Sporty Traveler

My dog is what we call in my family, a sporty traveler. She doesn't whine or try to jump out of the car or crawl into the front seat or vomit. (The not vomiting is so nice. The dog we lived with when I got her was a carsick dog, even on short trips. So unappealing.) She actually likes to travel. Mostly it's because she likes to know she's going with her person and not being left behind but she also likes to watch out the windows and smell new places and she's a real fan of toll booths since that once guy gave her a dog biscuit.

The thing is, though, traveling really takes it out of her. She's nervous in new places and afraid of being left behind (my fault, I've had to leave her behind too often) and when we're moving around she doesn't always get her customary 20 hours of napping per day.

She was a superstar on this trip, truly. We were trapped in rain and traffic for probably over 8 hours on Friday and she was fine with it. When I took her out for a pee at a rest stop she got out, found a spot, peed and went straight back to the car. I didn't have all the right food for her so she subsisted for 2 days mostly on pizza crust and dog biscuits. Not having the right food meant not getting her supplements and meds into her either. Didn't matter to her. She probably wonders why pizza crust isn't a staple of her diet all the time.

She shone, however, at the nursing home. My mother, bless her, decided the dog should come with us all day on Saturday. I had been planning to leave her in Joe the Barber's empty-yet-unsold house for the day (see above re: my fault) but mom had a different plan and kidnapped the dog while I was having breakfast with ChemE. Unlike here in Brooklyn everyone in the nursing home facility is dog friendly. All the residents wanted to see her and talk to her and pet her. I'm not used to that. Visitors to Auntie Blanche's room kept saying things like, "She's 13? Wow. I never would have guessed." "She's in great shape!" "I need a dog just like Emily." "She's awfully good." "Hi puppy!" Auntie Blanche was able to feed her a few treats which was, possibly, the highlight of the day for both of them. It was hard work for the pooch, the entire day. I mean, every time she got settled and mostly asleep I'd do something inconsiderate like, I don't know, breathe and she'd have to pop up and check all the exits to make sure I wasn't making a break for it.

When we hit the highway on our ride home the dog lay down and didn't move for three states. Seriously, in the middle of Connecticut I began to plot out what I was going to do if I arrived in Brooklyn and discovered that she had expired in the back seat of the rental during the vet's closing hours. We went through the toll booth at the entrance to the Mass Pike and she didn't even stir. It was terrifying. Of course not terrifying enough for me to stop the car and hold a mirror up to her nose but terrifying nonetheless. Traffic snarled slightly at the bridge and she rolled over so I drove the last half hour with peace of mind. No dog has ever been happier to see my ass leave for work today and leave her alone!

I've said it before, I'll say it again, my dog is composed entirely of awesome and there will never be enough thanks to give to Pony Express for picking her cold, wet, nervewracked body up off the street.

*Photo is what my dog has looked like for the past 48 hours.