Thank goodness for technology. While away from Shadow for the first time, being able to actually see how he was doing was a Godsend.
Packing light has never been my strong suit. Even as the town car sat outside waiting to whisk Chris and me away on our Italian honeymoon last year, I was kneeling at the top of the stairs struggling to re-stuff the suitcase that had taken me a week to fill and that I’d just discovered was over the weight limit.
In the process, I left a pair of Chris’ most comfortable sneakers across the ocean. Instead, I brought an assortment of women’s sandals for every outfit and fashion level. A few never actually made it onto my feet, and I’ve since carried the guilty memory of my new husband walking about 10 miles a day in 90 degree heat in arch-pounding shoes.
To some extent, that spurred me to begin reforming my over-packing ways. But it wasn’t until our little silver Labrador entered our lives that it even occurred to me I could fly anywhere as an exclusively carry-on passenger. (Previously that had the same ring as: “You can run the NYC Marathon tomorrow.”)
This past weekend, Chris and I flew to Ohio for a family wedding. While we’d been looking forward to it for some time, Shadow’s later-than-expected arrival meant he would only be 11 weeks old when we left. (True, that’s about 2.5 in human years, but I’m not sure how comfortable I’d feel about that either!)
I would have done anything to get home to my baby sooner, and tapping my toes at baggage claim simply wasn’t an option. This was going to be an in-and-out travel experience, with a tiny grey wagging tail at the finish line.
First up was the sitter, and thankfully my brothers happily agreed to watch the little guy. Like me a few weeks ago, they also have several decades of pent-up puppy yearning. They’d been versed in rabbit, guinea pig, fish and turtle, and had fed and walked our neighbor’s dogs several times, but this would be the first time a) with a non-housebroken puppy, and b) spending the night.
On the morning of departure, we woke up super early to feed and walk Shadow. Ordinarily, he’d be up by 5:30 anyway. But sensing that we couldn’t sleep late this weekend anyway, Shadow decided he’d snooze until we had to wake him up. Har-dee-har, Shadow. Very funny.
By the time we passed the little guy off, our house was sprinkled with sticky notes describing each treat and when to give them to him; the dining room table was covered with every dog-related item we owned (Bitter Apple
, Nature’s Miracle, “Out!” cleaner); the freezer was stocked with peanut butter-filled bones; the basket atop Shadow’s crate was stuffed with his favorite toys; and a six-page instruction manual was awaiting each of the eager dog-sitters.
, Nature’s Miracle, “Out!” cleaner); the freezer was stocked with peanut butter-filled bones; the basket atop Shadow’s crate was stuffed with his favorite toys; and a six-page instruction manual was awaiting each of the eager dog-sitters.Needless to say, I was a tad reluctant to let go.
I was concerned about what he would eat if left even for a few seconds, where he would have accidents, what he would do to furniture, whether he’d get so wound up from male bonding time that he’d hurt himself, and whether he’d be so hyper that my brothers would never want to watch him again. During the week, I jotted down every tip and instruction (on meal time, safety, the bathroom, etc.) I could think of as I went about my daily routine. “If I never spent much time with Shadow or another dog,” I asked myself, “what would I need to know?”
It’s a bit long to post here, but if you’re interested in getting a copy to use as a template for your own travels, e-mail me at LauraShadow219@gmail.com and I’ll send it right over.
The guide definitely helped settle my mind, as did having my brothers stop by the day before we left so I could go over a few things and show them around. I trusted them completely… but there was another four-legged factor of which I was wary.
At the wedding, I carried my cell phone everywhere, constantly checking for texts and wondering whether no news was good news. I was relieved at cocktail hour, when I got a photo of Shadow slumbering with Sam, his stuffed chicken. I quickly shared it with Chris’ aunt, who was on the same pin-and-needle cushion, having left her six-month old light cream Lab back home as well.
While we should have taken better advantage of a dog-less night’s sleep, Chris and I had a great time at the wedding, made it from runway to house in barely an hour, and came home to find everything and everyone intact.
Even better, Shadow didn’t seem to have regressed much being away from his training for a couple days. (Though his babysitter looked like he could use some recovery time!)
Thanks guys, for looking after my puppy. He says let’s do it again soon ;)
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