Thanksgiving was at my boyfriend's parents' house this year, so the four of us packed into the car and headed west.
Sadie still whines and whines and whines in the car. We left Tuesday night after work, fighting the traffic going across the Tap. She alternated jamming her head between the passenger door and my head, and trying to slither into the front over the center console. The noise, wiggling, and doggie-breath were not appreciated. It took a few hours for her to give up and lie down in the back seat. Even when I flattened my seat to nap, letting her snuggle up with me over the headrest, she would only settle for a few minutes as a time.
Maxwell is a fantastic car dog. He doesn't cry at all, and spends most of the trip stretched out in the back. Every once in a while he sits on the console and grins over his shoulder when one of us rubs his behind. As a bonus, him sitting there prevents Sadie from being there.
We stopped in State College, PA, for the night. The Holiday Inn there is dog-friendly and has decent rooms. We got in shortly after 1am, fed and 'emptied' the pups, and crashed in bed by 2. Sadie took her usual place between our feet, and Maxwell crammed himself in the tiny gap between the bed and the wall. We all slept soundly until just after sunrise. Other guests started walking around, which was not okay with Sadie. She would leap of the bed with a solid WOOF, stand stock still at the door for a few seconds, then WOOF again before being cajoled back to bed. Snooze 15 minutes and repeat. Maxwell, on the other hand, was the perfect travel dog. Not one bark, no whining, and he even joined us on the bed for the last few hours of the early morning (unheard of at home).
At checkout, the desk attendant gave my boyfriend biscuits for the pups, and on our walk around town the mailman gave them each several treats. Not a bad morning to be a dog! They even made a new friend, a 10-month-old Lab puppy who wanted so badly to play with Maxwell. He, in turn, was enamored of her... though possibly because she was just coming out of heat.
Sadie was much better in the car for the longer day on Wednesday, though both dogs were overjoyed to get out and see their grandparents. They said hello to their mini-Doxie cousin, Omar, and later that night met their human cousins, my boyfriend's niece and nephew.
The kids seem to like the pups. Nephew calls Sadie 'Big Doggie' and likes to grab her tail. For her part, she tolerates lots of physical roughness and waits for him to drop food. So far he has spilled milk on the floor twice and dropped a few crumbs. She also waited patiently for him to drop his guard, and took a good drink from his cup of milk, straight out of his hands! Maxwell has mixed feelings about him; on the one hand, he makes the tennis ball move, but on the other he waves around a scary plastic golf club. For my little guy, the baby niece is more interesting. He loves the way she squirms and makes noises, and nibbles at her socks.
Both dogs were fabulous at the family party. Though they were put in a bedroom during the meals, they got to schmooze a fair bit and show off some of their tricks. Maxwell amazed me by being fine with all the noise and hubbub, visiting people for rubs and to throw the tennis ball. When he felt overwhelmed, he'd find a quiet spot to curl up for a bit. Only at the very end of the night did he start to show real stress, following me around but just out of reach.
Poor Sadie couldn't find anyone who knew her signals, and ended up having an accident in the basement. It only ever happens in a Sadie-emergency, so I can't blame her. I just feel bad that it came to that! (All the kids thought it was so gross!)
The rest of the trip should be much quieter for the pups. They'll still have their human and canine cousins to play with, but not the myriad people that were here yesterday. Nephew runs around and gets them riled up. He loves to watch them play-fight, but has already gotten knocked over once. Lots of tears, but no real harm.
Then they can 'enjoy' the 14.5 hour trip home in Sunday. Can't wait...
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