A bunch of firsts

Dixie and I had a safe journey to and from Atlanta.

It was a pretty smooth trip. Dixie did great on her first airplane trip. On the way to Atlanta I sat next to a nice fellow. He was really kind. Helped me get my stuff in the overhead compartment. I asked if he knew that there would be a dog next to him and he said no. I asked if he was o.k. with that and he said “Yes.” Dixie was very mellow. She was most anxious during the taxi on the runway part of the flight. She put her front paws on my lap and hit her snout in my armpit. There were two men behind me who were very kind. They asked if I would let Dixie back to visit them. She was as interested as they were, so I let her go back to them. The two men took turns petting her. Then she crawled under the seat and layed on my feet the rest of the trip.

I have to say that flying first class is nice. It’s like going to a spa and being pampered. I had a lovely salmon and field greens salad, along with a tiny container of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream for dessert. (Yes, it had the carb value on it. And yes, I ate it.) The photo above is of Dixie in seat 1-A. She had hoped to sit in the seat during the trip. I snapped the photo before she moved to the floor.

We arrived in Atlanta, picked up my luggage and went outside to the shuttle. The shuttle driver wouldn’t let us ride because she said, “dogs have to be in cages.” Two managers later we hopped aboard.

Dixie had her first plane ride, first shuttle ride, first taxi ride, first major league baseball game, (Atlanta vs. Washington) and first bus ride. I’m so proud of her. She was a trooper.

I appreciate Minnesota nice so much now. I had so many people in Atlanta scream in fear of Dixie, refuse to ride elevators that we were in, and restaurant owners tell me that I couldn’t come in their restaurant with a dog. (again, several managers later and I eventually was able to enter) It was a pain. Kids came up to me several times and asked if Dixie bites. I’ve never been asked that before.

I left Atlanta on Thursday. I went through security, and Dixie set off the alarm. (like she had in MN. There, they escorted us aside and patted her down) A man asked me to step into a “waiting area.” This was like a glass hallway with a locked door. I waited about 10 minutes. Finally a woman came over and opened the door and grabbed me by the arm to lead me to a chair. She told me to sit. She said “raise your left arm.” I did. Another guy came over and started to pat down Dixie. I asked the woman if she could wait a minute so that I could focus on Dixie while she was being patted. The woman said “NO!” The process took another 5-10 minutes. (it felt longer) It was humiliating.

We boarded the plane back to MN. The pilots asked if she could stay with them during the flight. The man next to us was really nice and said that he had a couple labs at home. Dixie was more anxious during the return flight. I wasn’t feeling particularly well, so I thought maybe that was why. We both slept most of the trip. The flight attendant brought Dixie a pillow. ☺ Nice people.

I got into the MN airport and a friend picked me up. I was feeling pretty horrible. Got home and took my temperature. 101.7. No wonder I felt so bad. I had a cold, and spent the entire weekend resting. I’m still not over it yet. When Dayquil is on board, I can keep my temp around 99. Ugh. Aren’t colds supposed to happen during winter? A summer cold?! What the heck. Fortunately it hasn't caused much havoc with my blood sugars.

It's good to be home.