Penny Takes Flight!

May 31, 2011 by Connie Wilson

Every spring I help my mom get her patio ready for summer which entails either a 5-hour drive to get to Kelowna where she lives, or else a short flight. With time at a premium, I usually opt for the flight so that I have maximum time to indulge myself in a number of my favourite activities. Here are just a few of them:

1. Visiting with family including some concentrated mother/daughter girl-time (a pleasure that my busy schedule doesn't allow me often enough).

2. Sharing a 5pm (sharp!) happy hour with my mom, consisting of Manhattans served in stemmed glasses (complete with a cherry-on-a-stick), accompanied by an assortment of yummy snacks (with my typical schedule involving long work-days and dinner rarely before 8:30 or 9pm, sitting down for an early and leisurely happy hour followed by dinner at 6:30 is a rare treat!).

3. Puttering around Dogwood Nursery (my mom's favourite nursery) where we choose vibrant coloured geraniums, verbena, and other heat-tolerant plants in striking colour combos to complement Mom's patio décor.

With Mom's condominium rules allowing only small dogs, my previous dog Kaya who weighed in at 60 pounds was never a contender for such a trip, but Penny, my little wire-haired Dachshund with her 12-pound sausage-shaped frame, certainly is! I therefore decided I'd surprise my mom with not one, but two house guests. I was flying West Jet so I gave them a call to find out the rules regarding flying with a pet in-cabin. Apparently, there's a limit as to how many dogs can be in-cabin on a flight (I believe it's two), so luckily Penny was granted boarding and we paid an additional $50 (each way) for the privilege. BTW, dogs need to be able to fit in an appropriately sized pet-travelling case that allows them the ability to turn around. The case also needs to be able to fit under the seat in front of you where the dog must be stowed until you're ready to disembark, with all openings entirely zipped up. Going through security was a little nerve-wracking as I had to juggle Penny in her case along with all my carry-on stuff until I was ready to place my handbag, computer, Penny's travel-bag and other carry-ons through the x-ray scanner. I could then take Penny out of her bag whereupon I held Penny and walked through the metal detecting device. Once through we made our way down to our boarding gate where we received loads of smiles and "cute dog" compliments from fellow travelers.

Stopping at the Budget counter to get our vehicle, presents another photo opp...

The short flight took just 30 minutes or so and then there we were there! The fruit orchards were in full and fragrant bloom while the vivid blue sky contrasting with the green grass and pinkish white apple blossoms were a feast for the eyes. Mom was delighted I had brought Penny (saying multiple times that she was such a well-behaved, calm dog which of course pleased me beyond reason) and Penny enjoyed the numerous country walks we took together. I'm sure the highlight of the trip for her (next to seeing my mom and be allowed to snuggle with her on her bed), was a walk we took that passed by a hillside populated by at least a hundred marmots. They'd run to their burrows when they saw us coming, making funny squeaking sounds as they'd plunge down into their tunnels, but would then cautiously poke their heads out again to see where we were at. Penny was running from one burrow to the next, but always just missed an encounter. It was hilarious to watch, but if allowed, I'm sure she would have drawn upon her instinctual hunting skills to root one out; it is after all what these types of dogs were bred for.

Here's one curious little fellow who couldn't stay hidden for long...