CANINE CHRONICLES
MY DOG IS MY
CO-PILOT
The Road Trip
I don ’ t know how she knows it , but she knows it . A road trip is coming . Even before my suitcase comes out , Winnie Lew knows someone is going on a trip . Her fur becomes Velcro and she is stuck to me . But as soon as the suitcase is taken out of the closet , she goes from needy to possessed . She is on my case with ungodly whining like you have never heard , coming from deep within her . It is a guttural , “ Do I get to go ? Do I get to go ? Do I get to go ?” Once I assure that , yes , she is going too , she breaks into her Tik-Tok dance moves and gyrates throughout the house . It is actually a joy to see any living being dance with such abandon . She doesn ’ t care if no one is watching or the whole world is watching — moves will be made .
Road-tripping with Winnie Lew has evolved since our first car trip , which was to bring her home from the shelter . It was during the pandemic . I had moved to a new town , was isolated , and my companion Ruthie , the puggle , died unexpectedly . I was alone , and a friend wisely told me to get another dog quickly . He found Winnie Lew ( then named Twinkle ) at a shelter and told me to make the 5-hour drive to adopt her , which I dutifully did and I am forever grateful . At that point , Winnie Lew ’ s belongings consisted of her shelter paperwork , an orange collar with jacko-lanterns on it , and an old blanket . She was so unsure of what was going on that I don ’ t think she made a peep the entire 5-hour drive back to Selma . My , how times have changed .
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