Flight Delay

No Dog Left Behind

Mr. N fervently believes in no dog left behind and that he should be able to go everywhere I go. Sadly that isn't possible and sometimes he has to stay home. He has very strong opinions about the wrongness of this.

This past weekend, we were at a musical festival so Mr. N went and stayed with his foster family. After the first excited greeting, Mr. N is snubbing me and deliberately ignoring me as punishment. Tomorrow he'll forgive me... How does your dog feel about staying home alone? 

Exploring the Detroit Riverfront with a Dog

We decided on a trip to the Detroit Riverfront for tourist purposes and so Mr. N could have an urban walk. It's amazing how much it has changed. Looking at it now, you can't imagine how uninviting the place looked before. We ran into a multitude of families, joggers, bikers and a couple of dogs on the pathway.

We strolled along the riverside and waved to our friends in Canada.

The William G. Milliken State Park is Michigan's first urban park and has a 52-slip harbor. 

And a 63-foot lighthouse which is a smaller replica of the one at Tawas Point State Park.

The central plaza has a carousel and several map sculptures and a cafe.

A group of kids were playing in the fountains by the GM Renaissance Center. I dunked Mr. N in the water because he was getting hot but he wasn't nearly as gleeful about it as the children.

On the sidewalk are pictures of various city scenes around Michigan. Mr. N is sitting on the Ann Arbor one.

Mr. N decided he was ready for a nap after dodging all the bikes and people and walking in the heat. Mr. N is an urban dog through and through. He likes cities with all the bustle and people and smells. Does your dog like country walks or city walks?

Boat Dog

It's the Humidity

It's actually cooler here in Michigan than it is in Portland but both Mr. N and I are struggling with the humidity. Mr. N thinks that little Northwestern dogs are not made for Midwestern humidity. He's been drinking a ton of water and plopping down in the grass for breaks during walks which is his cue for he simply can't walk any further and must be carried home. I frequently tell him he's lucky he's not five pounds heavier. 

One more long walk for him and then it's back to Portland. He has missed all his toys including his beloved bear and his dog friends and he has a lot of mail to catch up on. I think he'll miss having three extra humans to fuss over him though. 

Canoe Fan

Canoeing with a Dog

Mr. N loves peering down at water so I figured he might like being on a boat. I haven't been able to test that theory until this week when we took him on his first canoeing trip. We decided on a canoe instead of a kayak for his first trip because we figured he would stay dry better that way.

He wore his Ruffwear life jacket and we brought along a towel for him to sit on, a water bowl and snacks. I hoisted him into the canoe and off we went. He was content to sit on the towel and watch all the water fowl (herons, swans, ducks and geese). The ducks came right up to us and trailed behind our canoe, hoping for handouts. The only readily available food we had were Mr. N's treats and those had duck in them so they missed out.

Mr. N didn't try to leave the boat at all and settled nicely. He didn't like it though when we bumped into rocks in the water and there was a horrible grinding noise and the boat shook. He left the towel and came to sit in my lap for a while and then sat at the boyfriend's feet.

There were also people on tubes floating down the river. One woman had her spaniel on the tube with her and as the ducks drew near, the dog kept trying to jump off and the tube looked like it might capsize while the woman kept yelling "sit! stay! sit!." This is why obedience skills are important!

Overall though, I think Mr. N had fun and we'll be trying it again with him. Mr. N stayed dry (except for the tip of his tail) so he considered that a victory.  Have you tried taking your dog on a boat? How did it go?

Lunching at a Detroit Brewpub

Have you entered our giveaway for a Stibbar leather leash?

Leaving on a Jet Plane

We're leaving on a red eye to travel to the Midwest. With any luck, Mr. N will sleep peacefully through the flight. Wish us luck! 

This is the happy face of a dog who hasn't seen the suitcases yet!

Update: We made it in one piece! Mr. N whined a little bit during takeoff but slept for the rest of the ride and was very good on the shuttle and waiting in the airport. Going through security though we ran into a new TSA guy and he wanted me to set Mr. N on the floor and have him follow me through the metal detector (no collar/leash). Crazy! Mr. N totally would but I can see a lot of pets getting lost that way. Another TSA person corrected him pretty quickly.

Have you flown with your dog before? Any tips?

Side-eye

Neither of the dogs resource guard and they usually figure out how to share aka Sage steals it back after Mr. N is tired of it.

Have you entered our giveaways for Caru treats and a Stibbar leather leash? 

Blogiversary Review and Giveaway (Stibbar Leather)

Some women love leather handbags. Some women love leather leashes. I'm quite fond of both. I'm still on my quest for the perfect bag but I think I may have found a leash that comes close to perfection. We were sent a leash and collar from Stibbar to review.

Mr. N acting as a display case for the collar and leash.

They coordinate with Mr. N's coloring perfectly and are buttery soft in my hands. The leash required no breaking in whatsoever and people have been complimenting his leash on walks. 

Cathy and Peter Soldan of Stibbar have been making leather leashes and collars for over eight years. Peter does the leather-work and Cathy designs them and interacts with the customers. She patiently put up with the scores of emails I sent and helped me throughout the design process (the color scheme was her idea). I like the degree of customization that is involved. You can pick the specific length, width, hardware kind and color and of course the two colors that make up the braided leash.

Mr. N has their six-feet ultralight leash  which is made with two pieces of 3/8 buffalo tanned bullhide (tobacco and metallic turquoise) and the ultralight collar with a quick release snap. The metallic leather is higher maintenance and not as rugged as the regular leather but I couldn't resist the shininess. They're both super light but sturdy and all the hardware is small and light as well. Ideal for toy dogs.

Stibbar also makes a variety of other leashes (extra long, short, snap, martingale and unbraided), couplers, and other leather goods (bracelets, lanyards, straps etc). Cathy often travels to dog shows and agility trials to sell. 

It's our second blogiversary tomorrow and they're generously offering a four-feet braided leash to one of our readers! Winner's choice as to the colors. 

This post was sponsored by Stibbar. They are not responsible for the contents of this article. All opinions expressed are our own.