Jasper Lily’s first airplane ride and trip to Seattle

I will try and keep this short but you all know how much I can write! 🙂

Jasper Lily is the perfect size to take on a plane. She fits great in the little under the seat carriers so I hoped she would be a great travel companion. I’ll admit, I was anxious about taking her on a plane (those sounds + her ears). But with the help of some modern medicine, she did great.

For those who have never traveled with a dog on the plane, it’s pretty simple. They are your carry-on. She had to come out of the carrier to go through security and they just swabbed my hands as a security check (pretty easy if you ask me). She can be out of the carrier before the flight so we walked through the airports (she looked so proud in her thunder shirt). During the flight, she had to stay in her carrier but I would reach in a check on her. She was snoozy central (drugged).

After we arrived in Seattle, we got the rental car and drove to my mom’s. As normal, Jasper hated the car and sat on the floor. I am sure she was terrified on so many levels and I kept telling her it was OK and she would be fine.

We got to mom’s house and she quickly peed and in the house to meet my mom. She was thrilled to meet Jasper Lily. My mom loved Shelby so much but she also knew how sad and heartbroken I was with Shelby’s passing. She fell in love with Jasper right away.

My mom has a wooden dog that looks very real. Jasper was spooked (of course) and wouldn’t stop barking. For about 3 hours! For a dog that didn’t bark, she sure found her voice this trip. She would bark at my mom every morning when we came up from the basement where we were sleeping, in a twin bed that we were able to share (God bless a dog that goes small and flat).

Jasper adapted great to her new ‘home’ for the week. She loved all the new smells, sights, sounds (lots of squirrels …. LOTS). She wore her little coats since it was a cooler than LA. Her routine was slightly off due to vacation sleeping in but she was chillax. She played with her toys (fluff – everywhere) was a great guest, made herself right at home.

My mom noticed a couple things about Jasper; every time I would leave, Jasper would sit by the door and then sit on the couch with the saddest eyes she’d ever seen on a dog. Jasper was truly blue. My mom noticed how Jasper always had to be near me, touching me or in the general area. She followed me everywhere. My mom said that Jasper really, really loves me and it’s obvious how much I do love her and how I am meant to be a dog-mom.

Jasper played and played a lot! She’s still exhausted (which is fantastic). Jasper got to go for long walks around the lake near my mom’s home. She got to experience rain and snow. She played in the snow, ran in the rain and embraced the cold. She was – without a doubt – an amazing companion. She met many of my Seattle friends. Everyone fell in love with her while always acknowledging the loss that I still feel from Shelby.

And we bonded. I truly feel this trip tipped our relationship – I genuinely wanted to be around her. I wanted to hold her, cuddle her, walk with her. I showed her the places that Shelby and I would go. I recognize and respect the vast differences in our relationship. I also allowed myself to fully love and fall in love with her.

I miss Shelby every single day – some mornings I would wake up and be confused and look for Shelby. But Shelby gave us our space and our time to get to know each other. Shelby didn’t visit during this trip. And that did make me sad. But it also shows how mature and wise Shelby is – she wanted me and Jasper to have this moment, this time, to develop our relationship better.

It is going to be hard to go back to work after spending the last week with Jasper non-stop. I might actually miss her! 🙂

She became a cuddle dog, a vocal dog, a lover dog and a friend. She trusts me and is letting her walls down and I am doing the same.

Well done Shelby Lynne … well done! You found me a great friend. You knew that with your loss I would want to go home more and it was always hard with having to board you so you found me a little friend that can go to Seattle with me. You knew that things would be hard on me as I started to deal with the realities of getting older, figuring out my place on this earth (we’re not moving but we don’t love it here anymore) and basically … life. So you sent me a baby to help guide me over the next several years. Thank you, my love!

And Jasper Lily … thank you for being patient, being a great dog, being a good friend and for loving me. I feel your love and I hope you feel the love that I have developed for you. And thank you for understanding the special place Shelby will always have in my heart and soul.

And as they say … a picture is worth a thousand words … here’s a few from our trip!

Leaving LAX – she was terrified!

Cozy, cozy for her … no leg room for me!

On my mom’s lap – growling at the wooden dog.

First walk in the leaves!

Chasing squirrels!

More squirrels.

It was COLD! So we bundled up for a long walk around the lake.

Her first trip to Starbucks! And she met my BFF from waaaaay back!

Mom’s chair. Jasper LOVED this chair. She would only sit there when we weren’t around.

Post Thanksgiving coma. She had a couple bites of turkey but that was it.

Hunting squirrels. I wish we had a window in the apt she could look out. She loved it!

Watching the snow….

Jasper’s first snow! Our last day there we got about an inch. It was awesome, cold and so much fun. She did great.

When it stopped snowing, it was about 25 degrees. That is pretty cold for us.

Getting ready to leave Seattle… sadness…

Tons of dogs on the flight. She was the best. No barking from her.

And she’s home! While I was unpacking ,she grabbed up all her babies and cozied up on the couch…. she’s still snoozy time.