Little Trooper

Dear Cubby,

I've never seen a dog so happy to be home in my whole life!  Our annual family reunion in Virginia was undoubtedly the single most stressful trip you've ever had in your life.

It all began in "High-Drama City", AKA Charlotte International Airport.  Last year taught me a very valuable lesson ... to only feed you half a meal at a time throughout the day and plan on plenty of leisurely stroll time to the gate which is, without exaggeration, half a mile from the center of the terminal.  No problem!  We allowed plenty of time and arrived at the gate unshaken and happy ... until I went to give you a cookie and my little zipper case was gone!  It had my boarding pass and ID in it!!  It had to be at security.  We were supposed to board in forty minutes!  But we had no choice than to hike all the way back there.  Thankfully, Charlotte was unseasonably cool; we could never have pulled off what we did had it been ten degrees warmer.  I got a wheelchair assist and you trotted alongside.  Security said no one had turned it in but, since it was so critical that we find it, they pulled the tape and watched as I put that zipper pouch into my backpack.  I felt incredibly stupid as they opened the backpack and there it was ... I had put it in the wrong compartment and never even looked there.  Okay, that was thoroughly embarrassing.  And God bless the assistant ... he pushed us all the way back to that half-mile-away gate with you galloping beside and we got there at the final boarding call.  Neither of us felt especially well, but we made it!  Boy, did he earn every penny of his exorbitant tip!!

It was summer storm season in the East and we endured a turbulent ride right through it!  I don't know who was sicker, you or me.  But that's where Jake's advice was especially critical.  On a full tummy, you'd have lost it for sure.

I was absolutely amazed, Cubby.  When we got to Cousin Jim's house, the first place I took you was out back.  You made a beeline right to that playhouse because, a year ago, that's where we kept your ball between playtimes.  And you remembered that! So, this year we again kept your ball up there for romping play sessions in that huge back yard.

You got to rest a bit on Thursday and Friday, in spite of a little black puppy who delighted in jumping, growling, barking, and nipping at you every time you went outside.  You patiently endured it all, and I protected you as much as possible but it became quite evident you needed some metronidazole to settle your insides.  Thank goodness Sophie left you some.

You got to chill out for a couple of hours Friday morning as we met up with Uncle Wayne and Aunt Brenda at Cracker Barrel.  They would miss the Saturday reunion to attend their granddaughter's graduation, so they were kind enough to run through Bristol on their way so we could visit.

You were amazing at the reunion on Saturday!  I never had to worry about you once.  You were on a 20-foot tie-out and I brought along a nice pop-up tent with plushie pads, but you preferred to chill out on the concrete.  It was pretty hot there toward the end but you still enjoyed some strawberries and ice cubes to cool you off.  You weren't sure what to think about the booming cannons from some war reenactment in another part of the park, but you took to heart my "never mind" command and you were pretty much okay with it after that.

Sunday and Monday you still had the Taz dogging you every time you went out so I finally said, 'enough already' and just wouldn't allow you out in the yard together.  That was easier said than done, since that little stinker pulled himself free of his collar and easily fit through the slats on the gated porch.  It was a constant battle but one you handled fairly gracefully.  I'll tell ya, I really admired your restraint!

Monday night's bluegrass concert at Crooked Road General Store was awesome!  The music was a little loud for your comfort but you were much happier with a couple of tissues stuffed into your ears ... until the mascot from the Bristol Pirates made an appearance, stepping on your paw and causing you to look up at this eight-foot burly, black-haired, scary-looking giant!  Bless your heart, you never made a sound but tried to hide your head and squeeze under the chair.  It was just as easy for me to hightail you out of the area and hold you close till the monster was gone, then you were fine after that.

If you can imagine it, the trip home on Tuesday was way worse than the trip out there.  Our bouncy, extremely turbulent plane, as bad or worse than any flight we've ever taken on one of those puddle jumpers, was very late getting out of Tennessee, wiping out our leisurely stroll time in Charlotte.  We hurried out to the dog walking area for only a short few minutes, then back through security, grabbed a sandwich for the plane, and got to the gate with six minutes before boarding.  I got you to eat about 3/4 of a cup of kibble and take a few laps of water but you didn't want anything more.  So ... we boarded the airplane and ... just ... sat ... there ... for ... TWO ... hours, waiting for a lightning storm to pass.  You slept the entire six hours we were on that plane.

There's just something about Sky Harbor airport that gets your tail a-waggin' and, boy, were you happy to be back in Phoenix!  And if I hadn't had hold of your harness, when you saw Daddy you'd have knocked him over.  I finally had to release you and you all but jumped into his arms ... you were all over him!!  And whining!!  Soooo happpeee!!

We're getting some intense heat in Phoenix; it's supposed to be at least 115 ever day until Tuesday when we're looking at 120.  And somehow, I don't think there's anywhere you'd rather be.

So, Cubby, that's it for TN/VA for another year.  I asked more of you this trip than I ever have in your whole life and, as you always do, you handled everything like a real trooper and I couldn't have been prouder of you.  Oh, how I wish I could've done more to protect you from one trauma after another, and I hope you know I tried.  Lots of lessons got learned, while those ordeals might put the rest of your life's experiences into perspective.

I love you, Cubby.  And I'll always do everything in my power to protect and comfort you, even if it means leaving you at home sometimes.  You might not understand why; but then, after this past week, you just might.

Photo Descriptions:  Cubby with Uncle Wayne and Aunt Brenda; Cubby at the playhouse waiting for his ball; Cubby's nemesis, the little black dog named Han; Cubby chilling out at the reunion; mascot for the Bristol Pirates.