It started out okay, we had to get up early to get a few supplies, collars, leashes and a blanket for the cage Lisa had brought. We had to pick them up at about 6 in the morning. The pups were terrified when we picked them up and put them in the cage. It took us about fifteen minutes of sweet talking to calm them enough to even be able to pick them up. Once I started down the dirt road they started shaking uncontrollably.
Lisa insisted on riding in the back with them and she's not one you can argue with where a dog's well being is concerned. It was freezing until we got down off the hill, then it was only cold. We had to get the dogs to the Vilonia Animal Clinic between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. They were booked up but made an extra effort to get the pups in for the rabies vaccine. Like most people that deal with animals, they love them and we're really good with the scared dogs. On the way back from the vet's it started raining. It would continue raining for the rest of the day.
Lisa wanted to go to Hot Springs for site seeing. Her original trip was planned before the dogs so we wanted to at least do something together. We have a National Parks pass and Hot Springs National Park is right downtown. It's all the old bath houses. It's very cool, I'll right more about that later. Anyway, it's about an hour and a half from Conway. I was a little nervous about dragging the puppies that far, it was already a rough day for them. Lisa pointed out that they might as well get use to the road on a little break-in journey. They had a long trip ahead of them. They handled it like troopers, I had a tarp over the cage and they stayed surprisingly dry and relatively comfy in the back of the truck. There was a minor incident and one of them "made" in the cage. It was our fault though because they were barking and we thought it was just because they didn't like it cooped up. We got the mess cleaned up and everything was fine from then on. Once we had done the tourist thing we walked them around a park. Lisa and I were constantly amazed at their good nature and adaptability. They were getting used to being on a leash quickly.
The main source of frustration was being in a hotel and fleas. We couldn't bring them in the room but they would bark when left in the cage. Drunk guys in the hotel next door didn't help. Lisa and I got them a few toys at PetsMart and drove them around with us. They like riding. After returning to the hotel after dinner I had to take them for another ride at 9:30. That put them out and I parked in a quieter part of the parking lot. We kept our fingers crossed and the window open and it was all quiet until this morning.
All in all it wasn't so bad, the weather and hotel were the biggest obstacles. They are sweet dogs with two distinct personalities. The good news is Lisa's mom is going to take one and her aunt is keeping the other. They will be well loved.
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