The Home Stretch

Dexter at the Colcord Hotel

I’m pooped.  My BF tells everybody what a great traveling companion I am and how I never complain… he should only hear what I’m really thinking.  Oh, I don’t mean to start whining now… after all, how often does a dog get to take a great road trip?  But I’d like to get home already, go back to my own napping spots in the kitchen and on the stairway landing… back to my favorite dog park (chasing the ball at rest stops is better than nothing, but I prefer my own park and my neighborhood dog buddies).

But we’re almost home.  This is our last night in a hotel and, I must say, it’s the nicest hotel we’ve been in…. the Colcord in Oklahoma City… it’s a classic old building they’ve fixed up very nicely… the rooms are HUGE… the bathrooms have really marble and granite (literally much cooler than vinyl tiles when it comes to stretching out on after a hot day)… and there’s no extra charge for me!

Well, you’ll have to excuse me now… I have to catch a few ZZZZs before we hit the road tomorrow.

– Dexter

PS:  What are your favorite spots to sleep at home, nap time and night time?

Maybe I Could Be An Artist, Too

Dexter at Cadillac Ranch

On our way  from Sante Fe to Oklahoma City, just outside Amarillo, Texas, we came upon something that I can only imagine is the work of Clifford the Big Red Dog (if you don’t know who that is, you’ve obviously never had little kids in your pack).  It’s 10 old Cadillacs buried out in a field… they call it Cadillac Ranch.  Now, if I dig a bunch of holes and partially bury things, I get into trouble.  People do the same thing and they call it art….  more or less.

So, have you ever created any art?  Do we have any painting pooches or sculpting cats out there?

– Dexter

Dog & Catechism

Dexter at the Basilica of St. Francis in Santa Fe

As heavenly as it was and is, we had to leave Sedona and start driving home.  The BF and I  stayed over in Santa Fe, taking an early morning walk through the old downtown on a beautiful Sunday morning.

The bells were ringing in front of the old Basilica of St. Francis (which kind of spooked me out at first) and pretty soon people were streaming into the early mass.  We stayed outside, as most churches are limited in their dog-friendliness, except those few that have blessing-of-the-animals days.  My BF was looking kind of dreamy-eyed, first at the church, then at me, then at the St. Francis statue, then at me, and I knew what he was thinking… he was wondering about his heartbroken friend who asked him if dogs go to heaven (his friend who’d just lost is 13 year old Yorkie).  He told him at the time that he didn’t really know exactly how that works, but that since God created dogs and cats and all animals he trusted him to include them somehow in his plan to make creation whole.

As I overheard this, I couldn’t help but wish I could speak up right then and there and tell him not to worry.  After all, I don’t.  Unlike people, who seem very disconnected from their Creator much of the time and very nervous about whether or not they’ll get to go home at the end of the day, I’m confident that I’m just the way my Creator wants me to be right now.   I already am home. I’m already at peace (with a little ecstasy thrown in when he throws the magic tennis ball…).  But I appreciate the concern humans have about us pets.  I appreciate the concern my BF has for me.  I know it just means he loves me.

— Dexter

PS:  Does anybody care to share their thoughts, or what you’ve heard from your BF, on whether or not we much-loved pets go to heaven (and I realize that some of your BFs may not even believe in God or heaven, but mine does).

Back in the Swim

Dexter at the Crescent Moon Ranch swimming hole on Oak Creek in Sedona

I mentioned Crescent Moon Ranch before, on the west side of Sedona, Arizona… it’s my new favorite place.  We’ve been a couple  of times, and I hope we get to come a few more.  I don’t  know what I enjoy more… chasing the kids in my pack as they jump into the water, or jumping in after a ball… OK, I do know… the ball always wins, but that didn’t seem PC (People Correct).

So my question for my pet buddies out there:  what’s your favorite water toy? A simple ball?  One of those flying disc thingys? A whatsamawhosit on a rope?  And I know its mostly us dogs that like the water… but do any of you cats get into the swim?

Unparalleled Dog Park-ing

Dexter @ the Sedona city dog park

I always like to look for dog parks wherever we go… you know, those places where I can officially go off-leash and get a good workout.  This trip has had both the best and worst I’ve seen.  The worst?  At a rest stop in Colorado, where the “dog park” was really just a narrow strip of naked ground, pock-marked by doggy “land mines”.  The best?  Well, at least the best view is the official dog park in Sedona. There’s an open area to chase the ball against an AMAZING backdrop of red rocks, plus a canine hiking area, not to mention a very nice cast of local regulars.

So tell me, what’s your favorite dog park, and why? And have you ever had to chase a tennis ball smack dab into a prickly pear cactus? (Some of us have…)

… Dexter

What ever happened to “No Dog Left Behind?”

They may think I'm waiting at the window the whole time, but...

OK, I suppose I knew that it had to happen sooner than later.  I mean, they’re only human, right? They need a little time to themselves (for my part, I could spend every waking hour surrounded by the entire pack).  Still, I hate being left behind even for a couple of hours… even in a nice, air conditioned townhouse… even with ice cubes in my water bowl that I can lick and chew to my hearts content.

They went out to lunch at a restaurant – so what would be wrong with a picnic at a park, so I could tag along? It’s my vacation, too! Oh well, I think I’ll just stretch out here on the cool tile and dream about yesterday’s dip in the swimming hole.  Ahhhh.

– Dexter

PS:  What do any of you do when your BFs leave you home alone? Do you get up on the furniture? Chew up old shoes? And has anybody figured out how to turn on the TV remote?

What a Snore

I always sleep in the same room as my BF, but on vacation, with the smaller room, we’ve been closer than ever. Thankfully he hasn’t been snoring much… but he does talk (or mumble) in his sleep.  Now when I dream, I’m dreaming of chasing the ball, or chasing the ball, or, maybe, swimming after the ball if its thrown into the water.  My BF?  He’s dreaming about work!

Last night he was kicking the covers around as he just kept repeating, “Ad copy. Website copy. Corporate copy. Brand names. Brand strategies. I’m a freelance writer, I do it all (if the check clears).”  He’ll be quite a couple of minutes and then he starts in again, exactly the same way:   “Ad copy. Website copy. Corporate copy. Brand names. Brand strategies. I’m a freelance writer, I do it all (if the check clears).” He really needs to get  a life.  I keep trying, but, well… he really needs to get a life.

Dexter in Oak Creek, below Cathedral Rock

As for me, well, I definitely got a life today… down at the swimming hole. We went to Crescent Moon Ranch, a national park area just west of Sedona, and stayed until the sun got gold and dusky and, well, pretty amazing. Behind us was Cathedral Rock, and  under our paws… Oak Creek, shallow and cool and oh so much fun. (OK, so I was a little scared.

I swam and swam and raced up and down the red rocks in the middle of the creek… boy, am I gonna be tired.  Gotta go to bed now. Here’s hoping I DON’T hear “Ad copy. Website copy. Corporate copy. Brand names. Brand strategies. I’m a freelance writer, I do it all (if the check clears).”

So who else out there likes to swim.?     — Dexter

Take a Hike

Dexter hiking in Sedona, atop Teacup summit

Well, we finally made it to Sedona. I’ve never seen anything like this.  Huge red rocks in the most amazing shapes… prickly plants that stick you in the wrong spot if you raise your leg too close to them… smells that I just can’t figure out (my motto:  When it doubt, leave a mark).

We’re back together with the family, so my BF and Mom took me for a hike today.  I was glad it was a short one.  They kept spraying me with water or pouring it over my neck and back.  Have any of you done much hiking, especially in the desert?  It’s different, and you really need to be prepared. (Next time I’m getting a closer-cropped haircut!)

After our hike we stopped in town at a great shop, Three Dog Bakery (www.threedogsedona.com) and the owner was really helpful with lots of hiking tips (not to mention fresh-baked dog treats).  We picked up an ice pack collar that you simply keep in the freezer and then pull it out and put it around your neck  for hikes…. it really cools me off.

Tomorrow we’re going to a swimming hole on the creek – I can’t wait. Do any of you hike or camp or like getting out in the wild with your BF?

– Dexter

Sedona red rock vista

Star Treatment

We made it to Flagstaff, AZ, a charming and very dog-friendly town (I sat out on the downtown square next to my BF as he sat at an outdoor cafe for a late-evening beer. We also saw a crowd of people gather to take care of a couple abandoned young dogs).

Our hotel is definitely the most interesting pet-friendly hotel to date… The Monte Vista Hotel (www.montevistahotel.com) a 1920s place that had my BF ooo-ing and ahh-ing over all the ’40s and ’50s movie stars who stayed there. (Yes, he made me sit for a picture outside Room 408, where Humphrey Bogart stayed. And no, my BF is not a frustrated screenwriter, although many copywriters are… he may be frustrated about other things, but not that.)

I was a little disappointed that Lassie or Rin Tin Tin or even Hubble (from “Good Boy,” one of my favorite dog movies) had never stayed there Say, speaking of dog movies, I’d love to hear what your favorite dog movie is, OK?

– Dexter

Gettin’ my kicks

We headed out of Albuquerque down anothet huge highway – Interstate 40 – and after a while my BF got really excited and had to pull off and, yes, take more pictures. Something about Route 66 and how a long time ago it was a really cool road even though it only had two lanes, and how car trips were more of an adventure then…

I don’t know… it seems like humans have this big thing about the way life used to be. Personally, I think pets are better at just being… I mean, I don’t worry alot about my past or how I measure up against the other dogs in my old puppy class or, well, anything like that. Do you?

A ways down the highway from the first stop we pulled off again to get some souvenirs at this place with fake teepees. Souvenirs are just another part of the way humans like to live in the past, trinkets to help them remember trips, and I wouldn’t mind so much except nobody ever gets me any souvenirs. Do your BFs bring you treats from their trips?

Dexter