(During the month of August, our dog, Sadie, traveled 4500 miles from Atlanta to Wyoming and Colorado with us. Below is her account of the journey.)
I have to admit that I wasn’t so sure about this traveling business for the first few days. My people put me in the crate and off we went. I could hear them chattering excitedly up front but from my viewpoint, there was absolutely nothing exciting going on. But, I’ve always been one to try to keep peace in the family, so I didn’t complain and just spent a lot of time dozing or looking at the long, long road stretching out behind me. Eventually, they stopped the car and that’s when the fun began.
Being of the canine persuasion, I am well aware that I have a limited vocabulary. But, they say that travel is educational and I have certainly found that to be true. I have added several new words:
Bear: this is something that gets my people very excited. Apparently, it moves and is very big.
Spectacular: this is a good thing. My people always sigh and sound very pleased when they use this word.
Pee: of course I knew this word for myself, I’d just never realized that people did it in the woods too. Interesting…..
The first place we stopped was a cabin where there was lots of space to run around. Early each morning, they would put me in the car and we would drive slowly up and down the road. One day, they stopped and used the bear word over and over. They were very excited. But they don’t know what they were missing!!! On the other side of the car was the biggest, fattest squirrel I’d ever seen. I kept trying to get them to look, but they were intent on the bear stuff. Poor humans. Oh well, I tried.
After a while, we left that place and drove on. When we stopped again, the humans seemed very pleased, then began dragging everything out of the car. They set up a little orange house and kept crawling in and out. It seemed odd behavior for humans, but then I think humans ARE odd.
I could tell that the woman was a little nervous so I was surprised that they let me sleep in the car when it got dark, where it was all safe and sound and they crawled into that flimsy thing to sleep in. I thought that was very nice of them.
The hiking was the best. They let me off lead and as long as I stayed in sight (and thankfully you can see a LONG way out there) they let me run. And run I did! Back and forth, all around, through the trees and the meadows. I loved it!
I was usually pretty good, as I mentioned, I like to keep the peace. I only got into deep doo doo once. (literally, ha ha.) It happened like this:
We were hiking through a really great meadow and my people were just talking and not paying attention when I spotted a pile of great smelling, fresh stuff. So, being a dog, I rolled in it. Ecstasy!!! And then I trotted up to my woman and she, not paying any attention, reached down to pet me and rub my back, as always. And then she shrieked. I thought she must have seen a bear but apparently, she’d put her hand into the green stuff on my back. Well, from there on out, it wasn’t all that much fun. When we got to the lake, they poured freezing cold water all over me and rubbed me jdown with pine branches. Can you imagine? But it was worth it.
What I liked best: sitting by the fire with my people at night, the smells (OMG the smells!) rolling in the grass (and other stuff) running free, chasing the fastest chipmunks in the west, just being with my people 24/7. It was a GREAT trip.
In spite of the long time in the car (who says dogs don’t have a sense of time?), I’ve decided that I LOVE to travel. If you want to get in touch with me, write me at
TravelingDog@happytrails.com 
It sounds like there’ll be more trips ahead, huh, Laura?
oh yes! We loved our road trip, though it’s good to be out of the car for a while.
Love you. Laura
Love it, Laura! Sounds like an awesome trip. Love and miss that sweet Sadie girl!! (and the humans too:) Safe travels home!
Sadie was awesome on this trip. Not a peep of complaint.
We all miss you too. Hope to see you soon.