My interest in travel has declined with my vision. The last night away from home was in early 2018. A friend from Lexington, KY picked me up on her way to Florida. Our birthdays are in the same week and she wanted to celebrate our 60th at the beach.

Andy took care of Toodles. Without him, she and her twice-daily insulin injections kept me home. If push came to shove, I could have left her with friends. Neither the need nor the desire to travel arose. A few weeks after losing her, I got anxious Tootsie who never made up to anyone.

Staying home is my preference. The cost/benefit analysis for going anywhere has always come out way too heavy on the cost side. Home is my happy place.

Then my high school class announced our 50-year reunion. I can’t drive, won’t fly, and saw no way to go. An ad-hoc group of friends talked me into registering. Whether I would go or not was an open question.

The same friend who took me to Florida volunteered to drive down from Lexington to pick me up for the reunion. She even talked me into coming up a day earlier for a pre-reunion gathering. A friend from my boy scout troop volunteered to take me back to Athens.

Figuring out what to do with Tootsie was a huge issue, but we had months to work something out. I explored several options, but none were attractive. I couldn’t take her with me and wouldn’t enjoy the trip if she was miserable. Her untimely death weeks later rendered the question moot.

A friend suggested waiting four months until after the reunion to get another dog. I thought about the costs and benefits for half a minute before adopting Mavis. Getting another dog ASAP was a priority.

I have more options with super-friendly Mavis. The trainer she loves (who I can barely tolerate) also boards. A test visit to Tony and Jesse’s house worked out great and gave me a better option. To acclimate her, we hang out with them when the maid comes.

Visiting Tony and Jesse is a nice treat, but I had no idea what we’d do if they weren’t available. I knew about doggie daycare on the other side of town (Pawtropolis), but driving there was out of the question for me. I decided to look closer to home.

The Dawg House is maybe two miles from the house. Phone calls and two visits gave me bad vibes. A 2 1/2 star rating on Yelp was the last straw.

Then I found out Pawtropolis had opened a location on my side of town. Jesse drove me by to show me the route. We both thought it looked like a country club. I went back on my own to make sure the drive was doable. It was, so I enrolled her.

After providing medical records, I received an orientation by phone and scheduled Mavis’s temperament test. I dropped her off at 8 for the test and was told to come back after 2. Yikes! That’s the longest we’ve been apart.

No worries. I was able to keep an eye on her via livestream cam. She didn’t hate being with 15 other dogs and wasn’t afraid. She loves the staff, but didn’t engage much with other dogs. Mostly, she was by the gate looking for me.

She’s been back two more times. The cams are great. I check on her now and then to see how she’s doing. She still spends a lot of time looking for me. The staff say she does play now and then. Give her time.

Pawtropolis also boards. No matter where Mavis stays, she’s going to be waiting at the door for me to come back. Better to be at Pawtroplis with dedicated staff, structure, and other dogs to distract her.

Wherever she stays, I’ll be anxious–on top of my anxiety about the trip. Having her at Pawtropolis minimizes my concerns about Mavis. And I can always check the cam. Even without the bonus family reunion, the benefits exceed the cost.

Lexington, here I come! I’ll let you know how it goes. As always, thanks for stopping by.