Not sure if I've bitten off more than I can chew as my mum will be here for Xmas but have agreed to have wife's employers two Dachshunds during Christmas and New Year! Will get well paid but they're still puppies so playful, mischievous and a bit of a handful. We had a long-haired sausage dog but these are short-haired and sisters. They gave me first chance otherwise they'd put them in kennels. Luckily wife says they're house-trained now.

Still, get to go in the park at least twice a day again.

Never... nobody would trust me with their pets

Well they know we had a Staffie for 5 weeks in summer. Never had two though.

Dogs are easy - a great excuse to get out and get some exercise - cats, on the other hand, are murder. I looked after a cat for 4 weeks - of pure hell, which included a tube journey. The cat pigged off 4 days before the owner returned - nightmare.

LOL. Must have taken a dislike to you. Cats are strange creatures with a mind of their own.

All the time. The worst was a domestic abuse victims Staffie with 6 pups just after she stopped eating up their mess. The current is a neighbours cat who I pop in to feed and clean up after at weekends when she is in respite care.
No nasty incidents as yet, and lots of choccies to say thank you.

I used to before I got my cat, but I don't now because he is very attached to us and gets very jealous if anyone gets attention over him. He even tries to get in between my husband and I if we have a cuddle. You will be fine Chris it will add some excitement to Xmas. I am also on holiday over Xmas and my parents are flying over from Spain to look after my fluffy little man. He usually goes to this Cattery but it is booked up and the others are not as good and he gets stressed. He doesn't realise he is a cat and hates all other cats so can't be in a Cattery where he can see or hear the others.

We've looked after a relative's Cocker Spaniel on a couple of occasions now. It's no big deal.

I got bugger all in summer but will this time as they're wife's millionaire employers and say they'd rather pay me than kennels.

I look after a Frog full time, he has such bad personal habits and eats out the fridge. That's what you get when you kiss a Frog and he doesn't turn into a prince

We cat sit when my parents go on holiday, they come a live with us. Although technically one of the cats is mine who I had to leave with my parents when I moved out. I luffs him and he luffs me. I like that when I go to visit he still runs up to me and asks to be picked up and then doesn;t leave me alone the whole time.

I miss having cats.

I once looked after my Mum's friends 3 little dogs for the day, had a great time. I didn't want to leave

Does he like dogs? Just wondered as he hates all other cats.

What did you have to do for it?

All I do for my cats is feed them when they start giving me pointed looks, and pat them if they sit on my lap or roll around on their backs like dafties.

My dog on the other hand...today he has slept on top of my head for a fair chunk of the morning, savaged a slipper and spread the debris from one end of the house to the other end, scratched all the backs of my legs jumping on me because he wanted me to throw a ball for him while I was doing the dishes, had to be taken out in the rain several times, and as soon as he came back in earlier he skittered all over the kitchen mental, splattering mud everywhere and I had to chase him down to clean his paws before he spread it any further, and he wriggled mercilessly while I cleaned him, getting all my clothes muddy, and then I had to go back and wash basically all of the kitchen while he frolicked around, oblivious. And this is a day of progress, because he hasn't peed or shat on the carpet. Yet...

Love him to bits but I know which pets are easier!

This is 23rd Dec. until 3rd Jan.

Well should keep us entertained over Christmas at least.

Not looked after anyones pet before.

I regularly have a dog to stay for the holidays.

Now that you you've set out the scenario, I will await the plethora of CRAZY stories you'll no doubt be making up during the Christmas period. Might I suggest that one of the dogs manages to get hold of the Christmas day roast and the other somehow gets tangled in the fairy lights and brings the entire tree down?

I've only ever heard of cats doing those two things.

I'll be busy with those and my old mum so won't be online much. My mum gets annoyed if I'm online a lot when she's here and starts moaning.

Aw yeah, my late kitty Pixie used to fight with the tree all the time. It was really big and he was really small, so he'd just slink off underneath it and you'd be watching telly and all the jingle bells would start jingling madly and baubles would start rolling everywhere. I miss the wee guy.

My parents Burmese cat decided his first Christmas to try and climb the tree with disastrous results.

Where do I begin - I suffered weeks of a feline wrapping itself around my legs when it wanted feeding - an endless rash of wanting affection when I loathed it - unwanted gestures of fake love when I wanted it dead - and 2 trips to the vet on the tube that left me with barely 10% of my original skin.

A dog doesn't pig about = when they loathe, they snarl, when they don't - they drench you in licks and saliva. Yes - they have their moments - I remember a newly fitted pine kitchen being sacrificed to a Labrador not ready for change. But at least dogs don't pretend to be something else

Didn't you have it in cat carrier basket?

Just make sure the dogs don't eat the tropical fish.