K Kids Beach Trip
by Krista Welder
September 18, 2018
What do you do when you live in the mountains, travel to places where you cannot take your dachshunds, but want to enjoy an annual family vacation complete with K Kids? Well of course you pack ‘em up and head to the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Labor Day Monday when everyone else is going the other way!
The tradition began several years ago, first off with Kassie and Kody, then with Kody and Karly, and now with Karly and Katy. This was Katy’s second trip as she just became a K Kid in August 2017. I miss my K Kids so much when I am away from them and this is the perfect solution. So we selected an on the beach old style motel in Kill Devil Hills with cottages that allow pets after the high season is over…The Cavalier…nothing fancy but with all the charm and character of the Outer Banks in days gone by before it got so built up and touristy…
Cottage Number One has a kitchen and dining/seating area and three bedrooms…and is quite reasonably priced. It is on the end and a fairly short walk to the beach. Paul and I live in a three story home in Staunton. I spend a lot of time at my computer doing K Kids work on the third floor. Paul’s home office is on the bottom floor, and the dogs hang out a lot in the middle. So having us all together in a cottage is heaven on earth for the K Kids! But getting from Staunton to OBX takes some planning and strategic packing to say the least…
First off of course we have to pack our own stuff complete with beach chair, towels, etc. But then comes the fun part…packing all the stuff for the dogs:
As a result of Karly’s multiple illnesses, Cushing’s, pancreatitis, kidney disease and inflammatory bowel disease, she is on a variety of medications, she requires subcutaneous fluids every day, and she is on a special home cooked diet. So here is the list:
Water (to be accessible while we are on the road..in the cooler..and always be prepared for emergencies like what to do if your air conditioner conks out as mine did recently with the dogs but not on this trip)
Doggie towels
Doggie cleaning supplies
Doggie poop bags
Pee pads (just in case)
Karly’s subcutaneous fluid bags and needles
Karly’s and Katy’s personalized bags containing non-refrigerated meds in pill containers, others in baggies including a non-refrigerated liquid med (supplements in baggies, Karly’s special sweet potato freeze dried snacks, Katy’s dry snacks (small chunk TD and Low Fat Gastroinestinal food) and Katy’s kibble (a combination of Acana apple and pear and Wellness lower fat chicken based food)
Cooler with water for dogs, beer for Mom and Dad, sweet potatoes, white rice, green beans and turkey for Karly (and some for Katy too!), refrigerated liquid med for Karly.
Strategically we plan ahead on where to find suitable rest stops for the pups…one where they can do their business hopefully in the grass hopefully where the sun is not too blistering and hopefully somewhat away from noisy cars and trucks. Rest areas make great pit stops but since we take the back roads to the beach sometimes we have to settle for service stations which can be pretty noisy and frightening to Miss Katy who is easily weirded out and distracted.
Then when we get there, of course, the big question is, will the room be ready because if it is not it is 90 degrees out there and no way can we leave the dogs in the car to go to lunch..and the housekeeper may not be cool with our leaving the dogs in the cottage with her while she cleans. But we are in luck…she has not cleaned the room but agrees to put the dogs in one room she cleans first while she cleans the rest of the place so they can enjoy the cool air conditioning while Mom and Dad head to their favorite lunch spot in Nags Head.
From that moment forward Karly and Katy get SUPER excited every time we come back to the cottage…many treats, many belly rubs, much cuddling on the sofa with both Mom and Dad, and a few mischievous tricks, like Katy dragging Dad’s sandals all the way from one room to another even though he hides them under his jeans! Fortunately there was no chewing LOL..
But wait, I forgot the best part…have you seen that picture of the two of them all cuddled up in a BRAND NEW DOG BED? Paul and I make a list of everything we need to take and guess what Mom forgot even though she has 11 of them at home….yep you guessed it a dog bed! So Karly and Katy curl up on a towel until Mom and Dad can get to TJ MAXX where they purchase one of the best dog beds ever. Karly and Katy snuggle up right away and the rest is history.
We take them out on the beach several times in the early morning before it is too hot..their funny little short legs in the sand are pretty hilarious! Neither of them pays much attention to the ocean or the birds but everybody else on the beach pays a TON of attention to them and many discussions about wire haired dachshund ensue…
The bottom line is it’s a lot of work to take your dogs on vacation but if they are dachshunds they repay you with unconditional love you have the satisfaction of knowing your K Kids feel loved and treasured and pampered…
