Travel Companions

It was the Hubs' birthday - and this month is big anyway with VDay and our anniversary - so we decided to get out of town and take a little adventure trip down the coast. Traveling with a cute little dog is like traveling with a toddler: passerbys can't help themselves but to pause and connect about a shared experience. Literally people were pulling up a chair as we sat outside for breakfast. What a gas.

What we had to haul down with us was also toddleresque. There's the crate, the pillow, the play blanket, the toys and bowls and leashes and brushes. And the contingency stuff, like shampoo in case of an unfortunate happening-upon a dead something or other and just having to roll in it, or something.

We stayed in Pacific Grove in a pretty little 1 room cottage with a toilet and closet. A dog bed with a potty bag and 2 dog biscuits were waiting for Sam upon arrival, a pat on the head by the check in clerk, and instructions on where to go for you-know-what. All that, and just 2 or 3 blocks to the beach.

Her first beach experience was fun - and her tearing everywhere in the soft sand and figuring out really quick about the tide. Ixnay on the aterway. She loved the kelp and smelly dead things underneath and for a while we thought her sniffer might get dislocated with moving so fast.

On to Carmel on Sunday, and a walkabout with tons of other dogs -- I mean maybe 70? -- on leashes with families in tow, everyone being reasonably well mannered (kids included). There were parks nestled around and away from the sidewalks and shops for the dogs with doggie gloves to pick up and discard the waste. The sidewalks were clean as a whistle.

Carmel was the most dog friendly place we've ever been. We would see an interesting shop and one of us would stay on the sidewalk and the other would step inside. Almost immediately someone inside would invite INVITE!!! Sam inside and ask if she could have a treat. She was admired in stores and restaurants and hotels and antique shops, and always with a bowl of fresh water. People walking our direction would just reach down and pat her head and keep on their way. Conversations would center around what kind of dog is she, and hazard a guess at what breed mix she might be in addition to lab.  Sam seemed to walk a little taller there, a little more polite, and only once picked something up until she saw the scowl on my face, and gently let it go.

Another trip to the beach, this time at a no leash beach, what I suppose feels to a dog the way a nude beach feels to sunbathers. There were dogs as far as the eye can see, running free into the waves to retrieve a frisbee, walking alongside their owners, running and chasing each other, and tearing after toys.

We took a break to drive along the coast, and on the way home stopped in to visit her favorite Beagle in San Jose.  Sam is officially christened as travel companion!  Now all we need is for her not to christen the floor of her Beagle friend's kitchen and we're all set.