Hound Dog Traveler: At home in the Land of Fleas and Ticks

By Guest Writer Cinnamon (Canela) Rose

I've been so busy exploring my new home and, especially, the new dog park, that I have been remiss in my blogging. So here is what happened the day we left the La Quinta at the Portland Airport and ended up in our new home in Vancouver, Washington. 

Here I am in the backyard of my new home. See the woods?

It was a tough night in that small cubicle of a room at our last La Quinta, so my owner decided to treat me to a run in a dog park across the bridge in Washington State. She'd been reading all about the Vancouver dog parks and how a group, DogPaw, had worked with the City of Vancouver to create five dog parks in preparation for my arrival. We selected the Dakota Dog Park. It was named after a Police K9 hero.

So we headed out over the huge Columbia River to the other side and went east for a bit. We soon saw a huge dog park with two paved parking lots and two fenced entrances. I could hardly contain myself, I was so excited. It was early and there was still mist in the air. There was only one other dog there so I had the place almost to myself. We headed out on the gravel pathway toward a little wooded glen. There were great smells there and a hollow log to explore. After that, we walked along the perimeter trail doing two loops. I took my time sniffing and running. Soon we ran into two white dogs. They were very friendly and warned me NOT to come to the dog park on weekends because it was uber crowded. 

I decided this would be MY dog park and hoped my new home would be close-by. As we left the park, my owner got a phone call. The house was ready for a walk-through. So we headed over there. It wasn't too far. 

We pulled up in front of this ginormous house! I had to stay in the car while my owner toured the house. It seemed like forever. Finally she came out and said good-bye to the man. She had the keys in her hand and invited me to come on in. Once she closed the door, she let me off the leash and I took off exploring the main floor. It was carpeted! I didn't slide on anything! Then I found some stairs. Wow! My old house didn't have stairs.

Since I had stair climbing practice at the Canine Social Club, I easily ran up the stairs. Once I got up there, I bounded from room to room, getting more and more excited. I wanted to pick "MY" room. I wondered which one it would be. There were rooms with a view of the woods and rooms with a view of the neighborhood. I just enjoyed running on the soft carpet. 

So we unpacked the car and she put my bed in one of the upstairs rooms. Was this MY room? One with a view of the neighborhood? I hoped so. The window was low so I could look out and watch the neighbors, their dogs and their cats. I could even sound the alarm if a stray coyote showed up! Once she put everything away, I got to explore the back yard. There wasn't much there... a patio, bark dust and a new fence. But beyond the fence, in the woods, things looked really interesting. I smelled a kitty out there and there were tons of birds. Two crows flew overhead.

By then I was pretty tired. I guess we were going to stay because my bed was there. So I climbed the stairs and went into the room with my doggie bed and took a very long nap.

 I have so much more to tell about this new place the locals call "The Couve." So look for some updates soon.  By the way, I haven't run into a single flea or tick... YET!

Later.... Cinnamon

Photography copyright: Elizabeth Rose Photography