One family’s journey of finding, raising and traveling with their dog
When we began this website, we were having a hard time finding a puppy. Our daughter had been asking for a dog for a while and we finally felt she was old enough to get one. But getting one was much more challenging then we expected.
In the past we kind of just fell into dog ownership. All of our dogs were a rescue of one type or another. We also didn’t care much about the dog’s background or breed. We knew we had the experience to overcome most challenges that come with a rescue.
But our last puppy was different. Although she transformed from an insecure, hyper-active puppy to a wonderful, loyal dog, I was highly allergic to her. Something that could not be fixed with love or training.
We made it work and she lived with us until she died at the age of 15. But this time around I wanted a dog I could pet and cuddle with.
In addition to looking for a hypoallergenic dog, we also wanted a puppy so that our children could experience the joy that comes with growing up with a dog.
So, we started to research dogs to find one that would best fit our family. We also looked at our options on where we could get a dog.
As it turns out that getting a dog in a responsible manner was much harder than we thought. We spent hours researching about puppy mills, pet stores, backyard breeders, contract laws, prices, hobby breeders, shelters, rescues, etc. The list went on and on and on.
What we found is that there are a lot of scammers in the pet world. If you don’t want to be taken advantage of, you need to do your homework.
We decided to share our experiences with our dog search in hopes that it will help others that are in the mist of doing the same.
Bella
After a long search we finally did find a puppy that fit most of our needs and was also in need of a home. Next came the challenges of raising a puppy with young kids in the house.
Again, we felt there were conversations that needed to be had that were overlooked at the time by the “experts”. Things like how to deal with the Puppy Blues, which is very real for many of us. How to deal with the nightly crying that happens when a puppy first joins your family, in a compassionate way. How to use your dog’s natural instincts to potty train them.
The next chapter
Eventually, our puppy grew in to a wonderful loving dog. So, now we are on to the next chapter; How to include a dog into our life.
For us, this includes going on family trips with our dog in tow.
But that might sound easier than it is. Although things are changing there are still plenty of places that do not allow dogs. Did you know that dogs are not allowed on the trails in most national parks?
We invite you to join us on our latest adventures in finding, researching and traveling to pet dog friendly vacation destinations.
We hope that by sharing what we have learned about traveling with a dog, it will help you feel confident to do the same.