Time for School

Brinkley is a great dog. He sits. He stays. He fetches. However, about a month ago, he began getting restless during the night.

Weekends are Brinkley’s fun days. He goes on lots of car rides and hangs out on patios. He also gets to go to the dog park and go swimming. He loves the weekends and they tire him out. But by Wednesday, all the weekday time in his crate starts making him antsy. He simply doesn’t want to sleep anymore. And he makes that very clear. I would wake up constantly to this:

It makes sense. Goldens love interaction. Giving him a bone to chew on through the night couldn’t cut it anymore. So I started looking into daycare.

The problem with most daycares is that they aren’t as great as they crack them up to be. I don’t want to pay $25 for my dog to get to hang out in a “luxury suite” for 7 hours a day and get 10 minute play times every 2 hours. No thanks.

When a few people at work started talking about Benny’s Dog Resort, I tried to not get optimistic about this place being any different. I checked their website to see what Benny’s was about. FINALLY. A place where dogs get to play all day. At Benny’s the dogs arrive and immediately go outside. They play all day except from 11-1, which is lunch and naptime. At 1 pm, they go back outside until you pick them up. More perks? They have play sets specifically built for dogs. They have play pools filled with water and tennis balls. They have covered play areas for when it’s hot. They get treats called Pup Cakes.

After seeing such great things on their website, I checked their Facebook. They update it constantly with pictures of all the dogs. Some of my favorites:

I attempted to not get excited (failed) until I saw pricing. $20 a day? 10 sessions for $140? I think I can handle that. I decided I’d take Brink every Wednesday.

When I called to fill out an application for Brinkley, Benny’s let me know that each new dog has an interview. Owners bring their dogs in for a 20-minute trial to make sure a new dog isn’t overly scared or aggressive. How great.

Brinkley passed and seeing Benny’s in person made me fall even more in love with the place.

Next thing you know, it’s Brinkley’s first day of school. People at work laughed and asked if he had a new backpack. No. Did I make him a lunch? Yes.

It’s been a month of school and Brinkley loves it more and more each time. Benny’s has brought out Brinkley’s playfulness. He now goes to the dog park and is more interactive with other dogs. On school days, I can barely handle him on his leash as he runs to the door. I pick him up and he immediately collapses in the back seat. It looks something like this:

Since Benny’s, Brinkley now has a perk in the week that makes him able to get through my workweek. I now get a full night’s sleep every night and I get to know I have a happier dog. I would take him everyday if I could, but for now, I’ll continue to sacrifice a few meals out for him to enjoy his special day.

For anyone interested, here is Benny’s website: Benny's Dog Resort

Brink's First Sleepover

One of the most memorable moments in any child’s life is their first sleepover. The same probably couldn’t be said about dogs, but God knows I tried.

One of my very best friend’s Becky recently got a puppy. I found the dog love of my life in May, and she found hers in October. She decided on a longhaired miniature dachshund and named her Roxie. I’ll refer to her from now on as Roxie Doxie.

You could say Becky and I have a lot in common. Both of our names are Rebecca. Both of our last names start with L. We went to the same college. We had the same major and minor. We were in the same sorority. We studied abroad at the same time, at the same school, stayed in the same dorm, and had all of our classes together. I mean look at this picture and try not to say we are essentially the same person except for our hair color…

We even think the same. We both needed to be somewhere but as usual, had a hard time picking something to wear. We both changed clothes and when I picked her up at her house, we found out we had the same solution. 

Anyway, we have another thing in common. We both fell in love with a picture of a dog before the dog itself. The difference is that even though our dogs are only 4 months apart in age, they are pretttttty different in size.

Roxie Doxie maybe weighs 5 pounds. Brinkley maybe weighs 80.

The first time Brinkley met Roxie Doxie, she was 2 pounds. He was confused. He knew she was a living thing, but she didn’t move. It made him nervous and he threw up.

Like all puppies, Roxie Doxie grew up fast and was all over the place before you knew it. When they were reacquainted, slowpoke Brinkley didn’t even try to keep up. He sat and watched as little bit ran around as fast as she could.

Becky came to visit at the apartment and brought Roxie Doxie for a trial run before she left Roxie Doxie for a weekend when she went out of town. With two puppies so different in size, you would be crazy to not be concerned. It’s basically leaving a rabbit with Lennie of Of Mice and Men.

Everyone was surprise when Brinkley laid down on his side, opened up his arms and Roxie ran right into them. He continued to lie down on her level and let her run all over them. She continued to be fearless and dominant. It worked out.

Roxie ended up spending a weekend with us a few weeks later. I was anticipating it all week while Brinkley remained clueless. When Roxie was dropped off, they picked up where they left off. They played for hours, not even stopping for a water break.

The sleepover was pretty similar to a child one. They “watched” movies, ate bones, and did a lot of playing. And as usual, the mom ended up tired.

Pictures of Brinkley and Roxie Doxie:

Always Busy!

Family Photo.

Playing and chewing. Multitasking at its best.

Little Bone for the Big Guy. Big Bone for the Little Girl.

Brinkley's New Pad

This may be new or old news to you, but I recently moved. I had been living with my brother since graduating college. His house was 5 minutes from work and he was an awesome roommate. But when Lindsey got a big girl job in Addison, I knew it was time to move in with my college roommate and have my own place. So on February 3^rd, Lindsey, Brinkley and I all became roommates.

Brinkley was raised with his big brother Major in a house with a backyard. Thinking about Brinkley transitioning to a 1,100 square foot apartment was a stressful thought for me. As usual though, Brinkley went with the flow. He didn’t whine, pace or pant. He just sniffed the new place out and collapsed on the floor.

But with any new place comes changes. There is a new rule of no Brinkley on the new couch. Let’s be honest, the dog sheds. A lot. Also, at the new place, when he goes outside he is (usually) on a leash. Thankfully we are on the first floor in a private area with lots of grass right outside the door.

More good changes have come of the move. My room is bigger which means we still have space for things besides just my bed and Brinkley’s bed. My closet is massive and fits Brinkley’s crate comfortable with plenty of room for my excessive amount of clothes. Without Major around to tire out Brinkley, I now take him on runs in nearby neighborhoods to tucker him out. It was a pain at first but I think we both are enjoying it now. Check back on us in July.

Thankfully there has only been one bad day in the new place. God only knows what he ate to make that kind of mess come out of both ends. Lindsey was a good sport and lit some candles and wrapped a blanket around her head while the place aired out.

I thought there might be some ridiculous stories of Brinkley adjusting but he has proved me wrong. He loves Lindsey and has finally adjusted to her boyfriend Jesse. As soon as Brinkley finally became less scared of Jesse, he would change clothes only to scare Brinkley again. Luckily he got over that fear. Things he still fears? Blow dryers and vacuums. He refuses to be anywhere close to them, which is so sad, pathetic and hilarious all at the same time.

I’m glad to report that Brinkley and I are happy in our new home. Words can’t say how nice it is to be back with Lindsey under the same roof.

I’ll add some new pics Brinkley and of the new place.

My Room

Patio View

Dining Room

Living Room

Wreath, thanks Mom!

Brinkley decided to hang out on the top of the couch

Tired after the move

Ready for bed

On our way to the new place for the first time