Overall, this was a really nice weekend!
Some highlights include:
🔷Walking to a new coffee shop with Ivan (only <10 min from home!). It’s actually the location where our gym used to have a 24 hour location. Kinda funny to see the space revamped and now full of muffins and pastries and coffee treats instead of treadmills and weights. Haha.
🔷These flowers on the side of our garage… going crazy!
🔷Gorgeous summer mornings. I sat out and read Saturday morning… it was hot, sunny, humid and I loved it. This is what I (im)patiently wait for when it’s 36 degrees and windy in April.
🔷Using our propane fire pit on Saturday night + some more reading!
🔷Taking some more action steps to deciding on the dog boarding situation. We went to tour a different standard facility on Saturday, the kind with the separate kennels. A friend recommended it, and it has won local awards.
Well, apparently I’m the problem here, because it was just a huge NO GO for us. Ivan and I both firmly agreed- we just cannot see Charlie spending his days in one of those kennels. They have 3 different size kennels, but only the smallest ones are available on the next dates we need boarding (August).
The “classic” wing literally looked like how I envision the humane society. Or a “dog pound”. Just a concrete building with a long row of kennels with wire doors. The dogs seemed… fine, I guess, but no one looked overly happy and I feel like it would be SO BORING for them. I think Charlie would feel highly anxious and/or very abandoned in there! It looked like doggie prison to me!! 😭
For the base daily price, the only human contact they get is going out 3 times a day for 20 minutes each time, to a relatively small, rectangular grassy area, maybe with a couple other dogs. And that’s it.
If you want extras, you pay extra. You can add on a doggie daycare day , “15 minutes of 1:1 time with a human” or a “leashed nature walk”. Which is fine, we could and would certainly pay for some add-ons, but I don’t know, even adding on “extras”, I still can’t imagine him sitting in that little kennel the entire rest of the day, alone. He is used to looking out the window, going on walks, being with people, snuggling in our bed… He is used to A LOT of attention. 💞 I could see leaving him there for a weekend or overnight maybe, but I cannot imagine ever leaving him for 10 days or 2 weeks like that.
Also, at this place the staff leave at 6 pm, so the dogs don’t go out potty at all (or have any contact with humans or other dogs) between 6 pm and 6 am. I didn’t love that idea… that feels like a long time! (At the place we boarded him, staff are there 24/7 and even sleep with the dogs.)
SO, after some discussion over lunch at Chick-Fil-A, lol!, we actually had a bit of a change of heart. In hindsight, and after some comparisons, we feel that perhaps the (kennel free) place we took Charlie is actually quite good, after all! Perhaps the best we’ve found, actually, so far.
I do think I may have had some unrealistic expectations on the communication piece. (Seems most places charge an extra fee for text updates! Ours didn’t, and in fairness, she did send me a short video, a picture and a couple short text updates. Unless we go with a private sitter, and after seeing HOW MANY dogs are in these boarding places, I highly doubt we would get better communication anywhere else, anyway.)
I did have some concerns about how exhausted he was at the end, but we talked this over, too, and we still feel that given the choices, Charlie would be happiest and most at-home being around people and other dogs all the time. Cavapoos are prone to separation anxiety, and my gut says that being alone in a kennel for ~23 hours a day is not the right answer for his personality.
To alleviate some of the exhaustion, we could ask the kennel-free place to put him in his crate for a couple hours each afternoon for some “nap time”/ downtime. (They do have a separate room where dogs can be crated for naps or sleeping overnight, if the owners desire; they’re just generally “kennel free” in the sense that they don’t otherwise keep the dogs in kennels.)
I have a feeling that no matter where we board him, he will probably have some personality changes/ anxiety/ etc. I think this is pretty normal anytime a dog is out of their routine, unfortunately. We have one more appointment on Wednesday, at an in-home place, and then I think we’ll make our final decision. I did go ahead and reserve the days in August at the kennel-free place, just to lock it in, and the lady who answered the phone said, “Oh, Charlie? He just stayed here, right? I know Charlie!!” and sounded excited that he’d be back. So that made me feel good, at least.
(Sorry to anyone bored stiff by dog talk. I’m rivaling the luggage + Icelandair posts here with my dog boarding dilemma!)
Okay, on to the LOWLIGHT of the weekend:
Ethan got in a car accident. 😭
It was- get this- literally around the corner from our house, in a 25 mph speed limit zone. Which is ironic, considering he drives 30+ minutes away to school everyday, on multiple interstates.
He had just left home and turned right onto a main road in our neighborhood when an Amazon driver from out-of-town in a big black Cadillac SUV blew through a Yield sign and T-boned him! This intersection is seriously like 350 feet from our street.
Ethan said it happened very fast, as these things do… He absolutely had the right-of-way here and the Amazon driver got a ticket for failing to yield.
Fortunately Ethan was fine and called us and we raced over there. I initially may have done a little, um, yelling at the guy for NOT FREAKING YIELDING AT THE BIG RED AND WHITE YIELD SIGN. He was trying to argue with me at first that it wasn’t his fault. Fortunately, the police arrived quickly and his failure to yield ticket ended that argument.
Unfortunately, Ethan’s car got a lot of damage. I’m guessing the Amazon driver was either looking at his gps map or didn’t even see the Yield sign, because seems like he didn’t even try to stop.
The airbags went off and everything.
So, now we get the fun of dealing with insurance companies and claims and police reports and ensuring it gets labeled as not-at-fault, etc. We don’t know yet really if it’s considered “fixable” or will be a “total loss” maybe since the air bags went off?
His car is a 2016 and has quite a lot of miles on it, a Honda Accord, but it’s a really nice car with all the bells and whistles. The bad thing is, if they give us a total loss pay off, there’s no way we could buy a similar-level used car for whatever they would claim it’s worth.
I’m trying not to worry about it all until we get more information. Ivan was on the phone all morning getting things started and is sorting out a rental. (Which I assume one of us will have to drive, since Ethan is too young, but he can use one of our cars for now, I guess…)
The whole thing shook up our whole Sunday! Ethan was okay overall with everything and handled it quite well, really.
Of course, I did have to lecture him a bit on his own role in this. Yes, it was absolutely the other guy’s fault, but how many times have I told the boys that you really have to watch those Yield intersections?! I myself have narrowly avoided crashes twice in the past year there because people just fly right through.
I do think this accident could have been prevented, with an extra dose of caution….(and experience…). I know Ethan is a really good driver, and these things happen, but I hope he at least takes away a valuable lesson from this. You cannot trust other drivers!! Just because you have the right of way really doesn’t mean anything; it’s your job to ensure the intersection is clear before proceeding. (I have told both boys this a million times already, but you know. One of those things that I guess you have to live and learn a little the hard way… 😫) In fairness, too, this particular intersection isn’t the best given some trees/ plants that also sort of block the view as you approach.
Anyway, UGH all around.
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful for Ethan being okay!! THANK GOD.
GRATEFUL KAE 
As the mom of a driving teen I feel your pain. I happened to pass my teen driving one direction as he made a risky move going the other direction…not illegal just risky. I definitely told him I saw him and gave him a mom lecture.
Good that everyone at your house is okay though!
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Thank you for the commiseration! I had always assumed I’d be a basket case once the boys started driving, but I really hadn’t even worried too much about him- he had been doing super well and seems to be a very responsible, not reckless driver, etc… but I guess things can obviously still happen! It definitely shook us up.
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Oh no, Kae! What a huge bummer. Obviously relieving he’s okay, but dealing with insurance is the WORST. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Plus, now you’re down a car for a while (hopefully insurance covers a rental)?
They always say the majority of accidents happen within 1 km of your own home and it really does ring true.
And I’m glad you have more clarity and feel better about where to board Charlie. Sometimes it really does help to see all the options to realize what you’d already picked was the best. It’s reassuring to get a clearer picture of how other places work.
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Yes, the insurance part is definitely the worse. It seems like everything takes FOREVER… and of course now we’re also in our 4th of July holiday week here, so that probably won’t help matters as offices will be closed, etc.
And yes on the boarding thing. We really hadn’t done “due diligence” the first time around- someone I know had recommended the kennel free place, so we just went with that and assumed it would be fine. I do think it has helped to clarify the situation some by visiting these other various options!
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Chiming in on the important dog/vacation question to say that we’ve had good experience with Rover. We’ve learned it’s best to go with someone with LOTS of good reviews who has done Rover full time for a long time. We also go with people who are more expensive. like maybe $10 over the average price in our area, so $55 a night. We’ve found someone who worked as a dog trainer, has up to 3 dogs at a time plus her own. She has scheduled playtime and kennel time.
Our worse experiences involved trying to use someone cheaper & one person who had great reviews but an awful house. We didn’t book him. I think he had great reviews as a dog walker not a boarder. so read the reviews.
It sounds like the no kennel place wasn’t too bad. Maybe he just needs more rest time.
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We have an appointment tomorrow with another person from Rover! The first guy I mentioned last week who we didn’t like was also on Rover but I am sure it’s like anything- the options probably vary wildly. I do think the woman we’re meeting tomorrow sounds very promising and similar to what you described! But also, if that still doesn’t work for whatever reason, I am feeling more at peace with the kennel free place + requesting some crate time for down time and naps. So overall I feel a little calmer about the whole situation right now!
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That is great that you have a coffee shop walking distance away! I love walking up to SBUX with the boys for a coffee for me and cake pops for them. Phil would probably prefer there not be a SBUX close by. Ha. Although we only go there a couple of times/month, if that!
I am surprised you had a propane fire pit on this past weekend when it was sooo hot and humid! It did not cool down here at all at night so a fire pit would have been miserable!! But our climates can be a bit different. I like warm days but this humidity has been awful, especially for running. My pace is so slow and I can’t say I really love the runs. They are more something to get done and I tell myself they will make me a stronger runner.
It really sucks about Ethan! I am glad he is ok but dealing with insurance is awful! He had such a great car! I hope it’s fixable or the amount they will give you isn’t too terrible if they do total it!!
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Haha about the Sbux being so close! That does seem like a fun walking destination!!
It was hot here last weekend too, but by the evening it wasn’t THAT hot anymore. Anyway, our propane pit isn’t super large and it doesn’t put off extreme heat. I just sat a little back from it and mostly enjoyed the ambiance!
And yes, that’s the big bummer part- he/we really loved this car for him! It’s Ivan’s old car and is just really nice looking, in great shape, has not had any major maintenance issues (we’ve owned it the whole time), etc. Would be very hard to match all the benefits we have in this car with whatever pay out they would probably give us… I guess we’ll see!
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That’s too bad about the accident. At least your son handled it maturely and called you right away! Also glad that the police came and listened to him- teen boy drivers sometimes get short shifted as everyone thinks it’s their fault, regardless of what actually happened. When my daughter had her accident with me in the passenger seat when she was learning to drive, she was the one who called her dad and the police- I was so proud of her. ( I was in pain with whiplash and couldn’t move easily.) Ethan is also lucky that the person stopped, didn’t hit-and-run,and probably has insurance. We’ve had bad luck with that.
Glad you are coming to a resolution about dog boarding. You love your little guy a lot- he’s lucky to have you consider his needs so thoroughly.
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Ah, how traumatic to be in an accident while still learning! It sounds like she handled it so well though too. I do worry about what you said- that since he’s a 16 year old boy, they will try to pin it on him as his fault somehow. It definitely helps that the other driver clearly had a yield sign and clearly did NOT yield! And he got a ticket and everything, and also, a neighbor was outside and gave a witness report to the police as well.
And yes, I do feel more at ease right now about the dog boarding! I definitely love him so so much!
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You know the dog talk isn’t boring to all of us who are in the same boat! The place where we take Doggo has 8 hours of play/16 hours of kennel but there are meals and potty breaks during the kennel time. We’ve had a lot of thunderstorms in the past week which has reminded me of how long Doggo *can* go without a bathroom break when she wants to, but I want it to be her choice and not someone else’s. So yeah, your gut is giving you the right answer!
Sigh, I’m sorry that Ethan got a lesson in the school of life. I’m so impressed that he drives on the freeway regularly. I know that he’s ahead of the curve of other kids his age and long term he will be a better driver a lot sooner than most. I’ve got my fingers crossed that the car can be fixed.
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I know, I sort of hate that he has to drive the freeway and all of that all the time for school, BUT on the other hand, like you said, I know in the long run this is making him a much better and more confident driver. When I got my license I mostly just drove in suburban/ low key streets for the first couple of years and definitely didn’t have much experience in more traffic or interstates at all. He already has a lot more experience than most kids his age would, that’s for sure.
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Yikes, I was in an accident like that when I was 23, an econoline van ran a yield sign and smacked into my driver’s door. Luckily I wasn’t hurt but wow, I was shaken up. Glad everyone is okay!
I think dogs are always exhausted after getting home from the boarder’s, no matter what. It’s a different routine, they have more playtime and different stimulation…I know the last time Rex was at the boarder (the “country club” they call it) he had a ripped collar, an eye infection, an ear infection, and lice. It wasn’t super fun to deal with all that but hey, from all the videos and photos, it looked like he was having fun. Dealing with Rex is the worst thing about travelling, but I’m not NOT going to travel, so whatcha gonna do. Dogs are pretty resilient, and they adapt back to routine fairly quickly.
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Also I’d never leave a dog at a place that had no staff from 6-6, even if they can go that long, what if there’s an emergency?? That seems like a terrible plan.
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I love the idea of walking to a coffee shop, maybe that’s why I love Bueno Aires so much, there’s literally at least one coffee shop per block.
talking about crash, Tony just had his own yesterday, few hours after we came back to brasilia, again totally the other guy’s fault, and very minor bump but still quite annoying. I kept telling him that as long as he’s not injured, the car is still very drivable, if it’s only a money problem, then let’s not fuss about it. But I fully agree with you on being extra cautious because that’s what we can control.
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Oh, poor Ethan!!! Being in a car accident is horrible, so traumatic. I’m glad he wasn’t at fault, but it’s till a HUGE pain dealing with the insurance, etc. I was in an accident a few years ago, and it was my fault (oops. Luckily no one was hurt). I looked at it as, “a stumble may prevent a fall.” Ever since then I’ve been much, much more careful. So getting into a minor accident could prevent a more serious one down the line.
On a lighter note, you have a coffee shop you can walk to! That’s amazing. And, your thoughts on Charlie’s boarding situation are good. Nothing is going to be 100% ideal, but it’s good you looked around so you can feel good about the choice you’re making.
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I’m so glad Ethan is okay! I second what Jenny says that this could turn out to be a “stumble may prevent a fall” situation. It may make him a more cautious and careful driver in the long run (even though it wasn’t his fault, but like you said, there are some accidents that may be still be preventable!). But dealing with insurance is the worst, so sending you positive vibes on that. We have been dealing with a home insurance claim with USAA for the last few weeks and they have been absolutely enraging to deal with!
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Oh how scary!!! I am so glad Ethan is okay, and I hope the car replacement/repair situation goes smoothly.
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I love that you have a new coffee shop so close, and it’s so sweet how much care you’re putting into finding the best place for Charlie. He’s so lucky to have you! And wow, so glad Ethan is okay, that must have been so scary. Fingers crossed the insurance part goes smoothly.
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Oh no, I’m sorry- glad Ethan is okay! Ugh, still annoying. I hate when other drivers don’t pay attention. I am currently driving a car in Russia and some drivers are crazy! I have a few more days… Can’t wait to go home.
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Thank you! I have been thinking of you driving in Russia… I feel like that’s really brave! I mean I don’t know if you’ve driven there before but in general driving in another country freaks me out! Even if driving rules are similar, like in Mexico, it still seems there are always country specific variances.
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