Our first year with Rocket brought many challenges and surprises, but life was finally becoming more routine, and we were adjusting quite nicely as a family (this family includes our pups). It was time to go on vacation and there was no question that Rocket would go, too. Training would continue on the road! When packing for a trip, it’s hard enough to pack for the humans who are going but add in one well behaved dog and a growing pup and packing just gets harder. We weren’t sure how Rocket would do on the long car rides and there would be much stimulation and new places for him to explore. We needed to be prepared for every circumstance. Packing included multiple collars, leads, harnesses, biscuits, treats, dog food, dog travel tumbler, food and water bowls, blankets, bones, balls, and frisbees, and of course the doggie doo doo bags. I think the dog suitcase was bigger than mine! Not only did we need to pack for every circumstance, but I also felt that I needed to make a comfortable space for the pups in the truck for the ride. In so doing, I needed to build up the floor to the seat level in order to enlarge the “dog bed” area. We didn’t want the pups to be falling off the seats or feeling crowded. They had blankets and pillows to ensure their absolute comfort. At times, I was a little envious; they had better seating accommodations than I did in the front seat!!! I may have mentioned earlier in a previous post how badly Rocket travels in a vehicle. This pup cannot sit still. We needed to ensure our safety, so we purchased a net that blocked the pups from coming to the front seats. This net worked for this trip, but as Rocket grew, the net wasn’t enough. I’ll save that for another blog post later! This net was reinforced by our bag of goodies strengthening and enlarging the barrier to the front seat. I am happy to report that neither of the pups tried to take any of the food from our snack bag on this trip! Wait…re-read that last sentence…sounds like all that training is working!!! Now set, we were ready to begin our journey. Rocket’s first vacation was a trip to Indiana Sand Dunes, Upper Peninsula in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
The Indiana Sand Dunes provided us with lots of hiking opportunities. Rocket loves the water and he swims very well, especially considering, according to his DNA test results, he doesn’t really seem to have any water dog genes in him. While climbing the sand dunes, Rocket even carried our shoes on his back; he is a strong, powerful, and determined dog. His focus is nearly impossible to break. I guess we took advantage of that, but after all this sweet little pup put us through, it was a small price for him to pay, besides, he loved it!!!
So, our first big day may have had him a little out of sorts. In the picture above, you are looking at a very exhausted Rocket who doesn’t quite understand how motel rooms work. Dressers are for clothes, not for dogs to sit on. But look at that face, we didn’t have the heart to break that news to him. It wasn’t long before he found the bed and crashed for the evening.
Daily hikes went from sand dunes to town streets in Mackinac Island, Michigan where restaurants were dog friendly. Rocket learned very quickly that hiking sometimes includes food and ice cream! As we headed into Wisconsin and Minnesota, there was much to explore and learn. Hiking trails became wooded and hilly or even mountainous, and the waters became bigger and rockier. Swimming, ice cream, hiking, and bedtime became our daily routine, and we all had a great time. We were very proud of Rocket and how well he behaved on his first vacation. We looked forward to many more travel excursions, but for now, it was time to rest!
One of the best parts about our vacation was that the pups were so worn out by end of day that our evenings were quiet and peaceful!
We are back home next week to continue Rocket’s Story with one of his more comical antics.