Furry Fieldtrip

As you probably already know, I have one human daughter and two fur-babies. Except they aren’t exactly babies anymore…they are two-year-old brother and sister Rottweilers weighing in at 75 and 70 pounds, respectively. The female, Chloe, is very calm and would snuggle with you all day if you let her. The male, Remus, is anything but calm…like a Malinois on crack. We are still working on his manners.

Anyway, the other day I was at home and decided it was time for a post-lunch caffeine break. I figured I’d take the fur-twins for an outing as they are still getting used to different people and places. They are also still acclimating to vehicle travel. I cleaned out my car in case they happened across some long-forgotten and interesting-smelling trash. Armed with doggie training treats and a spray bottle of water, I leashed the mutts. I didn’t plan on taking them out of the car, but in case they snuck out the door, leashes increased my odds of catching them.

After their initial excitement of realizing they were going for a ride and multiple behavioral corrections, they hastily jumped into car, tails wagging, ears perked, and tongues hanging out. I had intended that they both stay in the back seat. During our last outing, Remus climbed halfway between the front and back seats when he slipped and flailed his paws, leaving unintended yet very deep scratches on my arm.

Once I got to the convenience store, Remus was sitting shotgun, intrigued by all the cars and people nearby. Did I mention he is very vocal and “talks” when he gets excited? Well, once his groans turned into barks, he got sprayed with the water bottle. Careful not to let the pups escape, I exited my car only to learn that the soda fountain machine was down. Quite annoying, since that was the whole reason for our car ride. Not to be deterred, I thought of the McDonald’s nearby with a drive-through – even better.

Once back in my car, I had the brilliant idea to loop Remus’s leash through the passenger-side door handle. I hoped he didn’t try to launch out my window and test the strength of the handle once he smelled the fast food. As we waited in the drive-through line, I put the car in park and gave my passengers training cookies when they were quiet in an attempt to enforce good behavior. Does this count as an educational field trip? By the time I pulled up to the order screen, I decided they each deserved a plain hamburger. So we each got our own burgers…plus my large Diet Coke, of course.

Thankfully, Remus didn’t bark at the very nice cashier, who remarked that my dogs were very pretty. Although I did hold his leash quite securely just in case. The twins were extremely interested when the young gentleman at the second window handed us our small bag of food. I can only imagine it smelled like heaven to their exceptionally sensitive noses. Chloe stayed in the back seat like a good girl. Remus sniffed at the bag, but didn’t try to get it.

Once home, they sat at my feet like very obedient trainees while I doled out their rewards. They drooled on my jeans and hovered with hopeful eyes as I ate my own hamburger, only somewhat insulted that I didn’t share. As far as car rides go, today’s outing was a success. Not only did Remus not scratch my arm while he played musical chairs, but neither Remus nor Chloe threw up. Some days you just gotta count the small victories.

Original Post 03.2021.