My Hair-Raising and Heartwarming Adventures as a Pet Sitter: A Life of Fun, Fur, and Faith

by Christi Grace

Overview

Encounters with Animals, Lessons from God

What do an ailing goat, a high-strung Australian Shepherd, and a raucous rooster all have in common? Professional pet sitter Christi Grace has cared for them all, and each of their stories reveal sweet spiritual truths about our relationship with God.  

In her twelve years of working with animals and their owners, Christi has experienced emotions ranging from happiness to heartache and everything in between. Let her introduce you to some of her most unforgettable clients:

Ginger — a goat whose value far outweighs her $35 price tag
Zinnia — a medium-sized dog with big trust issues
Rocko — a barnyard bully of a rooster who guards the chicken yard with unabandoned zeal
Shiloh — a horse who lives up to his name by bringing peace to all he meets
Joy — a woman who proves that sometimes it’s not the animal but the owner whose life is impacted when a pet sitter comes to call 

These and other memorable characters make this book a must-read for animal lovers or anyone who needs a little more faith and inspiration from above.   
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780736978972
Publisher:	Harvest House Publishers
Publication date:	02/04/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Christi Grace left the corporate world to work each day in the company of animals. As a professional pet sitter, Christi spent twelve years sharing God’s love with the animals she cared for, and of course, with their owners. Her human-interest stories have appeared in various publications. Christi lives in Georgia with her three horses, four dogs, and one devoted husband. Connect with her on Instagram @thefurrysideoffaith.

  

Christi Grace left the corporate world to work each day in the company of animals. As a professional pet sitter, Christi spent twelve years sharing God’s love with the animals she cared for, and of course, with their owners. Her human-interest stories have appeared in various publications. Christi lives in Georgia with her three horses, four dogs, and one devoted husband. Connect with her on Instagram @thefurrysideoffaith.  

Table of Contents

working Table of Contents (more to come)

1. A Goat’s Worth
This chapter focuses on the misfortunes of a goat named Ginger. While Ginger kept me laughing most of the five years I cared for her, my first time caring for her was not a laughing matter.  Ginger’s life hung in the balance, and time was running out. That Sunday morning, no one-not one-was willing to help a goat who they considered was worth less than the $35.00 that was paid to purchase her.  But God, Who even considers the tiny sparrow worth His time, had other plans for Ginger.  This story teaches us that worth is measured by something far greater, and the priceless blood of Jesus tells us just how much we are worth to God. 
 
2. The Lost and Found
Zinnia, a high-strung, Australian Shepherd with trust issues was a huge challenge for me.  I spent a month trial period trying to earn her trust prior to my first scheduled pet sitting date with her.  Without that trust, there was no way her family could leave on a two-week vacation and leave Zinnia in my care.  It took three days during our month trial run before she would even let me approach her.  I made great progress with her, and her family left Zinnia in my care for the next two weeks.  But, once Zinnia watched her family drive out of the driveway and off for vacation, everything changed. It was the first day of their vacation-my first day of a two-week nightmare.  When Zinnia clawed her way out of her enclosed yard, I thought she was lost forever.  But, God turns a nightmare into a miracle, and Zinnia ends up in a place called Grace. This story teaches us that our greatest fear can end in amazing Grace, and God’s hand is never too short for the lost. 
 
 
3. Running From Rocko
A humorous story with not such a happy ending for a bully named Rocko.  The bully was a rooster who terrorized me each time I entered the chicken yard while pet sitting for a chicken farm.  This chapter is one of a couple chapters in the book that are full of humor, but still have a life lesson to be gleaned.  Unfortunately, Rocko’s bullying days were numbered, but he leaves behind something to remember him by. 
 
4. The Gift of Gideon
Gideon was a golden-hearted dog with three legs.  Looking at his situation, he was a dog of many sorrows, yet he never complained.  His happy-go-lucky attitude taught me so much.  In fact, I never saw him without a “smile” on his face.  Gideon’s story is about letting God carry our burdens.  It’s about true freedom in Him alone.  God chose a three-legged dog to teach me this amazing truth.  And while not every story has a happy ending, I will never forget the special gift God gave me in caring for Gideon.  
 
5. Shiloh’s Promise
An unwanted horse steals my heart, and I make him a promise.  But, can I keep it? Through a lot of prayer and God’s supernatural help, yes!  Shiloh was a twentysomething year-old horse.  He had been used to full capacity-and then thrown away. But God took an unwanted, used-up horse and uses him to bring a family together and give a grief-stricken horse a new best friend. The name Shiloh means “Peace”, and he certainly lived up to his name.  Shiloh taught me to never doubt the promises of God. 
 
6. Pajamas at Work
When I was working in the crazy corporate world I used to joke that one day I would have a dream job where I could wear my pajamas to work!  Well, I finally had my dream job, and yes, I wore my pajamas many mornings to my early pet sitting visits.  After all, who was going to see me except the critters I was caring for? They didn’t care if I had on pajamas, wore my furry, bunny slippers and that my hair wasn’t in perfect place.  This is a short chapter in the book with a humorous message. If you’re going to wear your pajamas to work, just be prepared for the unexpected.  This story is proof God does have a sense of humor!
 
7. The Joy of Joy
Of all the stories in this book, this story is by far the most extraordinary example of God’s presence in my daily pet sitting experiences.  Writing it was difficult and also remarkable that I still remember each vivid detail of that experience.
It’s a story of tragedy and miracles; a story of obedience and forgiveness. This is where pet sitting crosses the line from caring for animals to caring for their owners.  Joy was a quiet soul.  She owned six cats, and our lives were knit together through eight years of my caring for them. I witnessed the changes Joy’s life took through those eight years, but it was the last year of those eight that really counted in eternity.  Joy was in a tragic accident that took her life, but not before God would reveal Himself to her and confirm it in a dream to me.  This story is full of things I learned taking care of Joy’s cats and ultimately taking care of Joy.  
 
8. A Dog’s Dilemma-Molly’s Epiphany 
This is another short chapter full of humor.  Molly, an incredibly intelligent, mixed-breed dog who was always one step ahead of me, finds herself in a dilemma involving multi-tasking and food. In this short story, I tell of Molly’s problem-solving talents and also how her sweet spirit gave her owner comfort after a great loss. God reminds me that like Molly, doing the same thing over and over rarely produces different results.  Sometimes, we have to try a different approach to understand what God wants to teach us.  
 
9. The Heart of Hollis
Take 80 pounds of pure energy and add four, long legs and what do you get?  A dog that can clear a four-foot fence no problem!  And that’s just what a dog named Hollis did almost every time I took care of her. Hollis had a love for jumping.  She could jump from the hallway of her family room, over a sectional couch AND a coffee table and land at my feet at the recliner where I sat braced for her boisterous greeting-all in one leap!  But as high and wide as Hollis could jump, it still didn’t match the reach of her incredible heart. God would use this huge-hearted dog to help me connect to her stone-hearted owner when he was diagnosed with Stage IV Pancreatic cancer. 
 
10. Forgiving ToTo
Toto and her sister, Lucy, were my very first customers.  Both were Peekapoos, but both had incredibly different temperaments.  Lucy was calm and loving.  She loved to curl up in my lap or under my desk when I was doing computer work.  She would sit on my lap for hours if I let her.  Toto couldn’t have been more different.  She was snappy, cranky, unpredictable and if I’m being completely honest….a little wacky.  Lucy and Toto became like family to me since they stayed at my home on many occasions over a twelve-year span.  As ToTo got older, however, she became more difficult.  After a series of nasty bites from ToTo, I no longer wanted to care for her.  But, with patience and forgiveness I continued to care for ToTo until her passing.  God would prove to me forgiveness always leads to blessing.
 
11. The Invisible Pet
This chapter tells of a potential customer I visited several times.  Mrs. Moore lived alone-in fact, very alone.  Despite my numerous visits to talk with her in more detail about potentially caring for her dog, I never saw the dog.  Like clockwork, Mrs. Moore would call a couple times a week requesting me to come and speak with her once more so she could give me more details about her “dog’s” care.  God’s love is far-reaching-even to an invisible pet and a lonely “pet owner”. 
 
12. Saying Goodbye
This chapter is a tribute to all the pets I cared for over a twelve-year timespan that have passed away, but their imprint on my life will never be erased.