Welcome back to the journal. As you may know, Rob and I took a week away from this page to do a little traveling, have some fun and speed up March so that we can get to April a little faster and see our sweet grandbaby in Ottawa. Nothing like a few days away to do just that!
 
Our other sweet baby, of course, is Molly, who is the poster child for “Life is Good” (literally). This picture was taken one morning when we got up before Molly did and Rob had to carry her outside to take her first piddle of the morning. Tough life, huh? That’s when she isn’t getting her own demitasse of cappuccino froth (or “fluffy milk” as I call it) since she’s always trying to lick mine. (Although some dogs can’t tolerate milk, this is lactose-free and she does just great.) I know, as Rob says, “This place is nuts.”
 

 
She’s such a sweet girl that I hate to leave her, but – as was the case last week and will be the case in April – it’s not exactly practical to take her with us. She’ll join us for a trip to Kelowna, where I’m a keynote speaker for BC broadcasters in May, but not all of our road trips are going to be as dog-friendly.
 
You may recall that last year we used an app to find someone in our price range (preferably about $25 a day) to take Molly into their home and let her sleep with them and be pampered while we’re away. At 13 years old, she’s not exactly high maintenance; all she wants is her Caru for breakfast and supper, one substantial walk and a few trips outside during the day and late evening. I mean, she’s so sweet, you’d think people would pay US to take her, right? (I’m kidding. Sort of.)
 
But I understand why we are paying; after all, people who join pet sitting services like the one we have now signed up with, Go Fetch, have expenses too, I’m sure. Our last sitter fell through when she fell in love with having Molly and bought a dog of her own! So much for that plan. So on we went. The lady we found to take Molly most recently has a small apartment about 20 minutes from where we live (which, as I said a few weeks back, nearly everything seems to be) and she works shifts. So Molly will enjoy having someone to nap with during the day. 
 
But here’s the thing: as great as Francine was – and they seemed to get along famously – she’s going away for several months this summer to take on a job at a lodge. We found that out when we went to meet her before Molly’s visit. We were like, “What? Nooooo!” Just disappointed that our little girl has to get used to one more person.
 
Now, don’t get me wrong; Molly’s chill and loves all people. But as she ages, we know her sight and other senses will begin to fail and familiarity will become more and more important. That’s when we’re going to have to find someone we trust totally who will come in to take care of her. After all, we don’t want to live without our dear Molly, but we do want to have time to travel.
 
A friend up island, who has also sat for Molly and hosted her in her home, happens to be awaiting the arrival of a grandbaby in Seattle at the end of this month, so she was unavailable while we were gone. She’s newly widowed and is even considering getting her own dog. We suggested that down the road we could even find a way maybe to “time share.” Let Molly stay with someone who needs company and who loves her as we do (which seems to be everyone).
 
We’re good pet parents, I swear. But I don’t believe that having a dog – no matter how much you love them – should anchor you during the years you’re meant to be exploring. We’ll take her with us when we can and figure out the rest as we g0. As long as she’s got her food, her treats and her heating pad – oh, plus a warm spot on her person’s bed – she’s good. No, she’s great.
 
Have a good day and we’ll be back with you here tomorrow.