pet connection

We got on the road early this morning, headed for Crater Lake, which I’ve long wished to see. It was beautiful–just as icy-blue as it looks in photos. It was also very cold: a bone-chilling 41 degrees. Hey, we’re from Southern California; we have thin blood. We admired it, took some photos, glanced inside old-timey Crater Lake Lodge, and then high-tailed it out of there in search of a cell phone signal so I could do a quick interview with Canadian radio host Roy Green, who wanted to discuss the diagnostic talents of dogs and cats.

Since we were only 100 miles away and had time to explore, we decided to visit Bend, Oregon, which always seems to be on various Best Places lists. A phone call to my sister in Seattle helped us find our way to downtown and we spent a pleasant hour or two walking the girls there and imagining what it might be like to live there. It seemed pretty dog-friendly. Lots of people asked to pet the girls or wanted to know what breed they were, and we saw a number of other dogs, including a Flatcoat, a Bulldog and an American Pit Bull Terrier, also being walked in the area. Twyla, backed up by Harper, tried to go after the Flatcoat, much to the amusement of the guy with the APBT. Sigh. We are going to have to do some serious remedial training. They really feed off each other.

Our diarrhea-prevention water plan seems to be working well. In the past, Bella and Darcy sometimes had problems when they drank water in other places, so we try to accustom them to it gradually. We filled up a gallon jug with water from home when we left. As we use it, we add water from wherever we are. No gastrointestinal issues so far.

The other thing that’s working well, to prevent carsickness, is an herbal liquid called Ease the Quease, which I reviewed on DogCars.com. Everyone gets it before we set off in the morning, and we’re not seeing any glassy eyes, panting, drooling or vomiting, despite all the curvy mountain roads we’ve been driving (which would be more fun in the Miata but aren’t bad in an Outback). Even better: the tripmeter says we’re averaging 30 miles per gallon.

The girls undoubtedly like Oregon because here, the law requires that an attendant pump gas for you. In both places we’ve filled up, we’ve been asked if the dogs can have a treat. Now that’s something they’d like to get used to.

Tomorrow, before the last leg of our trip, we’re visiting Portland’s dog-friendly International Rose Test Garden.