Category: Pug Life

We are no longer camping, but staying in a swank boutique hotel in Mendocino, CA. We crossed the Mendocino county line blasting the Willie Nelson & Leann Womack song “Mendocino County Line.” Fitting, huh?

Nearly each night when we were camping our little dog would hover near us shivering looking really wimpy. She’d refuse to go into the tent unless she could see us, which wasn’t always an option. Instead of playing nursemaid to her, we discovered a simple swaddle with a beach towel and strategically placing her in the car resulted in some loud snores.

Now that there isn’t a tent in sight or even a dirt floor, Sydney is happy as a little clam. She has been bouncing on the bed, wagging her tail trying to entice us to play a game with her.  It’ going to be difficult to explain to her that this whole hotel thing is a short-lived deviation from our road trip plans.

We are all the way here in the magnificent Redwoods and it turns out that they love dogs less than Edmonds. We were kind of expecting this, but it still hurts. We love our dog more than is probably necessary or reasonable. For this reason we smashed her into our backpack and took her on the trail with us. Her little paws didn’t touch the forrest floor. We promise. Scout’s Honor.

She was really into it. I think that she really would rather be carried anyhow. For the duration of our time on the trail she sniffed, gazed and pretty much let it all hang out, at least until we got back to the car.

It was swift and quick to not move around with a short little dog needing to smell each and every leaf. We kept seeing other dogs left to sweat-it-out in their own cars. SO SAD. I get it. I do.

BUT wouldn’t it be cool to have an off-leash dog park at the head of each trail so at least dogs wouldn’t have to wait for their anxious owners to return? I know, I know, not the best idea, but I told Syd we’d try not to take her to any more National Parks unless there was a change.