Jasper Lily Goes to Washington!

PROUD! In a word – that is how I feel about Jasper Lily after our epic adventure to the east coast.

For those that don’t know, we live in Los Angeles. We flew on a Friday to Washington DC which is about a 4 1/2 hour flight. Jasper rides either in her carrier under the seat in front of us or on my lap since she is a little dog. She is a frequent flyer but normally we fly to Seattle and back so much shorter trips. She did great. We got to DC, picked up our new friends, Tina and Clare, and walked what felt like MILES to the rental car place. Jasper took it all in stride. Like this was perfectly normal to her. And in the car we went. Jasper isn’t a huge fan of cars. She prefers to sit at the floor and shoot me dirty looks so three hours in the car was probably not her idea of a vacation – despite her new friends there with her. To a new house. With new smells and more new people. And then three new LARGE dogs that were already part of their own pack. There was some slight trepidation on Jasper’s part but that could also be exhaustion and being overwhelmed. She’s an 18 pound dog and was surrounded by dogs that were 80, 60, 50 pounds!

We checked into our house and Jasper was curious as ever and found her nose (we think) on the receiving end of a mouse trap. The dog scream is the worst! I thought she had gotten stuck behind something and just freaking out which is probably the reason I handled it better than seeing her with a mouse trap on her nose or paw. She shook it off and we removed ALL the other traps. And no more curious wandering in the house. After that, I will admit, I was slightly nervous about the dangers that would/could happen this weekend and wondering if this was a good idea to have brought her.

Bedtime with her mama and a new friend and all was right in everyone’s world!

The first day in the country presented so many new scents and sights. Jasper has never (to my knowledge and certainly not with me) been around horses. The horses were pretty dog friendly and the first day Jasper was slightly apprehensive and by the second day, she was brave.  Her nose was going crazy smelling all the new smells and seeing horses,  ducks and geese.

Back to the other house with the other pack of dogs and food smells! Jasper took it all in stride. And the other pack welcomed her like one of their own. It was like they were all a family. And with that, this mama started to relax but I knew there would be many more new experiences for Jasper ahead as the day went on.

To the park with new people, new dogs, new smells (and mama worrying about ticks). Jasper was FINE. Jasper was PERFECT. Jasper did GREAT! I was able to have others hold her leash while I was off. Jasper – who is usually more angsty around other dogs when she is on her leash – didn’t have a care in the world. She had her carrier there which proved handy when the thunderstorm kicked in but for the most part, she was so BRAVE.

The rest of the weekend was more of the same…

And going back to the city (I do believe Jasper prefers country life as it is less loud) and then going sight-seeing in DC… I am struck by how great she was. And how it seemed perfectly normal to her – always. And the flight home; yeah, she slept on my lap the entire way, barely looking up when I had a sandwich.

And today marks three years since I first met “Julia” aka “Coyoyita” to be known as “Jasper Lily”. She has changed and so have I. Baggage unpacked, walls down, hearts open. Perhaps this is the dog she was meant to be and she is now living her best life. She still has her quirks, her fears, and a strong prey drive that will probably never allow her to be off leash outdoors. But she is happy and she is confident. She loves her mama. She really, really does. I rarely see our connection and our bond but I did this past trip. I saw what people have told me for over a year that she is bonded to me.

So yeah … I am PROUD. Proud of little Jasper Lily and proud of me. As they say … “you’ve come a long way kid”… we both have!

Cheers to many more experiences and adventures!

2014 & 2017 – Then and now.

So a Brit, A German and a dog from Mexico all go to the White House and no one is deported! (just kidding)!

The forest is our zen …. Jasper loves the forest and I love being in the forest with her.

Jasper Lily at the White House! Jasper makes America Great Again!

Jasper watching the horses and the geese.

Jasper sees a horse for the first time … as far as I know.

Snuggles and cuddles … while mama was away, Jasper hung with her new pack. She totally fit right in. And Karma’s babies accepted her like one of their own.

Guard Dogs! This could never have happened three years ago! Maggie May is 3 times her size (at least).

Living her absolute BEST life!