An update: Upcoming vacation; K9 First Aid; Looking for Guest Bloggers!

This coming Saturday Milly, my boyfriend Bill, and I will be loading up Bill’s car and making the long drive from Arlington, Virginia to the North East Kingdom of Vermont for vacation. It is always a sight when we travel, because with Milly’s bag, my bag, Bill’s bag, and the dog bed our car tends to fill up very quickly! I will be gone for 9 days, and am trying to arrange some guest bloggers. If you are interested in being a guest blogger while I am out of town please comment with your contact information, and we can set this up.

Back to the trip, I’m already mapping out our route, and trying to plan a course that will enable lots of stops in more rural areas, because I absolutely hate driving (or riding in the car) on busy interstates in urban areas. I also want Milly to have the opportunity to stretch her legs on some grass every couple of hours. As a senior citizen it is important that she regularly get out of the car for potty breaks, small walks and water breaks.

We will be breaking up our trip by staying the first night near Manchester, VT with my brother and his family, and then leaving on Sunday to drive to a small, picturesque town 40 minutes north east of Stowe. I am so excited about this vacation – it is the longest vacation I will have had in nearly 3 years, and I’m just ready to be off the grid. Many parts of Vermont don’t have high speed internet (this town just got it), or cell phone service (this town does no have reception), and I’m excited about being able to just relax and enjoy the outdoors. Our house has lake front property, and I’m hoping that the 9 days on the water will boost Milly’s confidence about swimming, and water in general. She likes to wade in up to her belly, but no further than that.

I just received an email from my mom (she and my dad are already in Vermont) explaining how she recently met a holistic dog trainer who has a wonderful reputation with locals in VT. This trainer is offering a canine first-aid/CPR class on Sunday, August 2^nd, and hopefully I will be able to attend (it is about 3 hours from Manchester though, so we’d have to leave early in the morning). I am trying to learn more about the trainer, but her name is April Frost, she is the author of "Beyond Obedience, Training With Awareness For You And Your Dog" - she sounds very interesting! Apart from taking a very natural approach to dog training, she also regularly volunteers with a wolf-hybrid/wolf dog rescue and sanctuary – that’s pretty neat, I think!

I try to keep an open mind when it comes to animals, their care, and training, and I really like to try a variety of training techniques. I know some about the natural pet movement, but it seems like she is on her own level, and there will be lots to learn from her. I really don’t believe there is any “right way” to train a dog, but I do believe in learning as many different methods as possible, and figuring out what works for you and your dog, often times it is a combination of methods.

While I doubt I’ll have the opportunity to do any dog training/obedience sessions with her, I really hope this canine first-aid course works out, and I’m able to fit it into my schedule. I have read a lot about canine first aid, but have not yet taken any hands on classes. In an emergency, when you are on the phone with your vet, and he/she asks you a question a lot of times the dog owner may not know the answer, and this can be very frustrating/difficult for the vet. However, if you know canine first-aid and CPR the answers to these critical questions tend to be things you will either know, or can easily figure out. I am very excited about the opportunity to take this day-long course!

Don’t forget to comment with contact info if you are interested in being a guest blogger!