Dogarazzi: Week 52

Yesterday, JG and I spent the day together in one of my favorite traditions we’ve built: Theme Park Day! So far, we’ve gone to Hershey Park and Dorney Park — last year, we held off over the summer because we went to Busch Gardens in the spring — and this year, Six Flags Great Adventure was our target. I love taking a day off from work in the middle of the week to go to an amusement park with JG because it is such a departure from my daily grind, and we always have so much fun.

JG scouted out a good deal on tickets with a coupon on a $3 box of Tastykake Butterscotch Krimpets, which saved us the full cost of a day pass. The drive to northern New Jersey took about two hours, and we stayed at the park past rush hour. Overall, I was not impressed. The big thrill rides at Six Flags were very good, especially the Superman ride, where the seats tilted downward, and we “flew” horizontally. I also enjoyed El Toro, which was the longest, most sustained ride on a wooden coaster I can remember in a long time. However, the indoor Batman ride was horrendous, the Great American Scream Machine practically gave me whiplash, and three different coasters broke down before noon. In general, the park operations were clunky and inefficient, especially an odd ticketing system intended to prevent line-jumping. I’m glad we went, and we got our money’s worth, but we will return to our old stomping grounds of Hershey Park next year. It is the sweetest place on Earth, after all.

Our all-day absence meant that Ted had to spend the time in his crate, like a workday. We asked a friend to stop by to take him out in the afternoon, and JG walked him after we got home, but it was probably a rude awakening after the past few weeks of having free rein in the house with JG. Thankfully, the extended crate stay was a little easier because we picked up a new crate for Ted at the beginning of the month. He barely fit in his original one when he was all stretched out, which I didn’t really understand, because it was supposedly Westie-sized, and Ted is a smaller Westie. Regardless, Ted didn’t like spending time in his crate, and the cramped quarters did not help one bit.

We took a cue from Quincy’s owners and opted for a larger, wire-grid crate that collapses for traveling. Ted has a habit of barking at new, sizable additions to our decor (coolers, large shipment boxes, etc.), so JG set up the crate in our living room for an afternoon and let Ted wander around it to get acquainted. He nosed around the new structure, cautiously stepping in and out, lured by the treat JG had tossed inside. By the end of the day, Ted was happily situated in the new digs with his old towel. Even though the new crate looks more jail-like, Ted doesn’t mind going inside. Sometimes, he even beats me to the punch by hopping into his crate and waiting for me to lock the door.

Eventually, we’ll soften up the floor with some sort of padding, but for now, I’m relieved that Ted enjoys being in his crate. Shoving him into the old one made me feel awful, and he sounded so pitiful when he scratched against the door. These days, when I come to get him for the morning walk, Ted is simply lying down on his towel, patient and quiet.

Stay tuned for next week’s special one-year anniversary celebration of Dogarazzi! In the meantime, get your daily dog dose with Smalls, Kaya, Rufus, Ben, Bailey, Gus, Foxy, and Zapp!