Tails from the Road Part Two

Was our cross country trip to pass out puppies only four nights? So many miles, so many places, so many happenings, all in just a few days? 

Days were long in the car, but between audio books, This American Life podcasts, and naps, it wasn’t bad.  We stopped every couple of hours for the pups to stretch their legs, and they all travelled well. They peed on command and mostly slept while driving.  

Each day we tried to get as far as we could towards our next meet up location and the puppy owners were kind enough to be flexible along with us.

Our hotel stops weren’t planned very far in advance, but we got lucky in finding ideal places with ground floor rooms. Although, I am afraid that I didn’t take advantage of that in the middle of the night.  Instead, I was so tired that I lazily sat pups on their peepads instead of leashing them for a walk at 3am.  

This resort in Tarrytown, NY was our favorite stop.  Ruby’s family lived in Manhattan, and obliged us by driving a half hour to meet outside of the city to get her.

She is a lucky pup who will live on Central Park.

The hotel was an old estate on a hill overlooking the Hudson transformed into a resort.  I would’ve loved to stay longer and explore, but we had a mission.  I felt a little like Santa, flying across country to bring joy.

We did get in to Tarrytown early enough for a delicious room service, Asian meal.  Restaurants were out due to not only Covid, but to having a passel of pups with us. 

Ruby’s family brought us fresh, NY bagels! We got up early to let the babies frolic on the expansive lawns and figured we’d eat a granola bar in the car after Ruby left.  These were a magnificent surprise!

And the world’s most delicious bagel.  So was the cream cheese.  It was so Rich, that it was almost an ivory tone.  Do they mix it with butter there?  

Delicious!

Driving across country during a pandemic can be eerie.  We were extra careful, but it was disconcerting to see so many people with no masks (mostly in Missouri and Indiana) unlike the area we live in.  I doubled up and wore a face shield too.

We listened to the news reports of the cases soaring, and swore to be even more careful than planned.  We couldn’t do typical tourist stuff, or explore much.  We wanted to get back home safely and quickly.

Our first stop in Indiana at my sister’s was much too fleeting, and our first night with the pups was stressful at the hotel.

But finding this mansion estate (under $200, including pet fees) turned our trip around.

We decided then, that we were going to try local foods as we drove cross country and upgrade our hotels along the way.  We spent more, but it made the trip feel like a get away, not a chore.

We had a car picnic at a really nice seafood restaurant in Mendon, MA after dropping off a Teddy. 
(In the two litters, we had three Teddies and one Freddy)

That lucky boy lives in a wonderful home by a lake now.

That night, we stayed in Buffalo at a Hyatt Place.  Not a mansion, but a perfect hotel for puppies.  There wasn’t as much for them to get into there, those rooms are streamlined.  Other places had dangling cords or other temptations.  I think Hyatt Place is ready for pets nationwide and most other chains just accommodate animals on an individual basis.  

We’ve always been fans of this brand anyway, it’s a well run, comfortable place to stay.  I wish we had chosen one on our first night on the road, but that was before we decided to not be on a tight budget and to enjoy the trip.

The puppies are supposed to be a business for me, but they are so much more than that.  So, why should I try to be frugal and make a profit on the drive to get them to their homes?  We figured it was much more pleasant to treat this adventure as a getaway, because there aren’t very many of those in this day and age.

After getting another Teddy (the poor boy whose previous family didn’t want him) to his Wisconsin family who met us in Chicago, we drove around to sight see and stopped at Portillo's, to get a Chicago style dinner to go. 

Local foods made our trip so much more interesting than typical drive thrus would have.  And the change of attitude did too.  

But the best part of the trip?  We came home with Molasses, “Molly”.  I kept thinking we should try to sell her too, and had many offers.  She came with us on the drive as kind of an interview process to see if we were keeping her.

While she was a perfect pup, and quite mellow, I was still iffy.

People asked us if we were keeping her, I answered maybe, Rich always answered yes.  I was still getting emails from interested buyers and just couldn’t commit.

Finally, he made me see that she was already family.  And now that we are home, tearing down the puppy corrals, packing up supplies, I am so glad that she is here.  It is the six month anniversary of Ryan’s death, and I don’t think I could handle losing all sixteen puppies on top of that.

This girl has sweet Angel wings on her chest, that make me think she was sent to me from Ryan to give me someone who loves hugs as much as he always did.

 

You know who else was glad we kept her?  These two mamas were overwhelmed with joy when we got back!

 

 

Comments

[Marilyn]

Sweet Molly!! She was meant to be yours. Those angel wings are one of those signs from your boy. I have always called them "Pennies from Heaven". I have several, little yellow butterflies, feathers, cardinals, consecutive numbers (11:11 is always Hi Mom).
Love to you

Marilyn in Missouri

[halı modelleri]

great post thank you