At the last minute my family and I decided to go camping for my birthday. Since my birthday (the 26th) is around Memorial weekend, and we literally decided on this camping trip at the last minute, we were only able to get one night in Zion.

Turns out one night was plenty anyway. Zion was very very hot. But we still had a good time and, for Petal’s very first camping trip, it went very well!

Petal helping me open my present.

Taking shelter from the blazing sun.

Lassie wanting in the tent!

Relaxing.

The three amigos!

Which reminds me, we ate at this really great mexican restaurant in Zion called Amigos. Their food was great and they even allowed the dogs to sit on the patio with us!

Petal enjoyed sitting in the camp chairs. Crazy little dog.

The car ride to Zion and home was absolutely crazy. We had to cram seven people, three dogs, and enough camping gear for seven people and three dogs in an eight passenger van. Lassie and Petal were squished in the backseat with me and Miranda and for a little while on the way home, Lassie was laying on Petal!

As is to be expected, we came across a few challenges while camping (like trying to keep Petal quiet and assure her that she didn’t need to bark at every moving thing and trying not to melt in the sun), but all in all, it was a pretty good trip.

Petal has recently learned how to do some new things. Very helpful things!

She helps open packages!

She takes care of, and entertains, our friend’s new puppy Pepper.

She’s also a fantastic babysitter. These girls were in her face giggling and squealing. They were squeezing her toes and her tail. They were looking down her ears. They were hugging on her and balancing things on her head. She did not care nor complain. In fact, I think she really enjoyed it.
Though she’s pretty wiped out now.

I think one day soon Petal will make one amazing therapy dog.

So yesterday, the 27th, was one week after Petal’s surgery. Yay! We’re looking forward to two weeks when we can go out and play and get muddy and dirty again.

Petal has been doing very well and Mom and I started taking her for short little walks just to get her out of the house for some fresh air and to stretch her legs.

So excited to be free!


Short walks was really all it took though as it really doesn’t take much to exhaust her right now.

I kept her in her safety pen until Wednesday when I decided she could come out and play for a little bit. She was more than happy with this and her and Ella immediately began playing with each other.

At super sonic speed!

Crazy girls.

And while she’s in her pen Harriet sometimes comes to keep her company, just as a good friend would.

Petal is recovering quickly and wonderfully. It’ll be two weeks before we know it and then we’ll be out having adventures again! And maybe a bath too. ;]

Petal gets spayed
Day Two
Day Three

*squish!*

Today Petal was feeling like her old self only to realize that her old self is rather exhausting.

 She had these little spurts throughout the day of excitement and enthusiasm and just being her happy little self. Minutes later she was passed out in her bed for a good long nap. I joined her for one of those naps early this afternoon. I curled up with my blanket in Petal’s pen and we napped. Seriously.

“Can I play now, Mommy?”

She finally drank a little water today and is still eating very well. However, her once irresistible rawhide bones are now too much work for her. She’s sticking with her Twistix for now, they’re much easier to chew.

Harriet, one of Petal’s bestest buddies, tried to get Petal to play with her today. She was reaching through the pen and swatting at her nose. Petal just stared at her like “Some tried to cut me in half the other day, leave me alone!”

This evening my Mom and I took her for a short little walk around the front yard, hoping she would go poop as she hasn’t gone since she’s been home. She still hasn’t gone and if she doesn’t go soon I’m going to call the Vet and tell on her.

That short little walk had her excited and ready to run around and play (she couldn’t though, of course), but as soon as we came back inside she passed out in her bed and my wild child has been sleeping since.

Petal gets spayed
Day Two
One Week

Day Two.

It’s day two and Petal is still being pampered tortured. She woke up looking much more like her usual, sober self. She was alert and looked a lot less miserable. But, to my great relief, she’s been very tired and very calm. I was so afraid she’d wake up feeling sober and think that that meant she was all better and she could go right back to her crazy self. She definitely did not do this though. Instead she’s been really careful and gentle with herself and she’s been sleeping a lot, which is also good, she needs her rest.

Snuggling with George the Giraffe who has been loyally by her side since the car ride to the Vet.


Her appetite has been great, I’ve been slowly feeding her her Sojos in small amounts at a time. I even stuffed her Kong with her food to give her a little something to do. She has only taken one tiny little sip of water though, but thankfully Sojos is made with water so I’m not too concerned about that just yet. Other than Sojos she has also enjoyed one of her tasty treats, Twistix SensiBelly, from Bone Appetit this morning.

I have to hide Petal’s hyperhyperhyper sister Ella in the bedroom when I let Petal out to go outside to relieve herself. Ella gets way too excited and tries to initiate a wrestling match. Lassie has always been much more understanding in situations like these and has been very good about letting Petal be.

Petal’s safety area is right by the window, where she can enjoy a bit of sunshine and keep warm.

She also has the best view of the front yard. ;]

Day two is quickly coming to an end and I think it has been very successful. Petal’s been resting well, no more (heartbreaking) whimpering like the first night, and she’s been getting plenty of love and attention, of course.

Petal gets spayed
Day Three
One Week

Wednesday, April 20th, Petal took a trip to the Vet not knowing what to expect. The lady there was very nice and spoke to her and even listened to Petal’s long, rambling stories. Then the kind lady whisked Petal away into a secret room where they did a terrible thing.

They spayed her.

If Petal had known they were going to drug her and perform surgery on her innocent little self, she never would’ve gotten in the van at 6:30 in the morning!

At 1:30 in the afternoon Petal was rescued from the Vet by her human (traitor) Mother and her human Grandmother and together they helped a very drugged up doggy walk to the car. Petal had to have a human on either side of her to keep her from swaying to the left. She also had to be lifted into the car and, rather humiliatingly, had to have her suspiciously yellow back legs and rear end cleaned up with a baby wipe. Then we started the journey home. Luckily for Petal, part of that journey included stopping to buy her some tasty treats from Bone Appetit.

Petal wasn’t feeling very lucky when we arrived home, however. It was windy and she was drugged and tired and yet these humans wanted her to get up so they could carry her out of the car?

How dare they.

But with some effort Petal complied and, staggering as if her legs were made of jelly, she walked along the side of the car before she was carried into the house and laid on her bed.

Her bed that was surrounded by a gate!

“You’re lucky I’m in a drug induced stupor or else I’d be out of here!”

But the worst part of it all?

No jumping, getting dirty or getting wet for two whole weeks!

Once Petal is sober enough to realize this, she is not going to be a happy girl.

Poor Baby. ♥