Hello everyone, it’s me, Makena, your favorite dog blogger.

While my parents are busy playing tourists, I thought I would get you updated on my life. For the past eight summers, my parents have always worked. So I’m not sure what to expect this summer, since they will be playing tourists. I’m hoping they will be around more, and that I will have more places to sniff and pee. I’ll probably be spending a lot more time in my kennel with all the traveling. I’ve gotten pretty good at napping while they drive.

Traveling to Canada with a dog

My parents wrote about the requirements of traveling into Canada as a human, so I thought I would do the same for us four legged folks. We don’t need any special apps like the humans do, but we do need to be current on our rabies vaccination. Here is a link for more information.

https://travel.gc.ca/returning/customs/bringing-your-pet-to-canada

As with the humans, there are also food restrictions for pets. You can only bring a maximum of 20 kilograms of dog food into the country. The equates to a whopping 44 pounds of dog food. Well, I say whopping, because my dog food comes in 4.5 pound bags. But for those big dogs, like my friend Cody, that could be an issue. My mom stocked up on three bags of food for me, which should last me all summer, plus a large container of treats. I’m well under the 20 kilogram requirements. This is just something to be aware of if you have bigger dogs.

When we crossed over the border, the border officer did not inquire if I was on board. I slept through the crossing!

Hanging out with my peeps

I haven’t seen my buddy Cody since last October when we left Teton Cabins in Wyoming. Apparently he has been taking steroids or something, because he has gotten huge! But he also went to doggie obedience school, so he’s very well behaved now – except for that butt sniffing thing!

This was Cody and I when we first met last summer, after Cody adopted Karen and Al.

Now look at him!

Our first stop in Canada was High River, Alberta, where my friend Buddy lives. Even though Buddy and I are neighbors in Yuma, we like our space. My parents always force us to pose together.

But this is really how we like to be – socially distanced!

Now if only Cody can learn this – I will have all summer to teach him! Hopefully he is a fast learner.

Quote of the Day: “My fashion philosophy is, if you are not covered in dog hair, your life is empty.” – Elayne Boosler

Hello everyone, it’s me, Makena!

My parents have been busy with work, work and more work. They have two more months to go here at Luton’s Teton Cabins. The cabins are still booked solid, into mid-October. They close for the season on October 10th. The weather has been perfect, mid 70’s during the day, and mid 40’s at night, with no humidity.

When we arrived here in Wyoming, I went to see my doctor for my annual visit. My mom mentioned that I have been having incontinence issues. The doctor asked a lot of questions, and put me on a medication, Diethylstilbesterol Compounded. Whew! That’s a long name for a drug. Basically, it’s a synthetic estrogen. For 5 days, I took one pill every day. They are pretty tasty, so my mom didn’t have to wrap them up in cheese. After the first 5 days, I now take one pill, once a week.

During the first week, I woke my mom up (my dad pretended to be asleep!) in the middle of the night several nights in a row to go outside and pee. She didn’t mind though, because it’s easier to take me out at 3 am, then to get up at 5 am and wash pee-soaked sheets every morning.

After the first week, I have been sleeping all night long, without any problems! My parents are calling my medicine the “fountain of youth” pills, because I have a lot more energy, play more, and take longer walks! I feel great! My mom wants to get a prescription for herself, so she can sleep through the night without having to pee. I guess I better count the number of pills left in the bottle, so she doesn’t start taking mine!

I really enjoyed having family visit a few weeks ago, even though there are no photos of me with Uncle Brian, Aunt LuAnn and my cousins. They came over several times to my house to watch the Milwaukee Bucks play during the basketball playoffs. Good thing I’m deaf now, since I didn’t hear their yelling at the television. Congrats to the Bucks for winning the championship!!

One day I noticed that my neighbor, Karen and Al, put up a doggie jail outside their fifth wheel. I was a little confused by this, so I checked it out, and looked around for a dog.

At first I didn’t like the jail, but now I would like my parents to get one of these for me, so I can sit outside all day in the sunshine.

I keep inspecting all the boxes that arrive for my parents, for my own outdoor pad. So far no luck.

One day, this cute little guy appeared over at Karen and Al’s house. Introducing Cody, a 10 week old Irish Setter.

At first, Cody was my size, and a little shy. So I had some “control” over him, as you can see by my left paw in the picture below. Just keeping him in his place!

But then Karen and Al started feeding Cody Miracle Grow or something, because he just keeps getting bigger and bigger. And he has a lot more confidence and energy. Plus he picked up that pesky habit about wanting to sniff my butt. As you can see, I just have no more control over him! My left paw is no longer effective. Back to social distancing for me!

I can’t wait to get on the road again. My parents are thinking about heading back to Wisconsin when they finish up the season here. And then possibly on to warm and sunny Yuma in December for the winter. Take care everyone! Stay safe!

Meme of the day:

Hello everyone, it’s your favorite dog blogger, Makena!

My parents haven’t posted for a while, so I thought it’s time for me to take over and give you an update. We have been in Yuma, Arizona since mid December. My parents have done very little since they arrived (hence the reason for no updates). They are just trying to stay safe, and there is not much going on in the area. All the activities in the park have been cancelled. There have been a few COVID outbreaks in the park, and sadly a few people in the park have died. My grandparents (Dan’s parents) arrived on January 1, for two months, so my parents are being extra careful for their sake.

My big news, as you are all aware from my mom’s last post, is that I have a new house! I love the extra room, bigger bed, and a new way of traveling, for me. When we had the fifth wheel and then the truck camper, I always rode in my kennel, in the back seat of the truck. I didn’t have much of a view, and when we arrived at a new place, I was stuck in my kennel until my parents had set up the RV and opened up the slides. I never knew what was going on. And if it was raining, or cold, I had to go outside, just to get inside our RV. Not fun.

Now, I get to ride in style! The couch has seatbelts, so my kennel is right up front!

I can easily see what is going on, and even look out the front window from my kennel.  My mom doesn’t put me in my kennel until just before we leave – my dad is buckled up before I am.  When we arrive at a new place, I don’t have to go outside, as I’m already “home.”  I have the life of leisure while they work to get things set up, like my food and toys. 

I’m really enjoying having a king size bed again, as it gives me more room at night.

My parents bought a “new to them”  Honda CR-V to tow behind the motorhome.  I stood in the doorway and barked at it for three days before they finally put me in the car (with my kennel, of course) and took me for a ride.  Once I finally realized that was my new car, I stopped barking at it.  

When it was cold in Colorado, where we bought the RV, my parents had the furnace on.  I discovered that my new favorite place to stay when the heat is on…the bathroom.  I have a rug to lay on, and there is a furnace outlet right under the shower. The heat blows right into my face.  It’s like a spa for dogs!

And speaking of pets and cold, my cousins in Texas had a rough week.  Several days without heat…ugh.  My Aunt LuAnn put sweaters on all three of her dogs, and two cats.  I’m glad they made it through safely, and hope everyone that had to endure that brutal week of cold, without electricity, is doing better.

SENIOR MOMENTS

Next month I will turn 14, and getting old sucks.  First I was losing my hearing and now I’m having issues making it through the night without wetting the bed.  I have no issues during the day, as my parents take me out every few hours.  This past week has not been a good one for my parents and I.  Every night I had a very small accident, and every morning my parents are washing the sheets and mattress pad.   My parents ordered some doggie diapers for me.  After measuring my waist, my mom bought XS female diapers.  Dog diapers have a hole built in for the tail, in case you’re wondering.

I do not like wearing them.  This was my first night with them on. The first night was a disaster, by the way.  Here is my “look of shame.”  

I spend half the night on top of the comforter, and the other half under the covers. My parents put down a pee pad under the cover, in case the diaper leaked. The next morning my mom picked me up to take me outside, and said ‘where is your diaper?’ Well, it fell off on the pee pad. The diaper was dry, the pee pad was dry, but not the bed…sorry mom.

The next night (last night), my parents put a new diaper on me, and then added extra tape. As you can see, the diaper is pretty small. The second night was a failure as well. I still ended up peeing on the bed, as the diaper fell off, and I avoided the multiple pee pads my parents put down.

As I said, it’s tough getting old!  Hopefully they can figure this out, so we can all get a good night’s sleep.  (and they don’t have to wash the sheets every day!).

Meme of the Day: 

Hello everyone, it’s me, Makena, your favorite dog blogger!

I know 2020 has been a long year for you humans. Just be thankful you’re not a dog. It’s been a really, really long year in dog years! This going from Wyoming to Wisconsin and then back to Wyoming has been very confusing for me. And I guess we will be going back to Wisconsin in mid-October.

We went to Wisconsin to stay with my grandparents for the summer, and help them out. After we left to come back to Wyoming, Grandpa Stu ended up in the hospital, for five days. He had a bad infection (thankfully, not Covid-19), but is back home recovering with some very strong antibiotics. He’s getting stronger every day, and I look forward to spending some quality time with him sharing a snack again!

BACK IN WISCONSIN

Just to recap things, when we were back in Wisconsin, we spent a few days visiting with my parents college friends, Mike and Sue, at their cabin. I enjoyed my off-leash time, and had lots of room to roam around. And I was on my best behavior getting along with their dogs, Bella, Rusty and Mocha. (I had no choice, I was outnumbered…!)

I spent a few days at Aunt Linda and Uncle Doug’s house, where I have plenty of room to play off leash!

And I was able to meet up with some of my cousins. While I have stayed my same petite size, Raya has grown into quite the young lady now. But she still enjoys giving me some belly rubs!

You may recall on my parents last post that my grandma finally found a new refrigerator. While, she has her priorities (ME), and this is what it looked like when she started stocking the fridge!

My mom decided to take advantage of having a big sink (our camper’s sink is too small for me to fit in), which meant it was time for a bath….

BACK IN WYOMING

And if this year hasn’t been confusing enough for me, the weather hasn’t helped either. The calendar says it’s Labor Day, but the forecast is more like Christmas! Yes, it went from 72 degrees in the afternoon, to 21 at night…yuck.

All the guests staying at the cabins commented on how pretty it looked the next day. My mom was amused watching some guests from Florida and California use the plastic spatula from their cabins to scrape their car windows!

My parents say their jobs are going well here at Luton’s Teton Cabins. It’s the busiest fall season ever. My mom says the office is easy now, because we have no availability, so the telephone is not ringing as much! And cleaning is quick and easy since the cabins are almost all just couples. No families at this time of the year. The snow has already melted, but I’m sure there will be another storm before we leave.

Quote for the day: “The one thing we know about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.” – Jeff Rich