Two Women, Three Dogs Trolling Mass Pike in the Wee Hours

Back on April 9^th, we left our house at 4:59 a.m. to head to Waltham, MA for Chancey’s oncology appointment at 8:30 a.m. We were told by friends that due to the morning rush hour traffic around the Boston beltway, getting on the road any later than 5 a.m. could result in our missing the appointment.

You might think that we just all piled into the car and drove off. Not as simple as that. Many details had to fall in place for us before we pulled out of our driveway. It started the night before. I emptied out all the contents in my car. Then I started adding. First, a vinyl liner and then a blanket spread out in the back of my car (thank goodness the back seat can be laid down). Second, two doggie beds, water bowl, a gallon bottle of water and extra leashes go on top of the blanket. The rest of these items were stacked behind the passenger seat. First bag, had individual baggies of kibble, one can of dog food and three bowls.  Second bag, dog towels to wipe them off if it should rain or they step in yuck, dog brushes (if they roll in the grass or tangle with a bush that has burrs on it) plus the little orange scoop to pull off ticks.  Third bag has miscellaneous items such as a map (never trust Google Maps), tissues, Advil, and directions to the clinic.

Now it is 4:30 a.m., I’ve loaded up the cooler with treats for us – muffins from Dunkin Donuts (purchased the night before) bags of almonds, oranges, apples, protein bars. I also filled up four drinking bottles of our filtered water and they went into the cooler as well. The cooler went on the floor behind the driver’s seat. On top of that were our coats and two bulky purses. We let the dogs out for one last pee before they got in the car. We got their collars on (which requires running through the house to capture Eddie) and load them into the back of the car. I did a final walk through, checking that all lights are off and no water is running, that the doors to the front yard and back are dead bolted (strong winds have popped the doors if they are not) and I've glanced around to see if I left anything behind. Oops, “Hey Mary, I thought you were already in the car!” It is now 4:59 a.m. and we are rolling out of the driveway.

Two things I noticed about being out and about at 5 a.m. in the morning. Lots of places are already opened. Such as McDonalds, gas stations and Dunkin Donuts! I could have gotten fresh muffins. I never asked them the night before what time they opened. Second thing, there are many more 18-wheelers than cars on the Mass Pike.

We made great time and ended up in the clinic parking lot by 6:45 a.m. They have a great doggie area that is very Zen like. A mobile hanging off a tree and metal dragon flies arranged on a wooden fence.  We let the dogs explore and then we piled back into the car to find a restroom and food for the mommies. We drove around and found a Panera Bread open and had an enjoyable breakfast while the dogs hung out in the car. Upon our return, I took Chancey for a walk around the shopping center so Mary could feed the other two. Because of possible blood work, Chancey had to wait for his breakfast. One of the stores we walked by was a pet store and they had shelves of dog food facing the window. Chancey could smell the dog food and he was jumping up and down wanting to tear open one of those bags.

We headed back to NEVOG, New England Veterinarian Oncology Group, for our appointment. The staff was so kind and thoughtful. When they learned that we had two other dogs in the car, they were invited in. Fast Eddie was having a great time in the examination room, Chloe not so. She started whining and got restless then Eddie chimed in too. Back to the car they went. We then met with Dr. Silver who explained to us how his cancer would progress and what the options were for Chancey. It made us feel better when we learned that this type of cancer rarely had any pain associated with it. She explained to us what we should expect and she thought that he had about six months to a year.

With that information, we headed back to the car so Chancey could have his breakfast. I walked both Fast Eddie and Chloe while Chancey had his breakfast. By now they had already forgotten they had been fed and would have gone for Chancey’s food. That folks, is how food fights start.

One memorable moment occurred on our way back home. We had stopped at a rest stop. Mary went in first and I followed. My mistake was I just got out of the car and walked away without saying anything to the dogs. That’s when the howling started. As I got farther from the car the louder they got. I was laughing and a woman looked at me. I said “Yep, those are mine” and she smiled. You could hear each distinct howl. When they are like this, we call them “Eddie and the Howlers.” Their new single should hit stores next month. What a hoot.

Until next time…