Better Than a 'Welcome' Mat

A few hours after deplaning and napping, we were in the Bavarian Alps outside Schliersee, Germany. Hours without Shadow: 23. Hours without sleep: 28.

An unforeseen benefit of having a dog, I recently discovered, is the tempering of that tragic feeling that usually accompanies the end of a vacation.

Don't get me wrong - getting back to work, to everyone else's problems and to the self-imposed pressures of everyday life is never easy. But it's a lot less difficult to board that plane knowing someone's been waiting... all week... to welcome you home with more enthusiasm than winners on "The Price is Right."

My husband and I just returned from a week in Germany and Austria. We had a wonderful time exploring King Ludwig II's "crazy castles," sampling Bavarian fare (beer, sausage and pretzels), cruising through the mountain valleys, and navigating the winding streets of Salzburg. But it would be a lie to say we didn't feel like part of our family was missing most of the time. I will admit turning my cell phone on far too often to see this pitifully cute mug (see photo above) staring back at me asking "Are you coming home yet? Geez. What's taking so long?"

Shadow woke to Day 5 of his vacation as we headed to the castles

Prior to this trip, Shadow and I had never been apart for more than one night, and I worried how he would fare with strangers for eight whole days. Would he cry the entire time? Would he think we abandoned him? Would he be scared? Would he have fun or would he be locked in a small cage wondering what he did wrong?

Neuschwanstein Castle in Hohenswangau is a real life fairy tale

I searched high and low for a good kennel that was nearby, trustworthy, reputable, and was run by people who seemed to really care about dogs. I had already tried daycare at the local animal hospital, but was so disenchanted with that experience that a week-long sleep-over there was completely out of the question. I finally settled on a kennel that came with solid recommendations (from friends of my mother – the big time), that let him have his own food, toys, bed, and indoor/outdoor pens. As a plus, it was only a few feet from the house in which the owners (a family with beloved dogs of their own) lived.

The Bavarian royals sure picked a nice spot for their retreat

About a month before our scheduled departure, I visited the place and met Hank, the man in charge. A few weeks later, Shadow got his test run – one night to familiarize himself and to understand that we would always come back for him. It was a complete success, and made dropping him off on the way to the airport a million times easier for everyone.

Innsbruck, Austria, is full of winding streets and painted houses

It also lessened the guilt for Chris and I – while gazing at the snow-covered peaks of the Alps, lifting a liter in the Hofbrauhaus, or waiting for the Glockenspiel start moving – to think that Shadow was having a wonderful vacation of his own back on the familiar side of the ocean.

When we returned, Shadow just about popped with excitement. Circling and jumping (a temporary lapse after a week without our rules), licking and wagging his tail like it was a propeller, he was thrilled to see "his people" again. And we were thrilled to be back with our puppy.

Eventually, the sun set on our week in Bavaria and we returned home not to a cold empty house, but to one bursting with joy and excitement. Full disclosure, this photo is actually from Day One, just a few minutes after the one at the top of this blog entry. How's that for full circle?

Preparing for the Worst Case Scenario

Having a pet is expensive. There's monthly flea/tick and heartworm medications, food, constant vaccinations during the first six months, and that big operation that need not be named. And then there are all the minor emergencies that in the mind of first-time puppy parents are life-threatening tragedies needing to be diverted immediately.

With Shadow, there was his first bout of allergies, the time I thought he ate a USB cable, the time he damaged one of his pads at the dog park, almost anytime his "eliminations" don't look uniform, the first time he woke up gagging because he ate too much grass earlier that evening... All of these incidents elicited panic and wads of green from his owners. Many, we learned, were expensive false alarms that needed only rest and over-the-counter human medication (such as Bacitracin marked up 10 times because it came from the vet and "puppy booties" at $40 each when Amazon sells them for $10 a pair.)

But this is the learning curve when you bring a new puppy into the home. Now we are less jumpy, and our medicine cabinet has four puppy booties purchased for $30 at PetSmart, anti-inflamatory cream marked "Shadow," and Betadine (povidone-iodine) anti-septic from Walgreens for cleaning wounds. Most importantly, however, we know not every minor scrape or bruise requires a $50 vet exam and 10 tons of overpriced drugs.

That's why, when Chris and I looked into pet insurance for Shadow, we decided not to overpay for something that would reimburse us for every vet visit and every ounce of heartworm/flea/tick medication. Now that Shadow is eight months old (and a whopping 73 pounds!), the biggest expenses have already been taken care of. All we need is the peace of mind that comes with knowing if something horrible happened we would not have to choose between forking over $10,000 for an operation on our dog or letting him go. That is a decision I would never want to make, and thankfully won't have to.

If you're at the point where you need to select insurance for your furry friend, I have to recommend two websites: Pet Insurance Review (petinsurancereview.com) and Pet Insurance University (pet-insurance-university.com). Both break down the policies of the most relevant pet insurance providers in an easy-to-understand fashion, and contain consumer reviews to help provide reassurance.

Between jumping, barking, chewing, scratching, whining and pulling on the leash, us pet owners have enough to worry about without the ultimate concern hanging over our heads.

Bundled up

With temperatures falling, we decided today was a good day to switch from summer blanket to winter comforter. Shadow evidently liked that idea as well.

I just hope we can eventually get the blankets back...

The universal medium

Shadow watches "Pet Star" on Animal Planet

Just did a little cell phone cleaning and stumbled upon this gem of Shadow during his post-neuter recovery period (just last week, actually).

Since he couldn't jump, run, or walk very far, Shadow was pretty much bedridden. Luckily, Animal Planet runs a few dog friendly shows in the mornings, and Shadow actually took an interest.

One Day After Surgery

Poor little guy!

Things he can't do:

- Scratch behind his ears

- Walk in a straight line

- Turn corners without banging into things

- Play with his toys because he can't chew on something and reach his hands around it at the same time
- Until late this afternoon, walk up stairs
- Creep around the house anymore (now it's all "bang! bang! bang!")

Things he can do:

- Make it up the stairs, after 24 hours of being unable to do so

- Look adorable and even more helpless than he was five months ago

- Take up almost as much of my time as he did while still using puppy pads

Hats and The Big Day

Shadow is being neutered today. I know it's the right thing to do. Animal shelters are the result of overpopulation and are horrible places to end up. But making such a monumental decision for someone who trusts you and who you care about (even if he has no idea what's going on) is pretty tough.

Our veterinarian suggested he have it done when he was six months old. Other dogs we know had it done when they were 10 months or eight weeks. There doesn't seem to be a right or wrong time, but for us just-about-seven months was perfect. Shadow only exhibited the bad (hump much?) unneutered dog behavior a couple times, and he got to mature normally almost to the tail end of his puppyhood.

As a non-professional, that's all I have to say on the matter, though I'll keep you up-to-date on his post-surgery progress. Dr. Lisa Miller offers details on the benefits of neutering or spaying your pet here.

The surgery is an all-day event, so rather than sit here and worry, I put together some silly photos of Shadow that Chris and I took this past weekend.

The thing you need to know is that we live in a household that was divided by Babe Ruth decades ago.

But we're always eager to recruit newcomers to our respective sides.

The big question has been on which side of the stadium our family will sit someday.

But if Shadow's any indicator, I'd better start preparing my concession speech now.

(Isn't that just like a Sox fan, already shooting off his anti-Yankee mouth before the game even starts...)

 But we can always compromise.

(He looks better in maroon than blue anyway!)

Where's Shadow?

Shadow just returned from another visit with his "Uncle" Artie and "Cousin" Moose. He had a blast, but once in a while needed a little time to himself. In tribute to the old Where's Waldo? books I used to love as a kid, here's a "Where's Shadow?" puzzle for you: