Edith and Kavita know our living situation, but I’d like to fill the rest of you in briefly for context. My husband Ben and I have a small home on Hilton Head Island, SC, with our large, main home just north of Cincinnati, OH. I spend better than half my time in SAC, with Ben being there every six weeks or so. Ben is now only two years shy of retirement so we are downsizing, selling the big house and purchasing a condo in Ohio for these last few years. SECR has trusted us to travel between SC and OH, and we are so very grateful for the opportunity to foster the awesome, cool dude Indiana Bones.
The trip from Hilton Head to Cincinnati takes anywhere between 10.5 and 13 hours, depending on the traffic, so although Indy’s anxiety (panting and pacing) on car rides is getting better with practice, we were concerned about this. A half hour before we left I gave him three of the calming treats as the trainer said was safe to do. We had purchased a “puppy hammock” for the back seat for the trip, and it was roomy enough for both his bed and crate pad, talk about traveling in comfort! He did not pace as much and the panting was calmer, but he also seemed a bit sluggish with the addition of the third treat, despite there being no melatonin. Our goal is to make these treats unnecessary, even on long car rides.
Hangin’ in the puppy hammock.
This trip took about 11 hours, and Indy was a good boy for the whole trip. He got out to potty and exercise at every stop, and made good use of the geocaching doggie bowl we have had since out GSD many years ago. The pacing was much diminished, but he really wanted to watch out the windows, and Ben believes that his inability to do this easily, being short and all, is part of his anxiety. I don’t know how to make looking out easier for him without compromising his safety, but if anyone has any suggestions, I’d much appreciate it.
When we got to the house, Indy did not show much interest in being outside, but trotted right in through the door and started exploring his new digs. He wanted y’all to know that carpeted steps are sooo much easier to zoom up and down than those hard wood ones 🙂 This last photo is a bit blurry because it is an action photo taken when I thought my phone was set to video. I think Indy rolled around on the carpet in every room that had it. Guess he likes that soft stuff.
That’s nice!