Camping.

Photo Courtesy of Deb and James Rodden of York River Chesapeakes

It is so crazy to know that one of those little wiggly pups laying cozily under a heat lamp is OUR dog, that's right OUR dog!!!  Oh the possibilities...like, camping?

We have been trying to wrap our brains around how you camp with a dog.  We camp in a tent, and the idea of sharing our little tent with a dog, especially a puppy, seems a little intimidating, wet, smelly, etc.  We booked a trial and very first puppy camping trip for Memorial Day Weekend at Horseneck State Beach.  This leaves us with a 12 week old puppy, a tent and a car.  How do you bring a puppy camping?  Do we use a crate? Does it get it's own tent? Does it sleep in ours without a crate?  Can we keep the dog in the crate in the car?  I'm obsessed with the details of it (if you couldn't tell)!!!

I found a campground that has put my worries at ease a little...it's called Chocorua Camping Village and it seems to be the most dog friendly but still very much so human friendly campground in the area.  Many campgrounds don't allow dogs, and most that do have very strict rules.  This place has a dog friendly lake beach (CBRs LOVE to swim!), dog sitting if you'd like to go to partake in a non-dog friendly activity like a dinner out or something, and overall just seems to have a more welcoming attitude towards dog crazy campers....like me.  

But alas, we still have the confusion of HOW you camp with a dog.  Does anyone have any tips or tricks or ideas? 

Also, fill out the little survey on the right of the page, we can't decide!!!!

Thanks for sharing this journey with us :) 

THEY ARE HERE!!!!

The puppies have arrived!!!!!!!!!!!  Mama pup had all 9 pups, 6 boys and 3 girls, between noon and 7pm Thursday.  Ma and pups are all healthy and doing well!!!

Update: No puppies yet!!

Those little guys and gals are sure keeping us on the edge of our seat!  The official due date was yesterday, March 1, and they haven't made an appearance yet.  Our breeders said Mama pup is in the "nesting period", which typically lasts 2-3 days before active labor starts.  Maybe, today, or tomorrow? Or the next day?  Eeeeee!  So exciting. 

I had many fun birthday festivities over the weekend that involved my family and a yummy corned beef and cabbage dinner!  I got a great new book from my Grandma, I just read the whole thing in a few hour sitting!  Reading books about dogs, be it specific Chesapeake Bay Retriever books, books about training, etc, I feel that it's been a huge part in keeping me sane and feeling somewhat confident that we can raise a happy and well-behaved puppy.  It has also made the waiting a little easier!  Here are a few books that I feel are very well written and filled with gobs of information:

How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond by Cesar Milan

New Dog  by Dr. Bruce Fogle

The New Complete Chesapeake Bay Retriever by Janet and Daniel Horn

The Dog Lovers Companion to Boston  by JoAnna Downey and Christian J. Lau--This one has been particularly useful, it lists dog-friendly activities, places, lodging, etc all over the Boston Area, as well as the Cape and Islands!  There are many different versions of this book for different areas throughout the country, it's a must have in my opinion! 

AAA Guide to Traveling with Your Pet  We plan on taking our new pup on many adventures and vacations, including camping, driving, hotels, etc.  This is a dense book that lists dog friendly lodging, camping, and emergency information throughout the entire US and Canada. 

I hunt high and low at our local Goodwill, and have bought many books (not just about Dogs!) for about $1.  Most of them are basically brand new!  It's a great way to add to your home library for very little money, we almost need a second bookcase!

On a more personal note, I'm one step closer to being employed!!  More on that soon....

If you have any questions or comments, or if you have ideas about things I could feature on the blog, please feel free to email me at dogpawlove@gmail.com!!  With this blog being relatively new, I have been trying to brainstorm different things that I could feature weekly, be it reviews, featured readers with their pups, etc. and I'd love to hear from you!