Madeline

Post by Brit, ARLP volunteer

Time: 3:46pm, Ground speed: 576 mph, Altitude: 30,000 ft, location: Somewhere over northern Canada, Time to Hong Kong: 10 hours 21 minutes. 

Traveling is something we all have to do eventually. Whether it requires going to 30,000 ft and crossing the ice cap on the way to Asia for a week long work trip or a quick drive north for a weekend get away just for two, leaving the pups behind, sometimes is necessary and unavoidable. So what to do?  

The options for dog care are as varied as the ways that we travel. Ideally, we would all love to have someone that is as loving and attentive to our pets as we are to stay in our home and keep our same schedule and rules. As a dog owner, I now realize why my siblings were so appreciative of the vagabond life style that was my young twenties. I thought I was there to take care of the dogs, now I realize I was actually there to let my brothers and sister go on vacation without guilt or worry.

 Personally the thought of my little girl sleeping anywhere other than on the bed with me, bothers me in a way I don’t entirely understand. The Twin Cities have a few very good kennels that I’ve looked at over the years. A few that would have cost more per day than I was spending on my own accommodations. And I guess I would feel good about leaving my pup with them.   But as I sit here listening to the drone of air outside the fuselage and the woman vomiting next to me (I wish that was a joke), I’m thinking about the phone call home I had at my last layover. “Madeline is doing fine. Kellie and Tony let her sleep on the bed last night. They know that’s where she sleeps at home.”   I’m trying to pretend it’s the AC that is making my nose run. And maybe it is. But, I can’t explain away the misty eyes. The knowledge that my little girl is being treated as well as I would treat her is the greatest gift I can imagine right now. I rediscover the same thing every time work sends me somewhere. Whether you use kennels, home boarding or have a friend/family member watch your pup, often the hardest part of traveling is leaving the most important ones behind.   Thanks Kellie and Tony for watching Madeline. I’ll be home as soon as I can.  Brit  

Filed under: Observations & Reflection