Jeff got sick, sneezing and coughing up technicolour goodies into that tasty white paper they always throw away. So I woofed, saying I could do another one for him and the good people at Haida Gwaii News. This time, I won’t bore the readers with my personal angst.
I know the tree he was talking about last week. I love tall trees. I used to walk over to that tree at night to make sure nothing was left behind by the crows and seagulls. Sometimes there are crab shells that make for a decent late-night snack when the humans can’t see what’s hiding in my mouth. When they sense I have something, I tighten up my teeth. They can’t pull it apart. Hahaha.
Sometimes, I tighten up my mouth just to fool them. One time, Jeff was gonna cook scallops. He pulled the bag out of the freezer and dropped a big piece. I went after it and beat him to it. But the damn thing slid underneath the cupboard.
“Give that back to me. Take it out of your mouth. Drop it, Boyz!!!”
I didn’t have it. So I opened up my mouth, and he discovered an empty dog mouth. He didn’t believe me. Then he began to feel bad for falsely accusing me of swallowing a frozen scallop whole. C’mon. Grrr.
We are in Prince Rupert at the moment. I hate the ferry ride. Dogs have to stay on the car deck. They have the older ferry in operation now, from now until October, and it is verrrry noisy. I might be going deaf from all the ferries I have to endure. And the ride is almost always rough during the winter months.
I don’t eat once we are on the ferry because I can’t poop on cement. So I wait and mostly sleep. I heard the humans complain because the elevator doesn’t work and there are at least 50 or so steps. Steep climb for my old man. Steep climb for me. They let dogs on the outer deck now during nice days. But I can’t climb the stairs, so my only option is to stay put.
First stop is the hotel by the casino. They have great steak at The Crest. My personal choice is the filet of beef. I prefer it medium rare, not too cheesy. And I like staying at the hotel apartments by the Catholic school—no steps to get in and out, and we get to park out front. We can see the car from our window.
Everyone is happy here, and there are plenty of dogs. I have made some friends here. But the first place we stayed after arriving was a strange new place.
Jeff had the bright idea of trying something new and different. I don’t like new. It was small and cramped. I was snoozing away when, all of a sudden, I heard lots of noise. They were packing our stuff out the door and into the car. Dazed, I stood up and watched.
“C’mon, Boyz, we’re moving.”
They packed me into the car, and away we went. It was almost midnight. We arrived shortly afterward at my favourite place, and I thought, Holy. They really do love me. I wandered in, and it smelled lovely.
Turns out Jeff discovered an infestation of bugs at the Airbnb. By the bed.
What?!
I could have solved that problem if only they had told me. Instead, I had to endure Jeff complaining for the rest of that night and the next day about someone named Karen.
Effin’ Karen.
Travel can be a tricky affair. I love travel. I get the whole backseat to myself and eat what my humans eat. I get to walk in all sorts of great places. My favourites are beaches and old forest trails. There are always hidden notes to read and the many messages left by other K9s.
My most favourite place in the whole wide world is North Beach on Haida Gwaii. The beach is huge and long. At low tide, the smells are heavenly. I love seaweed. As a younger dog, I could run freely as there was no place to hide. They indulged me whenever they could.
But I can’t wait to get home—back to Front Street on Haida Gwaii. I miss my barbecue and all of my furry friends.
I’ll be back.