By: Chrissy Wilson<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes the greatest adventures in life are the ones that are a) unplanned and b) come with bumpy roads \u2013 and let me tell you, I just had the GREATEST adventure, bumpy roads and all!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summer time tends to be a really busy time in the dog daycare\/boarding industry \u2013 and I\u2019m not complaining \u2013 I literally have the best job in the world! I get to play with puppies and interact with dog people (in my opinion that\u2019s the very best kind of person) every day! But, since it\u2019s been so busy I\u2019ve been logging a lot of hours lately \u2013 to the point where I basically don\u2019t even look at the schedule anymore \u2013 I just show up everyday! So, I was pleasantly surprised when on Sunday, my boss\/friend \u2013 said \u2013 hey we both have Monday and Tuesday off, let\u2019s go to the lake! I wasn\u2019t planning for these days off, which meant I didn\u2019t have a million other things planned that I just HAD to do so I thought \u2013 to hell with it! Let\u2019s go on an adventure, and without thinking \u2013 I exclaimed \u2013 YEAH let\u2019s make it an overnight camp, why not?!?!! Of course my boss\/friend Kerrie, who is the QUEEN of adventure jumped on the idea and somehow, what was originally supposed to just be a day at the lake ended up with Me, Kerrie, my cousin Chantel, my 3 kids, 2 cats, 2 dogs and a parrot off on an overnight BUSH camping experience… yes, that\u2019s right \u2013 bush camping \u2013 you know, the kind with no toilet, no shower just a bush a beach and a lake? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We packed my little tiny Ford Taurus with my crew, which consisted of myself, my cousin, my 11 year old, 10 year old, 3 year old, my parrot, my sphinx cat and my dog (who happens to be \u201cmedically compromised\u201d but he doesn\u2019t know that so it doesn\u2019t stop him from anything) \u2013 all of our camping gear, 6 sleeping bags, a kennel, a bird perch, a 16-9 foot tent, a cooler full of food, firewood, 3 suitcases and a hockey bag full of camping gear! \u2013 Don\u2019t ask how I fit it all in my tiny little car \u2013 but determination and some pretty damn good tetris skills \u2013 we were on our way for our 24 hour camping adventure! The only thing that didn\u2019t fit in my car was Gremlin\u2019s bailey chair \u2013 he has megaesophagus so he needs to eat in a high chair \u2013 Kerrie packed it in hers along with her cat and dog.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We got out to the lake at around suppertime and unpacked everything and everyone without a hitch. We made some food, swam a little and had a grand old time until the first bump in the road… (remember I told you all good adventures have bumps) \u2013 A not-so-nice lady came along and told us that we were on private property \u2013 which turned out to be untrue as 30 feet from the shore is crown land \u2013 so we thanked her for the info and waited till she left and continued about our day, happily playing in the water… until my kids started to throw sticks in the water and Gremlin, who really really likes sticks \u2013 barked \u2013 which (enter bump number 2) inevitably scared Kerrie\u2019s oriental short haired cat Mandy 25 feet up a tree. This is the part that I can laugh about now but I\u2019ll tell you, it was like watching all 9 of her lives flashing before my eyes while she was up there. First we tried coaxing her down, to no avail. She was stuck and she was scared, so of course she kept going higher up. Next we tried sending up my son (who was a monkey in a previous life and can usually climb just about anything). Poor little guy tried so hard to get up there but there just really weren\u2019t any branches to hang on to. We even threw a rope up there to try and help but nope… that cat was not coming down and we were not getting up \u2013 but of course I figured I\u2019d try anyways… (It didn\u2019t work – and I have the massive bruises from falling out of the tree to prove it) All the while my cousin was keeping an eye on the other kids while Kerrie and I made a futile try to get the cat down and Roman, my parrot was saying over and over again \u201chere kitty kitty, meow\u201d. \u2013 Again, funny now, not so funny then. Eventually a really nice guy came by with his boat on his trailer and a giant net, stood on top the boat with the net fully extended and coaxed her down \u2013 crisis averted but I swear that cat only has 8 lives left now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Things went pretty smoothly after that for the most part \u2013 and it was so much fun! We picked berries, swam, laughed, talked \u2013 Roman hung out in the tree and sang the song of his people \u2013 Novalie (my sphinx) and Mandy (Kerrie\u2019s cat) snuggled in to our laps and Aela my three year old kept talking about going into the pool (the lake) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just as we were making our s\u2019mores and getting ready to tell ghost stories, Kerrie\u2019s phone started to light up with warnings of severe thunder storms headed our way \u2013 so we finished making our treats and not a moment too soon hopped into my giant tent.. which by the way was pitched on a log in a grassy area right beside the lake… not the most comfortable of situations but \u2013 bush camping, right? And then came the thunder, the lightning the rain, and YES… the hail \u2013 which inevitably caused the tent to leak \u2013 but it was really warm outside still so we were good to go \u2013 thanks to my expert packing we had enough blankets and sweaters to keep warm and relatively dry… Turns out though… ghost stories were not needed… we had a real life \u201cghost\u201d of sorts haunting our tent. Some sort of creature kept digging right beside our tent and pulling out the grass \u2013 and I\u2019m not gonna lie I was pretty freaked out at first… Especially when I hit the wall of the tent in an attempt to scare it off and the freaking thing hit back! Eventually whatever it was (we figure an otter) left us be and we all fell asleep around 1am. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 8am we woke up and the first thing Aela, Robin and Rayden wanted to do was swim \u2013 so hell, why not! They all went for a good swim and after a few hiccups trying to start the seadoo we got it going and let me tell you \u2013 best experience ever! I\u2019ve never been on one before and now I\u2019m convinced that I need one! We even took the dogs seadooing! Gremlin got to cross an item off his barketlist and all of my kids (3 year old included) got a turn driving it! After a few hours of fun on the water we stopped to make some lunch (sandwiches since we were trying to preserve firewood) \u2013 which turned out to be a really good thing because a really nice officer came down to let us know that overnight camping was not allowed and neither were fires where we were at and someone (the lady I mentioned above) called in a complaint… but honestly you could tell that the officer thought it was a waste of his time and when we told him we were just staying for the day \u2013 not a lie, we were leaving that day \u2013 he said ok have fun, and no drinking out here and went on his way! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Supper time came the real commotion and ended with me showing my fairly fierce momma bear side when what we could only assume was what sounded like a pack of dogs fighting and tearing each other apart came running down towards our area \u2013 we immediately put the cats into the tent and grabbed hold of the dogs \u2013 who were being amazingly good and quiet despite the crazy ruckus… And down the hill comes barreling a pack of 4 dogs \u2013 3 retrievers and a lab \u2013 barking their faces off barreling first into the water and then, having caught wind of us \u2013 straight over top of my 3 year old (whom they bruised while trampling her) towards Gremlin. It was a complete pack mentality and they were absolutely aiming for my poor boy \u2013 who stood there calmly with the reassurance of Kerrie. I chased them away and used a few choice words on the dogs owner \u2013 who, amazingly, muttered a weak apology and just kept throwing sticks for the dogs \u2013 winding them up further and further. It was unreal to see \u2013 the 2 larger dogs in the pack at one point actually mid swim attacked the smallest dog holding it under water and bititing it all the while the owner just kept throwing the sticks. Kerrie told me to video it so that we could make the call to animal services because a, that woman had zero control over those dogs and b, she was letting them beat the hell out of the little one \u2013 not to mention she had 2 small children in the water who the dogs also trampled and ended up holding one under the water. It was the most stressful part of the trip because, being a dog person, and being there with a dog person \u2013 who can successfully run a pack of 100+ dogs without a single fight and without a single bark it was beyond frustrating. The dogs attempted to come back to our area once more and quite firmly I chased them off. When I started to film the lady she quickly packed up and left with her dogs and un-seat belted kids and when I tried to get her licesne plate number she actually backed all the way out of the area and up the hill…yet we\u2019re the ones that cops had to pay the visit to… reliving it still makes my blood boil actually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once things calmed down from the dog incident we played for awhile longer and then it was time to pack up and go. Kerrie went her way and around 6:30pm I started on the trip home but decided to stop in the little lake town for an ice cream treat for the kids. We brought Grem and the cat for a little walk in the town to pick up the ice cream and I was pretty excited when Gremlin got \u201crecognized\u201d by one of his fans \u2013 I feel like that was another barketlist checkmark \u2013 it was pretty cool cause the lady said I\u2019d recognize his little grin from anywhere <3 We got back to the vehicle after our ice cream tired, and sunburnt but quite satisfied with our little adventure… and then the car wouldn\u2019t start… really you can\u2019t make this stuff up! My car. WOULD.NOT.START. So… we call my husband to come and rescue us and wait for the hour and a half that it takes for him to get there down by the lake. It was a fun wait though because a few people stopped to ask questions about the parrot and take pictures with the animals, I\u2019m pretty sure there were a few that thought we are crazy too, but meh \u2013 it was fun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My husband finally arrived and started to try and diagnose the problem with the car… and then after determining that we would need a tow truck… he accidentally closed the hood of the locked car onto my keys… with all of my animals in the car still. I was getting ready to break a window when he came by with the crow bar to pry open the hood and get them out. We all piled up in his truck, left our belongings behind and finally got home at 12:30 exhausted and if I\u2019m being honest a little stressed about the car situation \u2013 ok a lot \u2013 I cried myself to sleep because my favourite pillow got left in the car… I REALLY love that pillow. But tomorrow was a new day with no mistakes in it, the tow truck came, moved the car to a location that it wouldn\u2019t get impounded and after work my husband went out and replaced the starter \u2013 and now its running again \u2013 RELIEF! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While some may think that this 24 hour adventure sounds extraordinarily stressful it was a blast. It felt like a \u201creal\u201d break and I got to show my kids what a real adventure looks like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Life is full of bumpy roads \u2013 it\u2019s full of ups and downs \u2013 because it\u2019s an adventure! Having a medically compromised dog who has lived to more than 5 times his life expectancy so far and is still going strong has really taught me that. It has taught me that despite every single bump in the road that freedom ride on the seadoo with his little snaggle tooth showing and his ears flopping in the wind and him begging for more makes it worth every single bump. Life is far too short to dwell on things like \u201cmegaesophagus, neuromuscular disorders, seizure disorders, heart conditions and allergies\u201d those are just the bumps that make our life a bonafide adventure! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So make life an adventure \u2013 take risks \u2013 don\u2019t let the bumps get to you and Always, always try to be a good person \u2013 unless you can be like a dog, because there is no better person than a dog. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By: Chrissy Wilson Sometimes the greatest adventures in life are the ones that are a) unplanned and b) come with bumpy roads \u2013 and let me tell you, I just had the GREATEST adventure, bumpy roads and all!\u00a0 Summer time tends to be a really busy time in the dog daycare\/boarding industry \u2013 and I\u2019m […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-standard-blog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/caninemegaesophagusinfo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Screen-Shot-2020-06-15-at-9.53.53-PM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/caninemegaesophagusinfo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/caninemegaesophagusinfo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/caninemegaesophagusinfo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/caninemegaesophagusinfo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/caninemegaesophagusinfo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1652"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/caninemegaesophagusinfo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1656,"href":"https:\/\/caninemegaesophagusinfo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1652\/revisions\/1656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/caninemegaesophagusinfo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/caninemegaesophagusinfo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/caninemegaesophagusinfo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/caninemegaesophagusinfo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}