Molly, our nine-year-old Portuguese Water Dog treats everyone she meets like a new best friend. She’s always ready to race and romp. At our home in Cedar, she’s never far from Joe. Her favorite spot is under Joe’s work table, curled up at his feet. When Joe takes a break, they sometimes play hide-and-seek. If we’re off hiking in the woods and it’s winter, you might find the duo dressed in matching coats. On land she likes to play keep-a-way. Molly will only play fetch if you throw a ball out into the water. So, on hot summer days you’ll find the pair on the shore of Lake Michigan — either swimming or playing in the surf. Molly even comes along when we splash about on our stand-up paddle boards (SUPs). Molly is a restless passenger, so Joe keeps them balanced by shifting his weight. Once in awhile the board flips and they both end up in the water.
As you might have guessed, Joe wouldn’t dream of heading off in Wander — our new van — without his four-legged best friend. As we prepped and packed for our Southwest adventure, Joe scoured the internet for dog-friendly hiking trails and campgrounds.
At home, Molly spent so much time with Joe, it never occurred to me that her favorite spot in the van would be on top of MY pillow. After a long day of hiking, Molly’s prone to imitating a petrified log. In her immovable state, she seems to double in weight and it’s hard to coax her off my side of the bed. I do my best to go into alpha dog mode and claim some portion of the bed. Molly has both a dog bed and sleeping bag that we lay out each night in the passenger’s seat foot well. It looks nice and cozy to me, but she prefers our bed.
I have noticed that Molly brings joy to all the canine enthusiasts who are traveling without their pets. She’s not a barker, so most people comment on her quiet demeanor and try and guess her breed. Most believe she’s a labradoodle. Others approach us and ask, “Can I pet your dog?”
“Of course! Molly’s very friendly.” — is our standard answer. Molly will give the stranger’s outstretched hand a tentative sniff, then wag her tail before approaching the individual and smelling their shoes. True dog lovers, kneel down and give Molly’s ears a good scratching.
I do believe it’s better to have her with us than to wish she were here.
