I leave on a little holiday tomorrow morning, and Sherman is not invited. He’s staying home largely because we’re going to the Shuswap in BC, where it’s currently so hot that Sherman would expire if we had to leave him in the car for more than seventeen seconds unattended. He’s also recovering from his little infestation last week, so I’m reluctant to take him to another province since the ticks and fleas and other bloodsuckers are more aggressive in British Columbia. Apparently, the Alberta pests are somewhat controlled by our ridiculous winter weather.

Truly, I’m going to miss the speckled one while I’m away, enjoying the beautiful lake region of BC. There will be road trip photos here at Blue Speckled Pup for you to enjoy, so stay tuned for those.

The plan is, I will drive as far as Calgary tomorrow, which is just over three hours from home for me for all you non-locals, where I will stay the night with my bestie. Apparently, we’ll be building dishes for a potluck she’s attending the following evening: I’m a very helpful houseguest. This is the friend whose beautiful antique piano is currently staying here in the dollhouse. She also has a fabulous new apartment that I haven’t seen yet so I need to go warm her new home. I’ll wake early Wednesday morning, and make a bee-line for Salmon Arm and my long-awaited relaxation by the water, another six hours of driving away.

I made the mistake of saying “road trip” in front of the dog, and he’s now feeling a bit put out that he’s not invited for the ride. Sherman loves going places in the car, especially since I bought him a seatbelt harness for his birthday; now he sits on the seat, looking out the window with the airconditioning rippling his fur.

I’m trying very hard to avoid feeling guilty. Sherman is such a lovely doggy, and he’s excellent in the car, and with other dogs, and he loves all the people he meets. If circumstances were different, I would probably take him to BC with me. I’ll be starting the trip alone, and next weekend The Electrician is hopping a midnight bus and waking up in Salmon Arm. From there, we’ll make a decision about the next destinations on our little vacation. I’m not sure yet where we could end up, but I like those kinds of trips.

Travelling with a large-ish dog is complicated. Sherman (thank all that is holy) is not a yappy little purse dog, so it’s not as though he can be smuggled into a hotel room or campsite. Most places that allow dogs have a weight or height restriction, and my lanky boy currently weighs in at 65 pounds, far over most places’ limits.

I was also worried about the heat for my boy, since it would mean we couldn’t leave him in the car to go have lunch or see a movie, and I’d be afraid to leave him in his kennel at the campground: he’s so doggone friendly that he’d be likely to disappear with the first person to offer him a bit of cheese.

No roadtrip for Sherman, this time. We’ll take him to a local lake or something later this summer, but for this trip, he’ll stay at the kennels. I call it a “kennel,” but it’s really more of a sleepaway camp for dogs. I’ve been using Second Home Pet Resort for a number of years now, and it really is a resort for mammals. Sherman gets his own “room” in the big dog wing, but he spends very little of his day there; a large part of the time, he’ll be out in the sunshine, playing with friends the kennel people choose for him based on temperament and size. The last time he stayed at the kennels was when I had my little hand surgery, and he didn’t want to leave. The place is always spotless, has in floor heating, and is run by a wonderful family who treat all the guests like their own babies. These are cushy canine accommodations.

Tomorrow morning, I’ll drop Sherman off with the folks at the pet resort, and I’ll try my best to not feel guilty. After all, he’s going to have a great little holiday of his own.

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