Our dog's second vacation took him back to the Hershey, Pennsylvania area and we made three stops in New Jersey to visit family over eight days. Some observations I made and things I learned on the trip:
DOGS CAN REALLY SLEEP: We learned on the first trip to send him day care the day before we leave and it worked perfectly. He probably slept 15-18 hours in a 24 hour time period and once the car engine started, he was fading away just like a baby does in the car. He was a great traveling dog and slept most of the time on the journey home which was longer with the stops in New Jersey. Maybe it's just the car that knocks him out?
DOGS LIKE SINGING JUST LIKE BABIES DO: Odin definitely loves to have his belly rubbed and I sing him a short, little, song that he definitely recognizes. It goes like this: "Odin loves his belly rubbed, his belly rubbed, his belly rubbed. Odin loves his belly rubbed-rub, rub, rub." I don't know why other people think it's funny, maybe it's just cute. I do have another one that I sing on the days he sees me in the morning. (Monday-Thursday) "Good morning, good morning, and how are you today. Good morning, good morning, it's gonna be a great day." I don't think I made that one up, but I sing it. What if all the songs I've written were just so I could sing to Odin?
DOGS ARE LIKE FIRE ENGINE SIRENS: I don't know about you, but when I hear a fire engine coming while I'm driving, I definitely have anxiety. I don't know where it's coming from, but that awful experience is now worse. On the way home, two fire engines passed us and Odin started howling-in my ear of course. That will cause anyone a lot of anxiety. When a dog does that, they actually think it's another dog in the area and they are signaling them that they are here. How big does the dog have to be to sound that loud? I'm thinking "Jurassic Park" type dog? The dog doing the howling is also having anxiety, but I had more of it-in my ear.
DOGS CAN REALLY PEE: I had this thought on the trip, who pees more? My wife, my dog, or me? I know when I take a trip with my wife, we are going to be hitting some rests stops on a regular basis. I've also noticed sometimes in the men's room, there are guys who are peeing from the time I step into the rest room until the time I leave. I always wonder, when was the last time they peed, or how big is their bladder? Odin, pees a lot differently. He goes and then stops and then restarts it a few minutes later. Then, he stops it and a few minutes later, he does it again. I'm pretty sure my wife and I can't do that, so I think Odin wins the peeing contest, but I'm just guessing. I have not measured anything.
IF YOU LET A DOG PULL YOU, YOU CAN SAVE ON GAS: With gas prices as high as they are, there are a lot of ways to save money. I have yet to hear anyone suggest using your dog. When Odin sees a person anywhere, he starts pulling me on the leash towards that person. At one rest stop there was an older woman with a walker heading toward the building. I managed to turn Odin in a different direction, but I really wonder, how many miles down the road could he have taken me?
Below is a picture of Odin with his girlfriends in the neighborhood. When he sees them, he starts towards them and usually winds up hopping like a rabbit. The girls start yelling his name and then roll on the ground with him. (maybe they think he's famous?)
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