“The journey not the arrival matters.” – T. S. Eliot

We recently went to visit family in Baltimore for the Thanksgiving holiday. And since Dolce basically becomes Ghandi and goes on a hunger strike every time I leave her, we figured it'd be best to bring her along with us. And so, Dolce's first road trip commenced.

As we got ready and we were packing the bags to leave I was chatting with my mother and she told me we'd be taking my dad's truck and not her car, so we could bring stuff back with us.  I was immediately perturbed because, anyone who has sat in the cab of a truck for a long period can attest, it's super uncomfortable and not very roomy.  But nonetheless we made due.  So I immediately started planning and figuring who was going to sit where, as I had planned to sit in the back seat with Dolce, in my mother's car.  And I was immediately informed that  my father had "called shotgun" for Dolce a few days prior. Yes, he called shotgun for a dog, I'm not sure what's worse, that  or the fact that he'd rather sit next t the dog than his wife or daughter, but I digress.  Dolce loved it up front, for most of the drive.  David pet her, played with her, she got to keep watch out the windows and she slept in her own seat.  But then a few hours in we started getting the face you see above.  She was just dying to get in the back with Nancy and I.  We eventually switched during one of David's mandated "Dolce breaks" and Nancy moved up front and Dolce and snuggled in back for the remaining hours down to Baltimore. I have to say all in all she handled the trip really really well.  I thought for sure she'd be a terror in the car since it was pouring buckets and she didn't get a walk before we left.  But she mostly slept and we played intermittently between her naps.  She did really well adjusting to her city life at my brother's place, although I think the cats in the neighborhood were none to happy to see us walking down the street, giving me a new found respect for what Smudges deals with every day. And after a few fun days in the Charm City, we headed home again, Dolce now an experienced traveler kept her eyes on the road and said good bye to her first road trip and hopefully the first of many big adventures on the road.
 
 



"Time, the subtle thief of youth" - John Milton Sonnets 7

Dolce - May 2011 and November 2011

Every morning when I get ready for work, since the day we got her, Dolce has sat on the rug in my bathroom while I blowdry my hair. I took her picture (on the left) the first day I left her, to go back to work. It was one of my very first blog posts.  She looked sosad, I hated to leave her. I just remember looking at her on that rug thinking how little and helpless she looked and I just wanted to stay home and squeeze her all day.  Then this morning as I was getting ready for work, blowdrying my hair, I turned to say something to Dolce and hada realization that she has sat in that spot every morning.  So I took the picture on the right this morning.  It wasn't until I really looked at it and thought about it that I realized how big shes gotten and how far she's come. She's no longer that tiny, piglet looking little puppy.  She's like a real dog! Dolce has looked "bigger" to me every day, but every day I look at her and I think she's still my little puppy. I think I knew this all along I just hated to admit it.  I tried to pick her up and put her in my lap last night while I Skyped, and she's just too darn big, weighing in at a hefty 47 pounds now, a far cry from the 8 pound puppy we brought home, not 7 months ago. So I guess John Milton was right.  Time is the subtle thief of youth, because I feel like I turned around for two seconds and she's all grown up, and I have no idea where the time went.  Such is life, tempus fugit! (especially when you're having fun!)

Its almost that time of year again...

Leaves are all finally gone and that can only mean two things...Christmas is almost here and there's lots more things to find on our walks! Found a new trail to hike at the Paine Estate, not too big but pretty trails and lots of hills to tire us out. And Dolce and Nancy shared a walking stick. Then we found the perfect Charlie Brown Christmas tree along the way!

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." - Albus Dumbledore



With winter well upon us the days are getting colder and shorter.  This is hell for the working dog owners.  It leaves us little to no time to play at the park after work without either bringing home a still energetic dog or scuttling about in the dark with a flashlight trying to locate your dog.  Well after a few weeks of this I've said enough is enough. After talking to other dog owners and doing some research online I found some awesome alternatives in the form of light up dog collars. Lets list this under the heading of "Things I never thought I'd research online, before I had a dog"  Well anyways after much debate we've found the best collar with the longest life and one of the brightest lights (that doesn't flash constantly and induce seizures to all those present) is the Night Ize L.E.D. Dog Collar.  It was relatively inexpensive ($15) and serves the purpose well, by being visible up to 1,000 feet away and having a super long battery life of 100,000 hours! All in all I'm pretty impressed, and I haven't lost Dolce yet, so that's always a bonus.  And its a great conversation piece! "Oooh love your prison orange collar, where'd you get it!?"

"God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December." - J.M. Barrie



Well, we live in New England for sure! It's October and its already snowed! We had our first experience with snow unseasonably early this year, just before Halloween. Dolce was interested in it for sure.  Mostly in our back yard she only wanted to go to the bathroom, eat it and then run back inside the house.  But when we went to the park she couldn't have been happier to be playing in it.  She was digging rolling and chasing the snow and generally loving playing with her friends in it.  I've never seen her "frolic" so much, the snow must just do something to them.  Cant wait til we get a real storm and see how she likes it!  Dolce gets snow, and mommy get snow boots so her feet don't freeze! Everybody wins...

Choo Choo! Arriving at Inspiration Station!

So those of you that know me, know that I kick around good business ideas pretty much every day. With that said my latest idea/obsession as a result of no longer having puppy class at the local pet store and the impending terrible winter weather is an indoor dog park or playground.  This is non-existent in the Boston area without having to be enrolled in a regular doggy daycare program.  But what about us owners that want to spend quality time with our dogs after work in the company of other dogs/dog owners, without a flashlight and a parka?! I thought that I may have hit a gold mine and potentially be a genius innovator among thel ikes of Albert Einstein and Alexander Graham Bell, and then I found my very dream already exists...in CANADA. Doggie Central is my dream in carnate.  They offer daycare, classes, open play time (only $10, not bad), grooming/self grooming services and a store front.  AND they even offer frequent buy program so for every item you buy/dollar you spend, you end up saving.  And so, without totally considering the business, insurance and legal logistics, not to mention the financials, I ask my internet followers this.  If a service such as Doggie Central were available to you in your area would you use it?? This could be extremely helpful I grealty appreciate any response!

Would you use Doggie Central type services if provided in your area?
	Yes
	No
	Maybe
pollcode.com free polls

If yes, would you be willing to spend $10 for two hours of "free play"?
	Yes
	No
	Maybe
pollcode.com free polls

Hiking with Brittany!

Took our first hike with the new roommate Brittany this weekend in the Blue Hills in Milton, MA.  It went great.  It wa a beautiful, sunny 80 degree day in the middle of October here in New England, couldn't have asked for better weather. We started with an easy trail, partly for Dolce's sake, and probably partly for ours too.  It was a pretty easy hike.  Next time I think we'll upgrade to a bit tougher trail, didn't seem that bad and it will totally poop her out quicker. And naturally she found a delicious stick to chew on while we stopped for a rest, and hated to move on and leave it behind. Only downside, Dolce got her first tick on the walk, we'll have to be vigilant until that first frost hits!  Butno worries, grandpa came to the rescue and removed it for us!  Thank god I'm a crazy dog mom and checked her out afterwards! Check out the cool photo montage/collage I found online at Smilebox, and it was totally free.  Hope you enjoy!  Happy Fall everyone!

This free collage customized with Smilebox