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Back from Georgia. Traveling with a senior dog and an Esther . . . likely not to happen again. Gerts was, of course, 95% perfect. Momo and Esther should have met. Mo would have taught her some manners, and how to curb her energy. He knew how to read when Gertie was done (9 times out of 10) and how to adjust his fervor to her level. Sounds like Momo could have been a wonderful teacher dog. These dogs are not easy to come by. Esther tried to drown Gertie in the creek (but, yay Esther for getting in the water!) and the tie outs kept getting tangled and hung up on debris so we didn't try the creek again. It was also difficult to get down into - no steps and super mushy mud so we sunk down another 6" after trying to step down 18". Very awkward for 2-legged creatures! That's great that Esther had the courage to get in the water! That's a big progress! Last week, for the first time I had the courage to immerse myself in deep sea water where I couldn't touch with the help of a life vest. I don't know how to swim and deep water has always scared me. I reminded myself to take baby steps and shaped my way going down the ladder backwards so not to see the bottomless water. I stuck by the ladder the whole time and felt tense like a cat not wanting to be bathed, but what counts is that I was able to float for several minutes and even enjoyed it, before recognizing how uncomfortable it is to wear a life vest! Abbi didn't enjoy it, but by the time we were headed home she at least calmed down, lol. We had to drug her up the first two days. Xanax the 2nd day, but the big guns the first day. We won't do this again until she's either got someone to take care of her (which our family won't or can't & hubby doesn't trust anyone else) or she passes away. It's not easy with these senior dogs. Some cope well, others don't. We only know until we travel. My friend has a 14 year old who is literally still a happy camper, even with rather disabling arthritis goes everywhere she goes. We had to stop travelling with our Rotties once they got older as travel started stressing them out rather than relaxing them. There was no fence, so we know to look for that feature next time. Esther was kind of a pain half the time, and pretty okay half the time. I had to buy some enzymatic cleaner because she had some oopses. Thankfully they had a washer and dryer (another amenity we'll require in the future!). She was uncontrollable at Fall Brooks Falls, but we couldn't leave because folks crowded us in. It was fairly clear when we got up there, but two large groups came in behind us so we just had to let her lose her mind a bit (there were two smaller dogs at the bottom of the falls). She's starting to do better with bigger dogs - we can get her attention and calm her down faster, but small dogs she goes nuts over. Accidents aren't uncommon when in new places. Glad they had a washer/dryer! That's great she's improving with large dogs, with the small ones, well, the good thing is you know what areas she needs more work done so you can cover all basis. Gertie will definitely be wearing her front attachment harness next trip. That little stinker took advantage of us having to focus on Esther and Abbi! Her 5% was showing! She doesn't pull so much as walks ahead, which I'm not okay with but can tolerate more than being sled dogged up a trail. I made her walk on the left on the way down because I could just see her bumping me off the ledge while following her nose. New places can trigger pulling, especially if they're a bit anxious/overly excited and haven't walked in new places for some time. The novelty factor puts a dent in helping them generalize. The front clip harness could have helped reduce it, for sure make sure to include it in your checklist next time! We learned that Vrbo is about 40-50% more than renting from the people directly, but their site makes it so easy to find what we need. We were first time Vrbo users, and didn't realize the additional cost. Now we have a few sites, though, so pfffft to that extra money! 😄 We got in trouble at Mercier Orchards, lol. Husband was told dogs were okay to go in the store, but then a different employee said we couldn't unless they were service dogs. So we had to take turns perusing the store. I scored boysenberry jelly, elderberry jelly, and a raspberry / fig jam. Another thing we learned - everything takes longer with dogs. It was a 9 hour drive instead of 7, for example. We left Esther home to eat at the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant. They have a Pooch Pad (enclosed patio) for those with dogs. There were two reactive Australian Shepherds so we made the right call. Their companions were speaking to a couple there with a small dog and the Aussie companions, along with the dogs, had the poor little dog corralled in and it had nowhere to go so it lashed out a bit and the big Aussies responded. I reiterate, glad we didn't bring Esther, lol. Gertie was being 5% as it was, doing that call out bark to get other dogs' attention, the stinker. She settled down after the first 10 minutes, though. Omigosh, and the amount that has to be packed for dogs! I had my crochet backpack and a carry on bag. Husband brought a little more, but then the rest was all dog and it took up most of the room in my truck. We didn't even bring their real beds, just a Chuck It for each big girl, and a small bed hubby bought for traveling. So much adventure! It can be stressful. Potty breaks, taking turns buying stuff, bringing along all the stuff. I can't recall a totally stress-free trip. Makes you think about getting a ginormous RV and just chilling there. LOL, I literally has a visual image of Esther at Toccoa Riverside Restaurant sitting at a table and being served! How cool though for a restaurant to offer this kind of service. The Pooch Pad sounds like fun. Now I'm trying to get scheduled with Stef to come over so we can get Esther firmed up on the couch etiquette, treadmill, nose work, and I think that's it. Don't forget about the barking at the TV and possible changes you were thinking of implementing. A demo is worth more than 1,000 words!