Time to Pack Your Bags

I actually woke up a little teary-eyed this morning. I had fallen asleep in the recliner, with Lester on my lap. She had come home from Sacramento yesterday to do all the finish-up stuff before she flies off to Boston tomorrow. She had her shots, and was examined by the vet who cleared her for flight.

She slept so well last night and when I woke up, her head was on my shoulder and she was snoring softly. The sky was just barely light, so I turned on something saved on my DVR to watch and sat there, snuggled up with the puppy, thinking that this was the very last time we would sleep together like that. That's when I got teary-eyed. It's always a mixed day when puppies move on to forever homes. For Lester, she'll always be part of the family--which is a happy thing. But she'll live in Boston, which is a sad thing.

I discovered that if I calculated from when she arrived here and the vet's estimation of how old she was, that she was born either on or around December 5, which also happens to be Phil's birthday...so it was fated that the two of them be together.

We went down to the SPCA thrift store to get a travel crate for her. I was so thrilled that Ashley let me know they had crates down there, because we saved a significant amount by buying it through the thrift store, which just had some crates donated...plus we were able to make a purchase to help the thrift store, which was also good.

Lester was wonderful in the car. She just curls up and goes to sleep. She walks very well on the leash with me and was no problem at all weaving in and out among the merchandise and customer legs at the store. She went into the crate to make sure it would fit (in fact, it gives her lots of room to move around in) and then the clerk helped put it in the car.

We tried at first putting it in the back seat, but it was such a tight squeeze that he feared we'd never get it out at the airport. Instead we decided to take it apart and, in two pieces, it fits nicely in the trunk.

Then I decided Lester needed an ID tag, on the off chance she gets loose at Logan Airport. I went to Petco to measure her for a new collar, so she could go off looking all spiffy, and then got ready to have a tag engraved for her. She walked very calmly next to me all the time, lay down while checked out collars, sat calmly next to me while I waited in the check out line.

The woman in front of me said "Oh, it's so nice to see a well trained dog..." She then went on and on about people who don't bother training their dogs. I was very glad I was there with Lester and not with Lizzie!!! Lester is just a mellow dog. I have often thought she has the kind of personality that, if she stays as mellow as she grows to adulthood, would be great for visiting hospitals, rest homes, or working with disabled kids.

Phil came in the afternoon to pick her up, to get his paperwork, and to check out the crate so he can get bowls for water and food (tho she won't need food on this direct flight).

Then he took her back to Sacramento for one more romp with The Bouncer and will be back here in the morning to start the trek back to Boston. Definitely a new adventure for all of us!