate… it will make readers alternately howl with laughter and groan in empathy. This enjoyable book should have wide appeal and is especially recommended for millennials, pet lovers, and entrepreneurs.”—Library Journal

From the Publisher

11/15/2014
Striking out on her own after college, Grant, former program director for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), finds work in the high-demand field of pet sitting. Her memoir illustrates her deep compassion for the animals in her care, which are mostly as neurotic as their owners. The author specializes as a pet nanny, i.e., sleeping at the clients' homes and caring for their pets overnight. It sounds like an enviable job—staying in glamorous San Francisco Bay-area homes and taking pampered dogs for an occasional walk—but in reality everything that could possibly go wrong does in fact occur, and the money Grant earns is far less than a living wage. Her anecdotal entries will make readers alternately howl with laughter and groan in empathy as she struggles to pay her bills, deal with a lack of health care, and develop a social life. Grant's often hilarious account is thoughtful, empathetic, and articulate. VERDICT This enjoyable book should have wide appeal and is especially recommended for millennials, pet lovers, and entrepreneurs.—Susan Riley, Mamaroneck P.L., NY

Library Journal