I've been traveling a lot lately. Every time I travel, no matter how short the visit, I always carry Puppy. Puppy was given to me way back in 1983. That makes him oh, about 27 years old.
Did I mention that I'm almost 42 years old?
Yeah, that's a little pathetic isn't it? A 42-year old woman traveling with a stuffed animal?
I don't go anywhere without Puppy. He's been on camping trips to Assateague Island, he's been to Germany (and will be going again very soon), he's been on a cruise -- in short, if I go, Puppy goes.
I don't -- can't and won't -- sleep without him. No matter if I'm home, in a sleeping bag, on a ship, or in my very own bed, Puppy's with me.
He's my "dog away from dogs." He's my security blanket. He's my comfort.
I can't take my dogs on the plane with me. So Puppy is a terrific stand-in. I had to warn my then-boyfriend (now husband) that I, the woman he loved, slept with a dog. Not just slept with, but HAD TO sleep with.
Oh, thank god for understanding husbands. And for understanding and accepting friends, too. When I travel with my dog-training friends, they get the same warning. I sheepishly mention that, oh, by the way, I have this stuffed animal that sleeps with me. So far, everyone's been cool about it.
You know what they say about dogs and people: if your dog doesn't like someone, you probably shouldn't either. I feel the same way about Puppy: if people have a problem with Puppy, I should probably take a closer look at them.
Next week, Puppy will travel to Chicago with me. And then after that, Puppy and I are headed to Italy, then Germany. Puppy always travels in my carry-on luggage just in case my luggage ever gets lost... Puppy and I are a team. And quite a good one, I must say. I'm glad to have a stand-in for my real dogs - it makes business trips (or any kind of trip, really) much easier.
