Carbón's Big Adventure (aka Labratour Part IV)

Hut ab für Dich!!

Please be careful. The weather in France is not very well. A lot of rain and thunderstorms are lying ahead....

 

I'm a bit late...but Cathedral Beach! Just WOW!

 

I could try, but as he's not used to using puppy pads, he's probably just try to chew up the paper. In fact, I'd bet a lot of money that both he AND Carbon would simply try to use the puppy pad as a tug toy.

Yes, good idea! It really was an amazing little place. I just got to my hotel for this evening and while it is also dog-friendly, it cost over twice as much, isn't nearly as nice, and the the man on reception really had to get my full-on charm treatment before he finally stopped looking at the dogs like they were going to eat all the furniture in the room.

They might WEE on it, but they're not going to EAT it.

When he finally thawed and got a little more friendly, he looked at me and said sympathetically, "That's a lot of work for one person, those two dogs." Mmm....does it show? Then I go into the room's bathroom and look at myself. Hair sticking out all directions, sweat dripping down my face, stains on my shirt. No wonder he was looking at me that way!

And yes, the first thing Paul did was have a wee and a poo in the room. Luckily he waited until we were alone this time. Small favors, eh?

 

Thanks for the warning. I'll check out the weather before we leave, but there's not much to do about it but just drive on through...

 

I'm going to have a whinge and I apologise in advance. I really, really wish I would have driven this in three days and just drugged Paul. I know that sounds horrible, but I'm truly at my wits end.

We went into Lllanes today and got so lucky with the weather again, as the sun came out just as we got there. I wanted to take them on a wonderful walk along the cliffs and overlooking the town. As is his normal modus operandi, Paul tried to launch himself over the walls. What walls? Doesn't matter, any wall will do. I'm ready for him, though, and make sure to keep him more than leash's length from any walls. Today that meant putting him on one side of me going up the windy stairs to the walk and Carbon on the other.

Then what does Carbon do? Tries to launch himself over the wall! "Anything Paul can do, I can do better!" Argh. That includes trying out a wee in the hotel room, but we don't talk about that and apparently it wasn't his bag because he's not tried it again.

Crisis averted by preventing Carbon's flight off the sea wall, but then what should have been a lovely walk turned into a tug fest. My right hand is already toast, with blisters and cracked skin. I've not seen any sort of store that would sell gardening gloves or other. I usually use bicycle gloves, but the fingers are two short this time around for some reason (maybe because it's two leashes instead of one).

We did have a very nice moment sitting on a park bench in the shade and watching the ocean together. Paul did keep trying to leap off over the wall to his doom, but when I put him on my lap belly up and in a death grip, he finally just relaxed and watched the birds. He's such a sweet boy when he finally STOPS.

Then off to the hotel, which frankly isn't all that dog-friendly despite the glowing reviews. Maybe I just got the receptionist on an off night. He stuck us in the room closest to the entrance/reception, which means EVERYONE walks past our door. Paul is a fabulous watch dog, but this is not the best situation in which to prove his mettle. It's going to be a long night of me saying "Shush".

There are also donkeys next door, which Carbon has decided are some evil trick of nature. They LOOK like horses, but the evil noise they make! Not horses! Devils! Bark! Bark! Bark! I even took him over to their enclosure and did LAT with him. Except it wasn't calm and confident LAT, it was all a little manic: "Oh, look at those lovely donkeys" WOOF WOOF "But Carbon, they just donkey's, we don't bark at donkeys" WOOF WOOF WOOOOF "For god's sake, please stop, it's just a cute sweet harmless little flipping DONKEY!!!!"

OK, maybe that wasn't LAT. Maybe that was just me losing my mind and speaking to a dog as if he were a three year old human.

We did have a very nice time at the beach that is a stone's throw from the hotel. Dogs not allowed, but I'm over it at this point. I took the boys behind some large rock formations that hid us from the rest of the cove. They dug and played and ran and generally had a ball for an hour and a half.

Paul even had a wee in the sand!!! I was SOOOO proud of him.


Then we came back to the hotel, Carbon tried to murder the donkeys and Paul had a huge wee on the floor. Now he's trying to figure out how to fling himself out the window by crawling up on the desk (we're on the first floor).

He's STILL not tired. I'm wrung out, Carbon has HAD IT with him and don't know what to do.

It's just the trip, as he certainly wasn't this nutty balls at home. But man oh man, am I just wishing that I wouldn't have planned on doing shorter drives each day for his sake. I think we ALL would have done better with making this the shortest trip possible.

Ah well, live and learn. I still love the little sausage head. But I do have fantasies about slipping him a mickey.

 

Sausage head indeed

Sending you good lambie-vibes for a good sleep and a better day tomorrow xx

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I’m sorry. But it’s such good entertainment for us sprawled on the sofa with the dog on the floor fast asleep.

I hope tomorrow brings new happy surprises.

 

You take the drugs and have a nap. Stress does weird stuff to us all its just unfortunate Paul is hardwired for crazy. Big hugs matey you'll he here soon. Xxx

 

My thoughts were along the lines of....nearby off license? (or whatever they are called in Spain/France)

 

Is there any chance you can speed the trip up a bit, cut out a night or so? I know it's not so good for Paul having longer periods in his crate, but he sounds completely wired, and probably a bit stressy as it is.... probably the quicker you get to the UK the better, for him?
It sounds a bit of a nightmare , I'm so sorry it's not much fun for you when you are clearly doing such a nice thing!
I would also be thinking along the lines of drugging Paul and as Jac suggest, multiple glasses of wine in the evenings

 

That sounds s**t, no other way to put it really. I'd do what Natalie suggests and just leg it to the UK as fast as you can. You've got to figure out what's better for your mental health - if you think you can cope with being in the car with the howling banshee for 10 hours a day, then it's probably better to do that than the death by a thousand cuts that you're doing now. Any chance you can find a pet transport agency to do it instead?! I'm only half kidding...

 

Sorry its not going as you planned. I'm with Jacqui, try and get a drink. You will soon be in France where there is plenty of wine.

 

Because they don’t have wine in Spain?!
We do, you know, and it’s far better than that French muck.

#controversial

 

Skipped the nap but took the drugs. Also had a good chat with a friend who slapped some sense into me. Perspective is good.

Keeping out of the French vs. Spanish wine controversy. I don't like wine. But I love a good Asturian cider, so I'm all set IF I COULD FIND A FLIPPING grocery store. Which is part of my grump factor as I've been living off Coke and crips from petrol stations since I left Chiclana. WHERE ARE THE GROCERY STORES around here? France is not my favorite place, but I'll be kissing the car park tarmac of the first Carrefour that I see over the border.

Yes, I'd do that, but it all has been booked and non-refundable at this point. Only three nights left, we'll survive. I'm sure Kate @Beanwood will have a huge diaper ready and waiting for him. Or maybe a nice cozy chicken coop.

I'm hoping for a new wind in my sails tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to be able to visit these beautiful places and I love the boys to bits, it's just proving much harder than I anticipated. I also had some (more) bad tax news from Germany today so it kind of pushed my head under. But it really helps just having a whinge here and feeling like I'm not alone with Cuddle Man and the Wee Machine - so thanks for all the great support here.

Bottom line...I know that even with all the hair-pulling over the trip, I'll be crying buckets on Sunday when he gets adopted.

Can't win, can ya?

A few photos from today before I turn in. I got some fab shots of Carbon, but they need editing, so hopefully they'll see the light of day later.

Llanes, Asturias






And finally right now...peace reins

 

I'm horrified by this statement.

 

It looks like Paul is passed out from too many kongs in the last picture!

 

Ok, perspective is good, but don't let your friend invalidate your feelings. You're crossing two large countries, with two foster dogs, one of whom is more challenging that a toddler who's buzzed on Red Bulls - you are allowed to feel overwhelmed and sad and po'd etc. There are always people who have it harder/worse than you, but that doesn't mean that you're not going through a very challenging time too - life isn't the misery Olympics

 

Well said Sophie!

Hope today is a better day Emily x