Happy "Gotcha Day", Meadow!

A year ago tomorrow is when we adopted Meadow (her "gotcha" day). When we first saw her in the shelter, we saw big brown eyes and a dog cowering in the front of the cage as if to say "I'm so scared but willing to give people a second chance if you give me a second chance". The SPCA has just pulled her, as the animal shelter was putting her to sleep that week. She was a stray and was a very terrified/traumatized dog. Khris spent almost a hour outside with this very scared older puppy before she finally approached him. After that, she was his and he was hers. 

Meadow and Khris - first picture, right after she let him pet her

She had every "shelter" disease one could imagine - kennel cough, parasites, and an infected spay site. She was terrified of everything, especially women. It was a long time before I could glance her way without her fear-peeing. She, due to her attachment to Khris, developed severe separation anxiety. We tried training, medication, crating versus not crating, etc, meanwhile she destroyed many of our things and injured herself many times. But we never even thought of giving up on her. Eventually, we solved the anxiety (at the advice of our vet and the SPCA) by adopting a dog her age, for her very own (Bandit). 

Bandit was outgoing, calm, and confident - everything she needed in a best dog friend! The SPCA was awesome in helping us choose him for her! 

A year later, we have a happy, athletic (our girl plays hard!), and healthy dog. She still takes awhile to warm up to new people, but once she does, she is your BFF for life (she never forgets a face). While she looks like a soulful hound, we discovered in a DNA test that her energy level and love of herding *everyone* was that she also was part "herding breed". She has been on hikes, to dog parks, on camping trips, to the beach, exploring cities, and everywhere we can take her! She loves being with us. Her favorite place in the world is anywhere Khris is!

Meadow's first beach trip, with her Khris!

We love our Meadow-lark and could not imagine not having her in our lives. Shelter dogs, due to sometimes difficult pasts, may not always be the easiest in the beginning, but it's my opinion that they always become the most "worth it". Her intense loyalty of her family and her daily joy at her life make her a fantastic part of our family. Happy "gotcha" day, Meadow!

Finally home, where she belongs!

Harper's Ferry, WV - A Day Trip (April 2015)

Pegasus

I enjoyed hanging out with the pack for a day hike in Harper's Ferry. My parents love Harper's Ferry and all the beautiful views. Sometimes, the trail got to be too long for my little legs, so we would stop and rest. Mom said she was glad to stop and rest me, because she was tired too!

Also, some parts of the trail were too rocky for me to be able to navigate safely, due to my age and size. Thankfully, my parents were happy to carry me over these parts! 

Meadow

Wow, what a fun day! I had so much fun exercising on all the trails! There were a few parts that made me nervous. Crossing the train bridge (see that bridge below me in the picture?) was tight with people and other dogs. I stayed close to my Khris, but I was a little nervous about the crowds. On the way back, I was so tired, I did not worry about the crowds anymore! At the end of the train path there were some really scary stairs. I did not want to go down them, but my Khris went ahead of me and showed me it was okay. I had to be brave to show Bandit it was okay!

On the trails, we saw a lot more people. I felt shy, however, Bandit was having so much fun meeting new people, that I met some new people too. It was not even bad at all, I liked it! I slept very good on the way home. I cannot wait to go back!

Bandit

I saw so many people! Oh boy! I love people! I met other dogs, I love other dogs. I followed Meadow everywhere, I love Meadow! I loved being with my pack! I love sitting up high and looking at the views! On the trails, we saw so many people passing us and I was so excited to meet each one! I wanted to catch up to the ones ahead of us, so I could make friends with them too! The stairs were scary, but once I saw Meadow go down them, I followed her. Meadow is my best friend! She and I were both nervous of the train going by the train path, but once we saw my parents were not worried, we did not worry either! I love trains, I think!

I loved wading in the water and getting tossed food from my parents' picnic! This was such a fun day, I cannot wait to go back. I slept so very good on the way home. My mom said I was "exhausted finally". I don't know what exhausted means, but if it means I had a really super fun day with my family, that is what I was! 

Tips

• At the end of the path by the railway (across the water) there are spiral, grated stairs that can be scary for most dogs. Bring treats and a lot of praise! If your dog does not want to go down the stairs, that trail can also be reached by road.
• Bring lots of water!
• Bring leashes that you can tie to benches, if you want to eat by the riverside. 
• The dogs may enjoy wading in the river, be cautious of any broken glass in or by water (though we did not see any on this trip). 
• The dogs (and you) may find the people in costume fascinating!
• Bathrooms are available in town, be sure to visit them before heading on the trail!
• Yummy ice cream and shakes are to be found, some with windows on the sidewalk to order, since you cannot enter most establishments with dogs.
• The hikes are steep, keep your dogs leashed so they do not run off the trail! 

Any tips you would suggest for a trip to Harper's Ferry with dogs? Comment below and let us know! We learn something new each time we visit! 

Mom and "the boys"

Dad and all three dogs

Williamsburg, VA - Weekend Trip (October 2014)

This trip was very fun and we had a fantastic time with family! We brought just Meadow, Pegasus stayed with his grandma.

However, we did not discover a lot of dog-friendly attractions, other than walking around downtown. If there is a next time, we plan on perhaps trying a tour with our dog(s) and see how that goes. If anyone knows of dog-friendly attractions in Williamsburg, please comment and let us know!

Meadow did enjoy the (dog-friendly) motel, because she got to lay on the bed, which she does not get to do at home! :)

Bethany Beach, DE - Our First Beach Trip! (September 2014)

Pegasus

I won’t be writing much this blog post. I ended up getting a cold right in time for our first vacation with my parents and my new sister Meadow. Therefore, I spent a lot of my time in our room at Merias Gardens in Bethany Beach, DE. 

Merias Gardens was very dog friendly! The manager loves dogs and was very nice to us. There are no "poop stations" though, but Mom was prepared and brought her own bags. They consider dogs part of the family at Merias Gardens and I heard my parents say they will stay there again next time. I loved the hardwood floors (although I know better than the make messes, it would make easy clean-up for dogs who don't know better!) and was quite comfy napping in my room most of the time.

As I was feeling better on Sunday, my parents brought me to Dewey Beach, DE, which is a dog friendly beach (although you first have to purchase a pet license at the iDEWEY Visitor Center for about 8 dollars). There were a lot of dogs running on the beach, leashed and not leashed. I did NOT like the sand, the ocean, and the people (see how I felt about it in my picture below). However, I did take a nice little nap in the sun. Meadow, however, had a fantastic time playing and enjoying the beach. Pick up after your dogs, so no one steps on any poop mines!

As I did not get out a lot due to my cold, I will let Meadow take over from her about her adventures at Bethany Beach, Dewey Beach, and Ocean City.

Meadow

Hello everyone! My name is Meadow. I am the big dog in the house and I love my humans! They saved me even though I was very shy and timid at the SPCA. I warmed up to my new mom and dad very quickly and I have a very strong bond to them. They also got this little thing they call a "Pegasus" for me for when I came to my forever home.... squirrl!!!... cough.. sorry about that where was I? Oh, right! Pegasus. He is my best buddy, we love each other!

This weekend for my dad’s birthday mommy planned a special trip to THE BEACH!!! Guys, you don’t understand! There is this stuff they call "sand" and it’s soft on your feet and you can run in it and chase sticks and balls.. be right back, gotta go check on dad... ok I am back.. he's fine. Anyway, the beach is an amazing place. We were in the car for a long long time and I got very restless on the way there but when we got there we went to the beach and it was AWESOME!!!

The place that mom and dad sleep was inside and it was very nice. They even let me sleep in the same room with them and Pegasus! Pegasus was pretty sick this weekend so he just lay around the room all day and slept while I went out and had an amazing time. 

The next morning mom and dad got up and took me to breakfast with them and I met the owner of the place they stayed. She was very nice and loved me!The next day we went to the beach again and went to a few places to eat. I don’t like car rides too much (it upsets my tummy) but mom and dad cleaned up after me a few times and all was well. I LOVE THE BEACH!! I hope mom and dad bring me back again. This was an amazing trip. It’s time to go home now and I am sad to be leaving but I know mom and dad will take me other places with them. They are talking about another trip already somewhere else. They said it’s called "camping". I don’t know what that is but I hope it’s as much fun as this beach!

 Meeting waves

 Meadow playing on the beach

Pegasus napping on the beach!