A Five-Dog Thanksgiving

I have successfully returned from a Thanksgiving trip to Norman with all three dogs in tow. They were obliged to accompany me because I’m too cheap to board them, and my parents are tolerant enough to put up with the insanity of having five dogs in the house for a few days. So off we went.

Kobi insisted on riding in my lap, and every time the car slowed down, she would get up and press her face to the window in hopes that I would roll it down so she could stick her head out. Normally I don’t mind her doing so, but A)  I wasn’t going to open the window in the cold on the highway, and B)  when Grayson is in the car and Kobi has her head out, he has anxiety attacks that she’s going to fall or jump out the window. 

I used the window lock button to keep the dogs in the back seat from being able to step on the button and lower the windows themselves, but unfortunately this function does not work on the driver’s side window. So periodically when Kobi was hopefully pressing her nose to the glass, she would step on the button and roll down the window, whereupon she would immediately lean as far out as possible and Grayson would gasp in terror, and I would swerve all over the road, trying to get him calmed down, keep her from falling out, and get the window back up without taking off her head.

This is fun.

Half way between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Roxy decided she needed to ride in Grayson’s lap. She bellied up over the console and army-crawled into his seat, where she remained, looking anxious, until his wriggling and complaining drove her into the floorboard at his feet.  From there she refused to be dislodged.  We finally had to stop and haul her bodily into the back seat. A long hour of ultra-sonic whining followed, punctuated by Grayson and me alternately shouting “Roxy! Shut up!” To no effect.

Upon arrival, we got to enjoy the five-way rodeo of integrating my three with my parents’ two.  Circus hilarity ensued, followed by a brief, but very exciting, dog-fight culminating in all of us running around waving our arms about wildly and chasing all five dogs outside.

Then Roxy and Flower got in the pond.

And brought a lot of it into the living room, via the doggie door.

Much sliding, slippery, wet and smelly chaos ensued… culminating in all of us waving our arms about wildly and chasing them outside again.

And blocking the doggie door.  And mopping.

Things did calm down after a few hours, but my parents’ dogs were completely cowed by my galumphing, bossy hoard, and consequently spent most of the four-day weekend in my father’s lap. 

Ah, it’s good to get home for the Holidays.  No doubt my parents are eagerly awaiting our return at Christmas.