My name is Indy but my humans call me anything from Sweet Potato Pie to Poppett, from Indy Lou Who to Doggo to Lucille. There's Lou Lou and, of course, Queen Indy the First of Troy. It doesn't really matter to me what they call me. I answer to them all and I know they love me. I am a middle-aged Maltese Shitzu. I've heard that I am spirited and full of personality. Sometimes humans say I am humanlike. Is that a good thing?
A little over a year ago my main peeps, my mamas, decided that I should give up my couch looking out on the world in the south Suburbs of Chicago and move from place to place. I loved that couch and some random lady came and just took it! I loved barking at the people dropping off boxes at the front door and the little humans getting off the big yellow car. I especially enjoyed barking at other dogs who dared to step even one paw on my lawn. But my mamas decided I was done with all that and they sold my house and got a new car. This meant I had to sit in the back for non-stop adventures and wear this leash that won't let me jump around. They told me it was for safety.
Well, they weren't messing around! Over the past year(they say a year but it's actually 7) we have been to sooooo many new places. I have been forced to face so many different kinds of spots to do my business and so many new humans to do my business around. I've conquered sand, snow, rocks, leaves, roads, mushy grass, prickly grass, noisy places and beautiful places where my choices are limited. I've seen and met so many funny-looking animals. I love talking to them and some like talking to me. I love when my mamas take me to see horsies, moo-moos, and chickens. And, those prairie dogs sure intrigued me! I've met a lot of different types of my own kind, too. I still don't like the big ones but I did make some new friends that were my size.
The smells! Oh, the joyous smells! Every place has its own unique scents. I can always tell when other doggies have been here before me and I always let them know that I've been to that spot, too. My mamas know how much I like new smells so they try to take me on walks that go in all directions from where we are staying. They are pretty good at finding new parks and trails for me to check out, too.
One of my favorite new things is going to food yards. We go to these places that are mostly outdoors and my mamas and I get to eat new foods. Once I even had chicken and rice in a frisbee by the beach!
My mamas say we have many more adventures ahead and many more couches to get to know. That's a good thing because I like being a travel dog.
My Mamas' Response
Lou Lou speaks the truth. Over the past 16 months we have been to 22 states staying mostly at Airbnbs and hotels. We have put 30,000 miles on our Nissan Rogue while exploring 11 national parks and attending games at 5 different MLB stadiums. We've poked around at countless museums and been awed at numerous historical, whimsical, and cultural attractions. It's been a wild ride! We have enjoyed this "every day is a new experience" kind of living and we have met some noteworthy characters along the way. And, we are not finished yet. We realized we possess some stories that need to be told and some that we just want to tell. That's why we created our Open Road Chats site.
Oh, and Lou Lou the Travel Dog will have a say at "The Tail End" of each blog because she always has something to say.
The Tail End by Lou Lou
Wait just a minute! I got to lead the way in this story only to find out that in the future I only get to put in my two cents at "The Tail End"? Do humans think they are more important or something? Whatever. I'll show them. I already have quite a few full-fledged stories of my own in my head. Sometimes I have a lot to say. For now, though, I'm going to curl up on my current couch and rest up for the next adventure that awaits me.
Watch our video HERE!
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