I love my job, I also love to show my dogs. Sadly the two don’t always mix well.
My job is very demanding for approx. 3 months out of the year. 6 weeks in the spring and 4-6 weeks in the fall. What I do revolves around the farming planting and harvest schedule. The business is open 7:30-5:30 Monday through Friday and 8-12 on Saturday, except in the so above named times of the year and then we are open all day on Saturday. We work every other Satruday and during the planting and harvest season we work every Saturday for 4 weeks. We cannot trade Saturdays. I get 2 weeks of vacation. I can only take off three Saturdays (personal or sick) that I work in a calendar year and they prefer no time off during the peak seasons.
So…..I have to plan every dog outing around my crazy work schedule. How do you balance the job that you enjoy and frankly that pays your crazy hobby with the crazy hobby you love.
It is a challenge at best. My day starts at 5AM. I let the first round of dogs out and start my day. Once the shower is complete, round one of dogs comes in and round two goes out. I make their meals (I feed raw so this isn’t a dump dog food in a dish and run routine!). When this is done, time to cycle dogs one last time and finish me for work and spend a few minutes working with the show dogs. Then I put dogs away and head out the door. Usually lunch is on the run somewhere, if it even exists, and if it is a week of a dog show, I try and get home to either pack or groom a dog or two. I’m usually home by 6, except during peak season and then it is anytime after 8. On a normal night….I start the dog madness all over again. Let dogs out in rotation. Start the practice routine for the show dogs, of which I have four right now. Spend time with the other two to keep the jealously at bay. Groom for a bit on each, then settle in for the evening….oh never mind that is bed! Somewhere in there is laundry, supper, mowing, (and a boat load of it, cause we live out in the country), a house to clean, plus all the other stuff that comes with an active life!
If you have ever been lucky enough to be with me at a show during “peak” work time, my work phone rings non-stop. My friends do make fun of me and I’m totally ok with that, cause I’m sure the one sided convo is quite entertaining! But hey the bright side to the phone ringing non-stop, is it makes the long dog show drives tolerable!
Balancing the two some days is extremely daunting. I feel that both lack from time to time because of each other. There are days I would much rather be at home doing “something.” I also know that when I’m driving home from a dog show at umpteen thirty at night, to be back to work on Monday morning, that I am grateful for a job to support my “habit.”
My job is very demanding for approx. 3 months out of the year. 6 weeks in the spring and 4-6 weeks in the fall. What I do revolves around the farming planting and harvest schedule. The business is open 7:30-5:30 Monday through Friday and 8-12 on Saturday, except in the so above named times of the year and then we are open all day on Saturday. We work every other Satruday and during the planting and harvest season we work every Saturday for 4 weeks. We cannot trade Saturdays. I get 2 weeks of vacation. I can only take off three Saturdays (personal or sick) that I work in a calendar year and they prefer no time off during the peak seasons.
So…..I have to plan every dog outing around my crazy work schedule. How do you balance the job that you enjoy and frankly that pays your crazy hobby with the crazy hobby you love.
It is a challenge at best. My day starts at 5AM. I let the first round of dogs out and start my day. Once the shower is complete, round one of dogs comes in and round two goes out. I make their meals (I feed raw so this isn’t a dump dog food in a dish and run routine!). When this is done, time to cycle dogs one last time and finish me for work and spend a few minutes working with the show dogs. Then I put dogs away and head out the door. Usually lunch is on the run somewhere, if it even exists, and if it is a week of a dog show, I try and get home to either pack or groom a dog or two. I’m usually home by 6, except during peak season and then it is anytime after 8. On a normal night….I start the dog madness all over again. Let dogs out in rotation. Start the practice routine for the show dogs, of which I have four right now. Spend time with the other two to keep the jealously at bay. Groom for a bit on each, then settle in for the evening….oh never mind that is bed! Somewhere in there is laundry, supper, mowing, (and a boat load of it, cause we live out in the country), a house to clean, plus all the other stuff that comes with an active life!
If you have ever been lucky enough to be with me at a show during “peak” work time, my work phone rings non-stop. My friends do make fun of me and I’m totally ok with that, cause I’m sure the one sided convo is quite entertaining! But hey the bright side to the phone ringing non-stop, is it makes the long dog show drives tolerable!
Balancing the two some days is extremely daunting. I feel that both lack from time to time because of each other. There are days I would much rather be at home doing “something.” I also know that when I’m driving home from a dog show at umpteen thirty at night, to be back to work on Monday morning, that I am grateful for a job to support my “habit.”
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