Joey's Summer Vacation

I'm feeling pretty depressed again today but I don't want to write about that. I'm tired of thinking about heavy stuff and worrying about everything, so I thought this would be the perfect post for today: Joey's summer vacation.

If you missed it, Joey stayed with my sister Jeanie for several weeks this summer. She lives in Illinois, but she and Shawn, her husband, have property in northern Michigan. They have a basset hound and Jeanie thought it would be fun for both Joey and her dog (Bentley) to stay with her for a while.

He would stay at the house with them in Illinois, and then go up north with them on the weekends. Jeanie and Shawn's property has a HUGE fenced in area for the dogs to run and then much more acreage to enjoy.

Here are a few notes from Jeanie about Joey's stay...

A typical day in Rockford:

Go for walks at 4:00 AM, 3:00 PM, and 7:00 PM

Wrestle with Bentley until exhausted, then lie down and eat a bone before bed.

Bentley normally sleeps on a dog bed next to our mattress (although he is allowed on the mattress whenever he wants). But once Joey got there, Bentley did not want Joey on the mattress without him being up there also. So, it took a few days to figure out the best option but they worked it out and Bentley ended up sleeping on his dog bed and Joey took the couch which is right above our heads since our mattress is on the floor.

And then a typical day up north:

We were able to spend two full weeks up north plus two long weekends. Those days were spent going anywhere from a two- to six-mile walk in the morning. Then the dogs typically spent the rest of the day lying on the porch and soaking up the sun.

In the evening they would wake back up for about 15 or 20 minutes before lying by the fire pit for an hour or two until we went to bed.

They spent some time watching and chasing wildlife up to the gate. Here is a picture of Joey watching a bear...

We went on several rides on the new side-by-side, which they both absolutely loved, sticking their heads out the window and having a grand old time.

Twice I took Joey by himself to the beach so he could play in the shallow water and chase rocks that I threw.

And he really enjoyed having those smoked bones. He would lay on his dog bed and chew them literally for hours.

I honestly think Joey and Bentley really became great friends during those five or six weeks. Bentley seemed really bummed when Joey went home.

Luckily we were just able to adopt a special needs Basset this week. Walter is a special guy--of course there’s a little period of adjustment now that he’s in a new home--but I'm sure he and Bentley will have just as much fun as Bentley and Joey did!

As you can see, Joey definitely had a fantastic vacation! He came home with some of the special bones he likes (and he really does spend hours chewing on it). When he came home, he spent three full days sleeping--he was so tired from such a long and fun vacation with his cousin/buddy. It was fun getting pictures from Jeanie showing me what they were up to.

Jeanie and Shawn are the best dog parents EVER--seriously. If I was a dog, I'd want them to adopt me!