If you're wondering where I've been (while hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fires rage) well, I've been shopping for a decent, roomy, well made, wheeled dog carrier for my beloved
She started showing signs of being a senior as the new year began. She can't take the heat much better than me and started sprinting out to the lawn to do her business and then coming right back into the house, rather than expect a long walk to do so that she used to. She still wants to chase squirrels but she doesn't want to do the mile or so walk to get to the nearest park that is full of them. I figure I can get my exercise and then let her use what energy she has to chase them.
Accepting that I had no control over her health care or diet until she was near 5 years old, and that her "designer breed" lives on the average to be 12, I accepted that her life was changing and so was mine.
No more worrying that I gave her enough exercise! Was I really ready to have a house dog that likes to lay around? Now I sometimes wish I could take her with me on my adventures knowing I can't.
She started stopping when she figured she could not go on!
I mean she just stops!
She did this in the middle of a busy intersection and I had to scoop her up while cars were coming. I started scooping her up and carrying her a ways, setting her back down. If I say the word Lift she stops and looks up into my eyes, anticipating. I put my hands down and she jumps up.
And so one hot day I rigged up a box on a dolly with a bungee cord and took her with me to a garden I volunteer in once in a while which is a half mile walk. She loves it there, sitting beneath a chair in the shade with a nice bowl of water and some treats. She can watch birds fluttering in the bird bath from her spot. Once in a while a golden dragonfly comes to the lily pond. She needs the mental stimulation if not the physical effort of having it. She loves getting up in the box and holding on as I wheel, the wind blowing past her nose.
I accept this is how it is now.
But also that while she has become a senior dog, she is not exactly ancient or ready to give it all up.
A friend has a 12 year old about her size. She is acting like this 12 year old. I began to wonder if when I rescued her they had her age right. There was a birth date on the kennel that was convincing. I called them. They admitted that the birth date might have been made up.
So I decided this was not a passing phase.
This was real.
And the thing to do was to buy a wheeled dog carrier!
I can't believe how difficult this really is.
First I called a number of local one owner pet stores. I also called Target, Walmart, Kmart, Pet Smart, Petco... The problem? They only have those hideous baby carriage type contraptions. Or they have those hard plastic boxes. I want the luggage type, with plenty of room and air flow, soft but sturdy. For the most part they had nothing on the floor, nothing to try her in, and I was repeatedly advised I go on line to purchase.
My dog is twelve pounds. The next problem was going on line to sites such as Doctors Foster and Smith and Petsmart, where these carriers are sized by the weight of the dog. Let me tell you I put her in one that was supposed to be good up to 15 pounds and she could barely move. So I realized we need to go to the medium but I couldn't find a medium anywhere locally to try her in.
Finally I found a medium on a day I didn't have her with me at a place called Centinella Feed. It was red. I suspected this was the best wheeled dog carrier I had seen, but I didn't want red. The price with tax was about $165 dollars. I asked if they could order one in for me in another color, such as beige or black. They said no, they only keep one on the floor at a time. So I went on line and for about $50 less there are plenty of places to order that exact product in black.
I haven't ordered this product yet.
I never order on line!
If any of you have a 12 pound senior dog who you wheel around, please let me know what you bought!
