My dog is back from his week at the spa.

[undeterred]

While I was freezing in a hotel room with a broken heater that didn't get fixed to the 3rd night, he had a heated floor and was getting neck massages. He no longer smells like a dog, he smells like he's going to the prom or something. He wants to cuddle, as he's been cuddled all week.

My baggage got lost and I learned how to replace high end hard drives. Glad to be home with my old boy.

[marzipanni]

1. I hope that hotel gave you a discount

which you can apply to the bill from the dog resort, or better yet, treat yourself to a massage. You deserve it!

[undeterred]

2. My company paid for the hotel

which did not give me a discount for my uncomfortable room. The dogs bill is over $40 a day, but that includes giving him his meds. The owner has pictures of herself on the wall with famous people who have brought their dogs there and been photographed with her (actors). Adam Arkin boards his dog there and as far as I know he does not live in Wisconsin!

I can't afford a massage but my dog is 15- he will not be here forever, so why not spoil him?! ;-)

[marzipanni]

3. That was very thoughtful of you to give your old doggie a first class lodging experience

My 14-year-old dog got stuck in the same pen with our 7-month-old female heeler-Aussie-Malamute mix pup years ago when we took them to a local kennel. After three days he went into seizures. I think she pushed him around until he had had enough :(.
I called the kennel the day we were supposed to pick them up, to say we would be getting home too late and would have to come the following a.m., and I was told our old dog had been taken to the veterinarian in town (we were driving back so the kennel guy was unable to call us). When I got there, they had been medicating our dear old dog to no avail, so I held him while the doc sent him to the next realm. :cry:

[undeterred]

6. oh, thats awful

I'm so sorry. :hug:

I used to travel regularly for my job when he was 6 or 7 and i would take him with or leave him with friends or relatives. I used cheaper kennels. Once in a while I got a sloppy kennel and his dog bed was full of pee.

Another time I took him to a holistic vet and he ended up sleeping in bed with the vet and his wife- my dog is quite a charmer- they said they had never ever taken a boarded dog home before.

But now that he's old I don't leave him with just anyone- he is on meds and other dogs can be aggressive. Once I had to leave him a few days after a medical emergency because my job demanded it. So it isn't so much the luxury as that I trust this woman completely to deal with medical issues and not let the dog get hurt in any way. The dogs all get watched and taken out more than they would under normal circumstances.

But hopefully I won't have to leave him again- I know its still hard on him.

[SPKrazy]

4. so how was your trip?

:shrug:

oh

it sounds like it was not so much fun

maybe next time, stay in the dog spa :P

he had more fun

[undeterred]

5. You have to have a rabies shot to stay in the dog spa...

They have young girls massage and bathe you and talk softly to you and take you for walks. Its not my fantasy, but YOU might like it, SP.

[SPKrazy]

7. oh yeah, rabies shots are my fantasy

the rest

well

hmmm



I think i might not like sleeping in the kennel though :P

:rofl:

[xchrom]

8. you are such a good doggie parent.

bless you for being so wonderful to him --
we can never love our dogs as much as they love us.

we are always in their debt.

[madeline_con]

9. Oh, he's so happy to be home.

Be it ever so humble, and all that. ;)

[Zoigal]

10. You are my kind of person, undeterred. z

[Radio_Lady]

11. He's jealous of you and he will take it out on you in the future...

Be sure you give him every little detail of what happened to you. :sarcasm:

More importantly... Did they recover your baggage?

[undeterred]

12. Got my baggage yesterday

He is staying within a foot of me at all times. For all the TLC he got, I think he just is glad I'm back. He did the doggie equivalent of bursting into tears- kind of a wail- when he saw me. Dogs aren't materialistic, they just live for love.

[Radio_Lady]

13. Good news! Glad your stuff showed up!

You're in Madison, Wisconsin?

Supposed to be a beautiful city -- one of the best.

I knew one woman there named Ethel Dunn on Larkin Street. Haven't heard from her for a long time. She was the leader of a nationwide grandparent support group.

[undeterred]

14. There are some requirements to living here

You have to be an activist, a vegetarian, have tatoos, be a member of an alternative political party or have an alternative lifestyle, have lots of bumper stickers on your car... or at least one of the above and think diversity is the best thing in the world.

It is a beautiful city with lots of free stuff, and amazing progressive politicians.

I meet other Wellstone progressives while walking my dog in the woods. How many places can you say that?