travel – Chester's Challenges

Have Pouch Will Travel

Rachell begins to hum the United States Air Force official song “Wild Blue Yonder” notes. She bobs back and forth to get Chester’s attention from where he lays watching her at the foot of the bed.

“Do you want to go for a ride?” she asks him with excitement as she pulls his pouch from the doorknob where she keeps it.

“Off we go into the wild blue yonder,” Chester sings along. He hops up and down on the bed to show his enthusiasm.

Rachell picks him up and places him inside the shoulder pouch with doggy bags attached in case needed. There is a comfort blanket to give him height to look out easily. Rachell checks to see that all the necessities are inside for him should he require anything. Collapsible water dish in case he gets thirsty, check. Leash for wandering open spaces if they stop by a park, check.

“We are good to go buddy,” Rachell declares.

Chester recognizes this GO command, runs down his pet steps.

He jumps up for Rachell to pick him up and place him safely inside letting her know, “I’m ready!”

This routine is solid. Chester loves his travel gear. He knows he can depend on the repeated sequence. He gets raring to go when he sees Rachel grab his pet sling. When she swings his carrier on to her shoulder like a purse, he settles to the bottom pouch to keep from popping out. This action lets Rachell know he’s situated for the ride which confirms his message, “Have pouch will travel.”

Northern Beams

“Off we go again,” Chester notes, “only this time is nighttime.”

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“I’ll follow my girl anywhere no matter what the time is,” Chester confirms.

Rachell places him in her lap as they slowly tip down the neighborhood road. After a short few minutes of cruising, they stop in a parking lot up a two lane highway. Rachell shuts of the engine and turns off the head lights. She opens the sunroof and stands in her seat. Chester is curious what she’s up to as he looks up through the opening. Rachell spans the sky seemingly looking for something particular. Chester follows her gaze and sees a display of dynamic patterns of brilliant lights that appear as curtains he has never seen before. He determines this perch makes these dynamic flickers appear before him.

“Wow, what in the world are those?” he questions.

Rachell reaches down and picks her little man up from the passenger seat. She raises him to the edge of the sunroof to help him see the display of lights across the heavens. Chester looks at her inquisitively.

As if to read his mind, she tells him, “These are a natural spectacle we call the Northern Lights, also called the Aurora Borealis. Do you see them?” she asks.

“Yes, yes,” Chester embellishes with a wiggling head and a fast-wagging tail!

Rachell holds him tightly as she continues to watch the scenery. He loves his Rachell intensely sharing this fabulous wonderment of nature as his best buddy keeps him safely tucked in her arms.

In the peace-filled minutes here with his best buddy, Chester feels enlightened by these rays he now calls the Northern Beams.

Life is Good

Two days pass after Chester arrives at his new forever home when Rachell understands what is meant by the fact that Chester has no lower jaw and how it impacts his eating. She was feeding him hard dog food when she figures out he is swallowing the morsels whole and needs to switch to soft food. She stops by the vet clinic and gets him the best soft dog food she can find.

“What’s taking so long to prepare my food now?” Chester wonders as he watches Rachell while she mixes his food for his dinner meal. The shift from hard to soft food causes preparation time to increase significantly. First, she scoops soft food from a can. Second, she crushes a pink pill in a white porcelain mortar with a pestle and then mixes the dust into the food. She spoons a little bit of the mixture onto two of her fingers.

“Rachell extends her fingers right in front of my mouth for me to lick food off. This has never happened before,” Chester resolves.

“In my previous home I had to get as much food as possible scarfed up before the German shepherd or the big cat swarmed my food. My caretaker did not stop them either. I am being hand fed and getting all the food I want. What a blessing to be here where Rachell pays special attention to address my needs,” he finishes.

“I never dreamed this. LIFE IS GOOD,” Chester bellows!

Hello World

Chester’s thoughts reflect on the last time he took a ride in a car to the memory of travel to this wonderful place. Most experiences before had not been pleasurable so he feels apprehensive and enthused at the same time. Chester keeps his chin up and keeps his little toes crossed that this ride is enjoyable and exciting.

Rachell doesn’t make him ride in the crate that reminds him of his move to his new home. She places him on a bed pillow covered with a blanket that lifts him high enough to see out the window. in the front seat. Chester places his front feet on the door’s ledge to secure himself safely.

“This is so thrilling,” Chester thinks.

“I wonder where we are headed?” he speculates.

Rachell backs slowly down the driveway and then shifts into drive to head down the road. “We’re going on a short journey around the neighborhood, Chester” Rachell informs him as if she is reading his mind.

Chester relaxes and peers out the glass to gander at the world passing by.

“I just want you to get used to traveling around with me wherever I go, little man,” she says.

“I plan to take you with me to as many places as I can,” Rachell continues.

“I am ecstatic to know what lies in the future,” Chester imagines.

“What a magnificent life I have ahead,” he realizes.

With all he can muster and his little tail wagging as fast as he might so Rachell sees how happy he is, Chester exclaims “HELLO WORLD!”

Dogs and Cats

Chester’s new best friend is three times his size, but that does not frighten him at all. Their nose-to-nose meeting was comforting. Chester understood Gibson would not hurt him. Gibson walks around him to inspect him from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. Chester stood still and as tall as possible while Gibson circles thinking “I’ll get my turn after he makes his first inspection.”

Sure enough, Gibson stops and lays down right in front of Chester when he finishes to let Chester check him out the same way. Chester walks around him as he sniffs with each step.

“This isn’t a dog. He’s a cat,” Chester learns as he gets wind of Gibson’s smell. “Well, I have a new buddy and that’s all that matters at this point. I don’t mind he is a cat,” Chester notes.

“Looks like I’m the only dog here. This setup is going to be fantastic.” As he lies down right next to Gibson where they begin to nap, Chester celebrates “I do believe I am going to love living here!”

#different #rescue #therapy #emotionalsupport