"If you have time to spare go by air, if you really have to get there...go by car." Author Unknown

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Dog on Vacation

We are in the midst of planning our two week summer vacation which is basically a road trip consisting of camping, biking and hiking.  In the initial stages it was a no-brainer that Jack would come with us.  Now as the specifics of the trip start to take shape we realize logistically it is going to be a nightmare.  Traveling with a small child has taught us not to have any specific plans such as "we will go here or there at this time and then tomorrow we will do this at this time."  We have learned we can have a general idea of what we will do and when, as well as a backup plan if a certain little person is having a mental breakdown.  Now add having to find campgrounds/beaches/hotels that allow dogs when you don't know what day you will be at that particular campground,beach or hotel.  To make matters worse we can't leave our dog tied to the tent if we want to go on a bike ride (which is the point of going on a biking, hiking and camping vacation) -- well we could, but I won't.  It gives me the chills to think of the consequences of leaving my beautiful friendly boxer alone at a campsite!  Well, I won't even go there....

So where does Jack the Boxer go if he can't go there with us?  We have taken him to kennels before.  The last time he got ticks and then so did our house.  We left him with my mom for two weeks and he came home skinny and with bi-lateral flank hair loss.  I had a friend watch him in my home once, but she said he wouldn't eat -- so we ended our vacation early.  We had our neighbor come over on a daily basis to walk him when we were gone for eight days.  On that vacation the neighbor gave our door code to his son-in-law (someone we did not know) so he could walk Jack because the neighbor was unavailable.  There seem to be very few solutions offering a happy ending for Jack while we are on our road trip.

If you read my last post you know we bought a Weehoo because our bikes weren't getting used and we needed to find a solution on how to bring the little guy along.  Now, the only solution I can come up with for Jack on our vacation is a Weehoo for dogs!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Weehoo Igo Review

After realizing our mountain bikes have just become decorations in our garage I decided to try to find something that would enable us to ride our bikes again with our almost four year old.  Last year in Germany we tried out the bike trailer and our son hated it.  He complained of being hit in the face with rocks and that he was hot.  It seemed to us his complaints stemmed mostly from being isolated.  Next we tried the Ibert handlebar seat, but it would only work on my husband’s bike and pedaling was difficult.  The search was on for a bike apparatus that would work for our family.
By pure accident I came across the Weehoo when searching the REI website for trail-a-bikes.  At first glance I knew this was going to work out great.  I read all the reviews as well as reviews on other websites and the feedback was nothing but positive.  I watched a user posted video on You Tube which convinced my husband to try it.  We received it last Thursday and after several bike rides (if you build it they will use it) – we can say without regret we “love it!”  Our son enjoys participating by pedaling (at 3 ½ he can reach the pedals) and because it is open he seems to feel a part of the biking experience. 
What really sold us on the Weehoo was the fact our son can ride this up to 75lbs!  We also like that we have been able to enjoy long bike rides and not worry we will  have to stop when he gets tired – if he does he just takes a nap!  I love the 5 point harness seat and all the storage options.  Both my husband and I have pulled the Weehoo and love the way it tracks right behind our bikes.  Purchasing it from REI provided one other huge benefit:  they put it together!
We try to make very smart purchases and I feel this is one of the best we have made.  We are looking forward to enjoying our long term love relationship with the Weehoo.