Dog on Vacation

Last week we decided to take an impromptu vacation to Truman Lake in Warsaw, Missouri. We have visited this lake in the past, but this would be our first trip with all three kids and the dog.

Taking the kids was not the shocking part of our planning. Taking the dog tested my husband’s bounds of comfort on many levels. He is not a fan of dogs in cars. He is not a fan of dogs licking faces or hands or legs or any other body part. He is adamantly against dogs in the house. Living up to the July Intentergy Positivity Challenge he gave in and allowed us to borrow a travel kennel from friends and bring our fur-baby along.

Bandit was the picture of puppy grace on the trip. He rode happily and quietly in the kids’ laps on the drive to and from the lake. Quickly did his business in the grass and took a nap in the kennel while we stopped to eat. Never once did the dog ask, “How much longer?”  or complain about what food we chose to eat. Not once did Bandit whine about one of the kids touching him or looking at him or breathing the same air he did. Never did we have to deal with him throwing a fit because he was hot, hungry, or tired.

When we took the puppy out in the fishing boat, you would have thought he was born on the sea. He sniffed around, giving everything in the boat a once over, and then alternated between finding the shadiest spot to take a nap or watching with eager puppy intensity as the boys played with minnows in the live well.

The dog really was the best-behaved member of our family (myself included) on this trip.

Having the puppy with us kept the kids entertained and eager to care for someone other than themselves. It gave us added reason to be quiet, kind, and gentle. Watching Bandit make new discoveries and other puppy friends enthralled my children and I. It was so much fun watching him check out the geese and fish and how he reacted to other dogs.

The added benefit was that my children learned from watching his interactions and made connections to their own discoveries. They really were more perceptive of our surroundings because Bandit was along. They wanted to check out every aspect of the marina and surrounding park to see what Bandit thought of it. They were so intrigued to see what the puppy would do, that they let their curiosity rule their actions. It was their intent to find every cool thing they could at the Osage Bluff Marina and Park so that it could be shared with their sweet puppy.

We all should explore that kind of curiosity. Looking for new things to discover or old things to share in a new way should be our daily intent. Put creative purpose into your daily conversations and demonstrations. Share enjoyment in the nuances of each day. Remain positive when seeking fresh, new approaches or long-sought answers. Where there is a will, there is a way, and where there is intent and positivity there is Intentergy.

By: Melanie A. Peters