Bichon Paradise

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(that picture has nothing to do with my post other than being an adorable photo I found tonight of bichons)

While my family and I had our vacation in paradise, Sophie was visiting the equivalent for Bichons at the Bichons and Friends B&B. I was introduced to Jill, the amazing lady who runs the service, by my friend BermudaBluez.

She had read my post about the family who had previously watched Sophie for us...the ones who put her in her crate, inside their car, inside their garage ALL NIGHT so they could "get some sleep" (Sophie does not like to be crated and will bark and thrash nonstop). Yeah...can you imagine?

That family also made me feel like Sophie was too much trouble and that she was the problem, not them.

So BermudaBluez came to our rescue and Jill not only took such loving care of Sophie, but declared to us that there's not a thing wrong with Sophie. She's a normal, loving Bichon who needs and thrives off of human contact. And she remained crate-free during her entire stay.

Sophie got to eat, sleep and play with 4 other Bichons while she was there, too, and they all got premium sleeping quarters....in bed snuggled up with Jill. She said she woke up each morning with Sophie's chin on her shoulder, with her pressed up against her, which is her favorite sleeping position here with me.

Jill gave me wonderful tips on easing Sophie's anxiety (she feels it's not even anxiety but normal Bichon behavior), including an invaluable anxiety wrap that I ended up purchasing (it works wonders on her).

I'll post more soon about a Bichon Bash I attended (which I found out about through Jill), along with a bit of the story of Hadley, one of the Bichons Sophie got to stay with.

Jill rescued sweet Hadley, and his story is both heartbreaking and inspiring. Sophie was obviously in the best hands possible! Thank you, Jill, from the bottom of my heart, for loving my little girl like your own.

Here are some photos Jill emailed to me while we were on vacation showing just how much fun she was having:

Sophie laughing (see all her Bichon friends behind her?):



Trying to call home: :)



Smiling poolside (that's Lucy behind her, who is SO affectionate!):



Sophie actually got onto the raft with Jill, something none of the other Bichons have ever done!

What a difference between this visit and the other one, huh? The ONLY downside was getting a citation in the mail from the state of Maryland, who took a photo of my van going a whopping 35 in a 25 (on a major road). How is that kind of citation even legal? They put the citation in my husband's name, who wasn't even driving. Stupid.

I'll take a hundred of those citations, though, for the chance to leave Sophie with Jill! It was far worth it!