Wordless Wednesday

Surprise!

Boothbay Harbor, ME ~ Where Every Dog is a Celebrity

If you’re taking a pawcation in Maine, you absolutely must visit Boothbay Harbor. It’s the dog friendliest town in our great state, and there’s barely a store that doesn’t have a water bowl out front or a shop owner who won’t invite you in for a visit!

This August my parents took a boat trip up the coast to celebrate their one year anniversary, and I got to go tooooo!

First stop was Seguin Island, beautiful and uninhabited but for the lighthouse keeper and his wife. From Seguin, you can see all the way to Casco Bay on a clear day, and the views are indescribable. There’s a great hiking trail that runs the circumference of the island and it’s just perfect for energetic puppies and their families. 

Seguin has moorings in a protected cove, but dogs will want to be rowboat-ready to get to and from the shore. My dad really wanted to spend the night in the quiet cove, but being pregnant, my mom said she’d much prefer a slip, so off we went to downtown Boothbay Harbor. 

Now, one thing I will tell you is that if you are a dog, prepare to be treated like a star. Prepare to be loved and adored by everyone you meet. Prepare to be given the keys to the city-because people in Boothbay Harbor LUURRRRRRRRRRVE dogs. In fact, dogs are welcome most everywhere you go in this little coastal town. My first order of business was to visit the pet store Two Salty Dogs to see my frozen dog treats for sale live and in person. What a thrill! And naturally I had to pick up a few ‘supplies’ from their large selection of treats and toys while we were there.

@ Two Salty Dogs

Next we popped into the Chowder House  for a mid-day snack. In Boothbay Harbor, puppies never have to worry about getting the dreaded stink-eye from a waiter-instead, they bring you a water bowl and some soup crackers!

@ The Chowder House, showing off my new recycled float rope leash from TSD's!

The anniversary celebration really got underway the next morning when we cruised up the bay a bit to the Spruce Point Inn Resort where I lounged by the saltwater pool and helped myself to the dog bones next to the reception desk. They order in the best sunsets at Spruce Point-check it out:

 The best part about my mom being pregnant is that she can (and will) eat ice cream by the truckload (much to my dad’s chagrin), so at night we took the boat back into town to my most favoritest place on earth, the Ice Cream Factory. Don’t be jealous of my doggielicious dessert! 

After a couple days at the Spruce Point Inn, we loaded back into the boat and spent a lazy afternoon motoring up the river to Damariscotta. We saw so many porpoise and seals! But we hit a minor speed bump when we got to Damariscotta: 

Not quite so dog friendly. Oops! So off we went to Christmas Cove instead, where I was once again given the A-List treatment at the Coveside Marina and Restaurant, and I was even invited to join my parents for dinner on the deck. 

Such a fun trip I almost didn’t even want to come home! But I missed my stuffies 

I'M GETTING A BABY FRIEND

Last August, my parents got married. I nearly stole the show as their dog-of-honor, 

but that’s neither here nor there because this Spring, we found out we’re having a baby. Of the human variety.  Babies are the end of a dog’s pampered existence miracles, amiright?!

Now, I am decidedly on the fence about this. On the one hand, babies can always be counted on to have some sort of sticky mess on their faces that makes them taste like lollipops. But I have a sinking feeling this is where the advantages end.

What will become of the sublime joy I take in making a racket so incredibly loud that even our most distant neighbors can appreciate it? (Yes, appreciate. My barking sounds like the sweet soul stylings of Aretha Franklin. Oh you doubt me? Dogs have better hearing than people-look it up.)

Where will I sit in the car now? 

{Currently I like to sit here}

{And here...if I must}

Does the baby have to go everywhere we go? Because I'm not ashamed to say, I like to be RIGHT up front and center whenever we take trips:

And all those stuffies! There are so many! And they look and taste suspiciously like MY stuffies. Will I have to sit in the corner if I accidentallyonpurpose eat one? 

Luckily my mom had the forethought to order our baby this little getup 

so the baby will know right away who’s boss. Me.

Selective Hearing

For the last couple of months, my dad has been clearing our yard to give me more space to run. Here I am doing a fine job supervising:

 

The downside of this is that for now, I’m knee deep in mud. But the upside to this extensive project is that my invisible fence has been temporarily disabled. It’s given me a great opportunity to go around and meet all our new neighbors.

Here is where my parents and I have a difference of opinion. They call this “running away.” I call it “spreading my adorableness” around the neighborhood. This has, on occasion, led to people calling the number on my collar, so that my dad has to come fetch me from a yard that doesn’t (if you want to get technical) belong to me. But most of the time my parents just open the back door and rattle the lid on my treat jar, and no matter where I am, no matter how far I’ve wandered, I hear that treat calling my name and I come bolting back to our house just as fast as my little legs can carry me.

Sometimes though, I'm sorry to report, my hearing isn’t quite so keen. Like when my paws are muddy and my dad says, “Sage. Marie. Get off the bed.” Sorry Dad, whaaa? Come again? You want me to play dead?