Making New Friends

My first swim in Lake Michigan with Stella.

Mom could tell right away I loved other dogs and that I was very outgoing and friendly. Because of this she made a big effort to make sure that I was well "socialized" or got along with other dogs. She wanted more than anything for me to have a good time with other dogs, to not be fearful or aggressive. Whenever we went for walks and would see other dogs we always tried to stop and say hello. Some dog owners just walk the other way when they see another dog coming, but others were always willing to stop, especially when they saw I was a puppy. So there would be lots of sniffing and tail wagging. My favorite thing to do when I meet a dog is immediately roll over on my back. Mom knows that this is submissive behavior and is proud of me when I do this.

Afternoons in the Autumn is our favorite time to take a walk to the park. Maybe this is because I was adopted in September. We try to get to the park before school lets out and it gets crowded with kids and after school activities. That's when I met Pagma my first real friend. Pagma is part Poodle and Lhasa Apso, her mom is Polish and very glamorous. She would let her run all over the park without a leash. Mom was very shocked about this but she finally would let go of my leash, but keeping it on to catch me, to let us run around and play together. We didn't see each other much over the Winter, but no matter how long it had been since we last saw each other, we never forgot. When we reunited we instantly knew in our doggie way who we were and we would pick right back up running and playing again.

Unfortunately we don't see Pagma and her mom much anymore.  Schedules change and the last time we saw Pagma her mom mentioned that she didn't believe in giving Pagma her rabies shot. This is due to her being in homeopathic medicine. Which meant no tags, no license. This really shocked mom, rabid bats were found just a few blocks from the park. Mom thought that if we ever saw Pagma and her mom again, she would have to say that I wasn't allowed to play with her anymore without her shots. But luckily this hasn't happened because mom knows she would be too chicken to say anything.

My short-legged friends Marlena and Muffin.

"Sharing" a ball with Bea while Marlena officiates.

I wish I had pictures of Pagma to share but mom didn't have her iPhone then to get pictures. I'll be blogging a lot about all of my friends from the park and will have lots of fun photos and videos to show in upcoming posts. Love, Dolly

Dolly Goes to Washington D.C.!: The Finale!

This post is the last in my series about my adventure traveling to Washington DC with my Mom and Dad. After a long day of sightseeing with Mom and Dad all along the National Mall we arrived back at the hotel exhausted. Mom had grand plans about getting dressed up and going out to dinner. Many restaurants have outdoor patios that allow dogs but unfortunately it was way too cold to eat outside, which was unusual for DC this time of year. Some restaurants had heated patios but were farther than we wanted to travel. So with the aid of yelp.com we found neighborhood restaurants with takeout. We just took a short walk, picked up dinner and brought it back to our hotel room. Which was fine with me because I do like to mooch at mealtime! Something I haven't mentioned before is that Mom and Dad had no plans to ever leave me in the hotel room by myself. Some guests did this and we could hear the dogs barking in the hallways. It wasn't something we ever considered doing.

The next day mom didn't even attempt to take me for a nice long walk before breakfast, due to my uncooperativeness the day before. I call it a misunderstanding. So the three of us took off for a short morning walk and got breakfast to go. Dad had also had it with my "behavior" the day before and made me wear my pinch collar. I really hate it when one would go in to get the food and I have to wait outside with the other. I would do my best to let mom or dad know this but they still continued doing it the rest of the trip.

Which brings me to the real shocker. Mom and Dad made plans to split up for the day. Something about going places where dogs couldn't go so they were going to take turns. After breakfast dad left and he didn't come back! I was so upset! Then mom made me wear my pinch collar again and leave the hotel. But I couldn't do that, what if dad came home and I wasn't there? But mom had tricks up her sleeve or should I say treats in her pocket. She tried walking me away from the hotel and I kept trying to walk back. She would pull me, I would sit down, she would then pick me up and put me down. But when I wouldn't move instead of pulling me she put a treat in front of my nose. Oh boy! I really wanted that treat but I had to walk to get it, once I started walking I would but I had to keep moving. Mom thought she was rewarding me for walking. If I stopped, another treat! But I had to walk to get it. This kept happening over and over and the amount of walking in between treats got longer and longer. Next thing you know I forgot about Dad and the hotel and started to enjoy my walk with mom, meaning I was doing a lot of sniffing. Mom told dad later that we walked all the way up Embassy Row. After a really long walk we went back the way we came and them mom started taking a different route. We did this for a long time, with mom taking her map out and looking at it a lot.  After awhile we made a turn and I stopped. We were going the wrong way! I tried to tell mom by going back and she looked at the map again. Sure enough she followed me and we were only a block from the hotel! Walking straight towards us was Dad! I took off, despite the leash, so mom dropped it and I ran to dad and did my happy dance.

After a rest it was time for lunch. We took a short walk and I waited with Dad while Mom got the food. We ate in the park at DuPont Circle, it was really nice. I thought we were walking back to the hotel when a car stopped at the curb and mom got in. I started to follow her but dad held me back. No! Off she went without me! I was so upset but Dad doesn't put up with as much of my misbehavior as Mom and we were back at the hotel before you knew it. I acted up for a long time whining and wanting to go look for her but finally I gave in and took a nice long nap with Dad on the bed. Before you knew it, Mom walked in the door. Happy dance! The pack was back together again!

That night we did dinner the same as the night before, with a walk to get food, and eating in our room. I really liked being together all the time like that. The next morning we did breakfast the same way too. Except when we got back to the hotel Mom and Dad were both really busy putting things back in boxes and bags. Then a nice man came with a cart and put all of our things on it. We got on the elevator, it was really crowded, and there was dad waiting for us in front with the car. I jumped in and mom hooked up my harness like we were going for a long drive again.

We were on the open road again! One time at a stop I was waiting patiently for dad to get back and he had ice cream! And I had my own spoon! It was so yummy!

Waiting for Dad

After a really long time I was beginning to wonder when I was going to get my dinner. Every once in awhile Mom would give me some peanut butter dog treats but I wanted my dinner. It was dark, and I was homesick and tired.

Finally, we were home! I was so excited to see my backyard I started to do zoomie circles all around it and then my happy dance. We got upstairs and mom gave me my dinner, I ate it all up right away! Ahhh, next thing you know I was laying on the couch watching TV with my pack. Who would of thought that a little dog from an unwanted litter would get adopted, go on a trip with people, stay in a real hotel and see historical sights? Love, Dolly

P.S. If you want to follow my trip on Twitter just search on #dollysroadtrip and you'll see all the tweets and photos I sent.

Dolly Goes to Washington D.C.! Part Four

On my last blog post Mom, Dad, and I, had just spent the first night at our hotel in Washington DC. Mom received a huge jolt of reality about separation anxiety when she tried to take me for a walk in the morning without dad, so when they left for sightseeing they thought they were well prepared for any of my behavior. We will see about that! Our plans for the day were to visit the National Mall, or as I call it, the National Dog Park, the monuments, and the museums, all on foot, with me. We began with a walk from our hotel to DuPont Circle and from there headed south towards the Mall. It was just like taking a walk in the city back home with people and traffic so I was very comfortable doing this, It was great because I was right between Mom and Dad. After a long walk we came to Pennsylvania Avenue and since mom and dad knew the President lived on that street we turned and headed for a visit. Before long we came to this great big white house, and wait, I saw a dog running across the South Lawn! Oh my dog! It was Bo, I would recognize him anywhere! Mom got really excited and got her camera out but by then he was out of sight. Good work mom!

 After the White House we stopped for a break at a statue where lots of people were walking around, sitting and feeding the squirrels. SQUIRREL!! I lept after him and swear I could taste his tail but he was gone, thanks to me wearing a leash. People cried out, "That dog almost got that squirrel!" Almost being the problem here. Right after that we reached the National Dog Park and it was huge! Way too much room for a little ole doggie like me. 

The beautiful World War II Memorial was next so we went to visit and pay our respects to those who lost their lives. Mom and Dad's dads, my grandpas, were both veterans. 

What, you're not suppose to drink the water? 

Next we walked all the way to this big building at the top of a lot of stairs. I met two doggies there, they were nice. We walked all the way to the top of the stairs and I got to see President Lincoln.

Next to the Lincoln Memorial was the Korean War Memorial. We saw the dog picture for the first time with the line through it. There was a volunteer who stopped us and said that we would have to carry me or take turns. Well, since mom thinks I am too heavy Dad went first. Mom tried telling the volunteer that I was a service dog. Well, I got insulted big time because he said hounds are never service dogs, Labs usually are, because we smell too much. How did he know that? He has a beagle, end of story. We found out then that I wasn't suppose to be up at the Lincoln Memorial, oops. We saw the Viet Nam War Memorial next, which had the sign again about no dogs but since there wasn't a volunteer I got to walk with mom down the wall of names that lost their lives. I sincerely apologize to all of them for taking a potty break on the grass there. After way too much walking we finally stopped for a break, and mom gave me French Fries, yummy. Dad wanted to go in a big building for awhile so I behaved very badly for mom while we waited, then she went in. I made sure she could hear me whining until the door closed behind her.

We walked a whole bunch more and I kept bumping into the back of mom and dad's legs to let them know I was tired and ready to go back to the hotel. Then we got into a car and it was really exciting because mom and dad got into the back seat with me while another man in the front seat drove us to our hotel.

I was so glad to see those hotel doors open for me! I was ready for a nice long nap! Mom and Dad don't ever take me on such a long walk again, even though I was with you two the whole time and I loved every mintue of it! Stay tuned for another day in Washington DC! Love, Dolly.