It's Dog or Nothing - All Things Great Pyrenees
Whew. I have mixed emotions today. On one hand, I’m thinking, “How are we already at day three?” On the other, “How are we only on day three?”
*Note: I’m writing these at the end of each day, so I’m pretty tired when I do. I apologize if I rant or things read strangely.
We decided to make our move from Washington to Virginia a seven-day trek. This way, we’re doing shorter days—meaning we can take longer breaks and get the dogs out for more walks.
But we’re also going to be passing by family and plan to take quick visits on our way through.On day three, we traveled from Rock Springs, WY to Kearney, NE. We tried to get an earlier start since we knew we’d be losing an hour due to the time change, but it definitely takes a while to get four dogs fed, walked, and packed up in the morning.
Plus, it’s day three of traveling with five animals. We need our sleep!
Stress is building with all of the animals (and us), and it definitely shows with Tikaani. This is surely a lifestyle he isn’t used to.
Kaani has a few behaviors we’re working on. The obvious one is fear reactivity toward people, but he has also started chasing cars.
He started “acting out” more today than usual. Normally, when we end up next to a car at a red light, he looks alert but doesn’t make a noise. Today, he decided to bark at every car we stopped next to. I would be shocked if it wasn’t attributed to increased stress (but we’re still going to work on it regardless).
While more stressed he also showed more of his goofy side today. He enjoyed sticking his head out the window, letting his jowls flap in the wind.
We took a break to stretch our legs at a beautiful rest stop in Wyoming. Nick had Mauja and Atka and I had just gotten there with Kiska and Kaani. I looked up and saw how amazing the view was.
Me: “Hey, babe!”
Nick: “Yeah?”
Me: “Step, like… 5 feet to your left.”
Nick: “Why?”
Me: “Don’t ask questions!”
And that’s how I got this beautiful shot. I just wanted to get the rest stop building out of the way 
Although, I wish I had my actual camera on me rather than just my cell phone.
It’s not just about Tikaani
I know these updates have mostly been about Kaani, but that’s because he’s the one who we knew would struggle the most. At this point, Mauja is a moving expert. She’s six and has lived in five houses and countless hotels at this point.
Atka is a pretty go-with-the-flow dude, but hotel living definitely stresses him out. He doesn’t show stress in the same way Kaani does, but he struggles to relax in the evenings. Lots of snuggles and his favorite blanket (that he’s had since 10 weeks old) definitely help calm him down.
Things are up and down with Kiska. Being a service dog, she’s pretty easy-going. However, the bopping in and out of hotels does take a toll on her. She becomes less “puppy” and more clingy—a lot more clingy.
Overall, I’m extremely impressed with how they are all doing. Moving across the country is a lot—especially for a breed that lives by a routine. I mean, you move one piece of furniture a foot to the left and they get upset.
I couldn’t ask for better travel companions!
Learn about the rest of our trip
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