How's Dakota?

As I reach out to everyone, there are a lot of questions that are asked over and over... one of which is "how's Dakota doing?" Well let me tell you...

She's doing great.

The ride out here was not only a 30 hour endeavor for Ashley and I, it was for Dakota too. I didn't quite know how she would react to being pent up in the car that long, but she did real good. Just sat in her little space, chewed on her toys, and when we would stop for a bio break she would hop out and do her business in the closest patch of grass. A complete non issue.

My place is the perfect size for the two of us, and the first couple of weeks were a bit shaky because my schedule at the gym was undetermined. For the most part I was kind of on call since my boss and his wife were expecting twin girls at any moment. That being said poor Dakota did spend a couple of long days in her crate. For dog owners, that's cool because the crate is a sanctuary of sorts. The uncool part was the fact that for those of you who know Dakota, she's a 50lb mass of pure energy that NEVER wants to slow down! So what is a dog owner to do? I'll tell you what, find a two mile stretch of beach and just let her off the leash, and watch her run around with random packs of dogs for hours!

It's quite the spectacle the doggie beach. I get a real kick out of how the dogs interact with each other when they don't feel a sensation of boundaries or being on a leash. It's fun to watch them chase each other around, or be chased around by dogs half or twice their size, chase after another dog's toy, or explore the mysterious ocean. As far as Dakota's experience, I've never seen her sleep in the car. On the ride home she was so tuckered out from nonstop running and playing she actually just laid down. When we pulled up to my apartment, she didn't even sit up. It was almost as if she was saying "just leave me in here, I'll figure it out later."

But she's not the same dog she was in Naperville. Don't get me wrong, she is the same old happy go lucky goof ball, but there's a little piece of her missing. Her side kick and older brother Zeke. It's going to be a fun reunion once he makes his way out here!