There is no doubt that Libby and TJ love their two children - that is their two Australian Shepherd "kiddos"!
They decided it was time their fur babies, Dexter (9) and baby Walter (4), saw the ocean. The Aussies picked out their favorite toys for the trip and put them in their own
suitcases filled with two weeks of food, bed, and favorite blanket. During the 5,000 miles, the family explored, hiked and saw Great Salt Lake, Lake Tahoe, Crater Lake, Oregon's Cannon Beach, Seattle, Redwoods and San Francisco. When they returned home their photo album was full as can seen by the above photograph.
"The dogs loved being with us, having daily adventures, and all the new smells," said Libby. "We drove 4-12 hours a day with short stops to let them
run. During the drive, Walter hogged the backseat, sprawling all the way out. Dex loved looking out the window and fell asleep either standing or on our shoulder. Their favorite stops were the beaches. They chased each other, but weren't sure about sand and why it was hard to run in. When we threw a Frisbee they both carried it back, 1/2 in each side of their mouths!"
Walter has a shark life jacket and Dexter the Nemo clown fish. Dexter still has
his puppy trauma of chasing a stick into water only discover that he could not touch the ground. Panic ensued. TJ thought he was going to have to rescue him. So with their life jackets on, looking so cute, the family went in for a swim. Dexter did great, but not Walter. So within minutes the dogs were back on the beach happily chasing each other. I guess my famous swimming cats will have to sign these dogs up for swim lessons!
Dex and Walter had Doggles (dog
goggles) for the trip, to protect their eyes from wind and bugs while driving. On their last day, Dex, who is apparently very dex-terous, put his on and looked up at his parents as if to say, "OK! Ready to go!"
The nights their hotel room had two beds, Walter was thrilled to have his own bed, joyfully jumping back and forth between them. The evenings that there was only one bed, he would jump up and claim his spot. The night they spent at Tillamook's tiny homes, "Walter
was so exhausted from playing on the beach, he wouldn't move from the bed! So TJ and I were "forced" to sleep on the floor alongside of Dexter."
Growing up, Libby only had a cat and fast learned that dating TJ meant she was also dating his dog! "Until I met TJ and Dex, I purr-furred cats over dogs," admits Libby. "He is such a lover (Dexter). Dogs are always thrilled to see you and every day is their best day. They love unconditionally. Humans have a lot to
learn from dogs.
Every morning during their doggy vacation, the dogs excitedly piled into the car in anticipation of what and where they were going to sniff next. Thankfully, not once did they need an airplane "doggy bag".
"It was the best trip because we were together as a family!" said Libby. "We can't wait to take our boys on another road trip! Now, the dogs think that when we leave for work we are spending the entire time in
the car without them," laughs Libby.
