Ode to Charlie Brown (my dog -- not the cartoon character)

Ode to Charlie Brown My dog, that is — not the cartoon character Charlie Brown is 13 1/2. He’s been with me since he was 10 weeks old. Yesterday, he had a bad day. Tummy troubles. A few weeks ago, after a routine blood test, his pancreas number was slightly elevated. But his predecessor, Hobie, had very bad pancreatitis so I know what to look for, and Charlie is not experiencing those symptoms. Let’s just say, I had to shampoo the carpet in my office last night after I was out for a few hours. Charlie’s better today, but not 100%. I’d say 97%. I’m staying home. Keeping an eye on him. Right now, he’s lying at my feet just beside my desk as I type this. He never does that. So, I know he’s getting clingy, and I’ve had enough experience with elderly dogs to know that this is usually how they get when they start to decline. Charlie Brown’s twin brother, Cooper, passed away a year and a half ago. For those readers who don’t know, I had adopted them both as puppies. Yeah, I’m that crazy dog lady who raised litter mates (the naysayers aren’t right — it was one of the BEST experiences of my life!). It is possible Charlie is the “last man standing” of his litter. Even though they were mixed-up mutts, I stayed in touch with most of the adopters of this litter of eight hound pups. We used to celebrate their birthdays together, because they were born on 11-11-11 (November 11, 2011) which happened to be Veterans Day and a lot of us would have the day off from work. One-by-one, we lost touch or I’d hear that one of the dogs passed away. Most recently, I couldn’t find contact info for the owners of one of the last remaining siblings. Therefore, I do not know if the dog is still living. She had been sick right around the same time as Cooper, but she recovered. Yesterday when I was out, I saw a young puppy. I estimate the dog must have been about four or five months old. The paws were huge, the movements awkward, the pleasing (hey, it was a Lab!) on overdrive. I said to my husband, “Charlie used to be that age.” And then I started thinking… I’ve known Charlie Brown his entire life. What a wonderful gift to spend 13 1/2 years (so far!) with this kooky, misunderstood, car-and-squirrel-chasing, lovable hound dog. I also started thinking about the people who had the young Labrador Retriever… that, if they are so lucky, some day THEY will be going through this anticipatory grief and series of remembrances. Some day they will say “Wow, how lucky we are that we’ve had this dog this many years. We’ve known this dog its whole life.” Then the tears came. Husband asked what was wrong, so I told him what I just told you. I sat crying for a few minutes before we carried on, and eventually returned home to Charlie and his companions Petey and Tux. That’s when I found my office floor soiled. Not a problem. I dragged out the trusty Bissell SpotLifter (I do not get affiliate dough or points for mentioning them — believe me, I have applied to be a Bissell Affiliate but nope! didn’t qualify). There’s no way I’d get mad at Charlie, or any pet, for accidentally soiling in the house. I’ve never punished a pet for doing that. That’s old school stuff our parents and grandparents did. I really just wanted to get these thoughts down on paper. Share them with you. In other news, I am currently working on a book of letters to my previous dog, Hobie, so stay tuned for that. It will be available within the next year or so.  I am thinking the follow-up might be letters to Charlie Brown (my dog, not the cartoon character). Thanks for reading! Until next time!

Bathroom break tips when traveling solo with dogs

Petey

Charlie Brown

The late, great Cooper

I have traveled with dogs quite a lot. I mostly traveled with three dogs to and from my cottage on Cape Cod. But before that, I used to travel (many, many years ago) with one dog and I would leave her in the car with windows open if I needed to stop for a bathroom break. I would not do that today. Times have changed. 

Most recently, I traveled up and down the east coast with my three dogs, and now I'm down to two after Cooper passed away. 

I wanted to write up some suggestions for traveling with dogs, as I have been seeing that the subject keeps coming up in various travel or travel-with-pets groups.

One thing people always ask about are bathroom breaks for the human, and what is proper protocol. The best thing, obviously, is to have a human traveling companion, and each human takes turns using the restroom while the other one stays with the dog(s). But what about the solo traveler (such as me, before I met my current husband)?? It's tricky. And times have changed over the last decade or so, making it even more tricky for the solo dog loving traveler. Not to mention, I've always had more than one dog, so traveling alone with TWO or THREE dogs is quite challenging! But I've done it, and if I can do it anyone can.

The first thing I always suggest is find a pet-friendly place that has a bathroom. One of my go-to solutions is a pet supplies store like Petco or PetSmart. You most likely would have to take an exit off the highway, and likely drive a few miles to find the nearest store, but once you do they have a restroom and you can bring your dog into the store AND the restroom without even having to ask. This is the ultimate best solution I have come up with. 

Stores like Home Depot and Lowe's, Michael's, Ace Hardware and a few others may also allow dogs, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone with multiple dogs inside one of those stores, so do your homework first before assuming you could bring three dogs into your next Home Depot!

The next best idea is a rest area with exterior restrooms that don't necessarily have any signage about dogs. In other words, they're sort of "silent" on the topic of whether or not your dog is welcome. These are kind of hard to find, but I do remember, when I used to go to Cape Cod to check on my cottage in the winter, I could always find a rest area that had these exterior restrooms.

Third, park in a shaded area (such as under a covered section of a gas station & convenience store where the gas pumps are). Pump some gas first (purchasing something always helps, and you'll be on camera, most likely). Leave your windows open about 3 inches -- just enough to get air in the vehicle, but not enough to fit a person's hand. If you have a sun roof or moon roof, open that up a little too. In my personal opinion...DON'T leave your car running with the a/c on! Some will disagree with me on that. You do you, but I wouldn't do it. Dash quickly into the restroom inside the convenience store, use the restroom, wash your hands, and come back to the car. Do this as quickly as you can and do not dawdle or buy anything in the store. I did this for many years, but nowadays people are apt to try to break your windows, steal your pet, or report you to the police. So, it might be a good idea to have a sign that says "Human in bathroom, they'll be right back, we are safe and loved!" Or something like that. 

As for pet-friendly hotels, oh boy do I have some stories!! Be assertive, especially if you're a female traveling alone with one or more large dog(s). The hotel may be pet friendly, but they will try to put you in the WORST room. I know, because it has happened to me more than once. Explain that your dog is clean, well-behaved, housebroken, doesn't chew, etc. and that you are alone and need to be safe. I have horror stories of filthy rooms crawling with flies and roaches, broken toilets (one of the main reasons I would stay overnight rather than continuing to my destination!), and "crack house" type hotels teeming with unsavory humans. I've been put in the worst, filthiest rooms, on the ground level of a hotel, simply because I had a large dog. Be sure you stand up for yourself and don't be afraid to take your business elsewhere if you have to!

I've traveled with my small dog, Petey, several times -- quite a lot of those times during the pandemic when there wasn't much to do. We went camping, and also stayed at hotels. He's always welcome. They definitely treat smaller dogs differently than big ones, and they definitely treat couples better than single female travelers. How unfortunate.

I have lots of other "traveling with dogs" tips, but I've gone on long enough!! Hopefully you can find some of this usable! lol

Take care, and happy travels!

Kathy Mandell

Meow!

Our first "Triday" without Cooper

 It's been almost a year since Cooper passed away. It went by so fast. We moved, we sold the house where he passed away in the living room, leaving his spirit and Newman's behind as we go on to our next adventure. 

Cooper's brother, Charlie Brown, is aging, but still full of life. We took him on an excursion yesterday to one of those shelter charity events where they have bands playing and lots of food and dogs. He did ok, but it took a lot out of him and I noticed he was very stiff this morning. He slept almost too soundly. He is now 13 -- almost 13 1/2! How did this happen? Charlie, my little puppy who bugged Hobie relentlessly when Hobie was 13 himself. Now it's been ten years since Hobie passed, and a year since Cooper did.

Today is "Triday" (3/3). It's the day when parents of three-legged pets celebrate their amazing dogs and cats who live life on three legs. I always participated in this through the Tripawds organization, a group I have supported for many years because they offer a wealth of information on how to care for three-legged pets, also known affectionately as "Tripawds".

I looked at my calendar today and said to myself, "Oh look! It's Triday!" and then I realized, he's not here for the first Triday ever. Last year, we celebrated Triday with him, and he was practically normal. Sure, he was slowing down, but never in a million years did I think he would be gone just three weeks later.

For all the tripawd parents out there, know that your pet can live a pretty good life on three legs, with just a few adjustments and taking special care not to let them overdo it!

Here's a photo of Cooper from the good ol' days, doing what he loved best.... R.I.D.E.