Puppy Love

Tomorrow we leave for the first trip we've taken since we got Tico, a little more than four months ago. It's just a weekend jaunt to Savannah--probably our favorite city in America. We've known about the trip since before Tico moved in with us and decided early on it was a good opportunity to have him neutered.

We chose our veterinarian because the office also boards dogs. We naturally assumed that our little dog would stay with the Vet any time we needed to travel. Now that our first trip is upon us, I'm not feeling so good about leaving our little boy behind.

Tico usually stays in bed with us for an hour or two each night before we crate him up. Last night, instead of putting Tico to bed in his crate, I let him sleep with us all night. My partner is very serious about his sleep and is definitely not a nighttime cuddler. Tico and I are both big fans of nighttime cuddling and sleep all wrapped up together. It's surprisingly satisfying to cuddle with a five pound furball.

Since we need to leave here very early tomorrow, we made arrangements to drop him off today. Nothing says big sissy like a grown man crying over his chihuahua pup. I cried all morning. I cried all the way to the vet's office, and all the way back home. I held it together pretty good at the vet's office, but not entirely. You would have thought I was having him put to sleep.

The ladies at the vet's office reassured me (and handed me tissues). They said as cute as he is, he's not likely to have to spend much time locked up in a crate because they will have him out playing every chance they get. I also found out that we could pick him up Sunday afternoon instead of Monday morning.

I'm sure we'll end up having to leave him at the vets again. But if it's at all possible, I want to take him with us. Leaving him behind is just too hard on...

The Crotchety Old Man