A few wrong turns, a 200 mile detour

On February 16 my partner and I loaded up our 34 foot travel trailer, 11 dogs into an SUV and headed down our icy driveway with 3 foot drifts in New York for the promise of fun in the Florida sunshine. Six of the dogs would be competing at the Central Florida Disc Dog Challenge in a few days. I think if most dog owners can imagine how time-consuming it is to take out just one dog during a potty/gas stop; the thought of 11 can be overwhelming. But our dogs are seasoned travelers and we love the adventure!

A few wrong turns, a 200 mile detour, and 2.5 days later we arrived at the Promised Land and the grass was even greener than I remembered! We were in Auburndale.

Along for the ride was a sweet 2-year old pit bull that we are fostering named Pink Cookie. Pink Cookie had traveled to New York from Tampa in January so this was a sort of homecoming for her. Her former care givers from the Hillsborough County Shelter were there to greet us and see how well she has acclimated to life in the northeast. They were also there to cheer on my youngest dog, Thelma, another pit bull who has made quite a career (including fan following) out of catching discs and making it look spectacular.

Many competitors in dog sports will tell you that as long as you and your dog are having fun, the competition is irrelevant. Don’t believe them. But throw in 80 degree temperature when you’ve been freezing at home under snow and ice for months and you may be on to something. The usual nerves and fears that go along with the first competition of the season evaporated when I stepped onto the field with Wee-la, Lolita and Thelma. The sun was shining and the dogs were as excited and eager to play as I’ve ever seen them. Competition, what competition?

When the fun was over, my little pit bull Thelma took home a third place medal for the Toss & Fetch and thanks to Purina and Bark Network our playful rounds in the Florida sunshine are immortalized on the internet. And as we burned rubber on ice trying to get the SUV and travel trailer back up our driveway on a dark March 1 in New York, we looked around and were grateful to be back home with 11 healthy dogs, one of whom is still available for adoption.

Thinking Spring!

Nadja

photo by Sarah Duke

photo by Kat Fahle