Solving the Rusty problem

Rusty is a good dog and is rarely a problem. Except when we have to travel by some mode other than truck or car. He is not a large dog, weighing in at 35 pounds, but he is too large to carry on board either a passenger plane or a train. He probably would do fine in a “play” kennel where he could interact with other dogs, but that is only a short-term option. I needed to get Jett to Massachusetts where she could continue her cancer treatment while being close to family and friends. We don’t know how long we will be there and if it is months we needed to find a way to get short-term care for Rusty and a way to get him north, too, if it turns into a long-term stay.

The only real solution was to get him to Virginia, to be cared for by Jett’s sons, which was where I took him last year during our planned month-long cruise. He loves being there and they seem to love having him, so win-win.

But this time I could not leave Jett to drive to Virginia. So I called Jett’s son Joshua and proposed meeting him halfway, in North Carolina, Saturday night. As Jett was hospitalized and would not be released until Monday at the earliest, I had a 2-day window to do the half-trip.

Josh declined my proposition. He said Jett needed me and he would drive all the way to Flagler Beach to fetch Rusty. I couldn’t very well refuse his generosity so, true to his word, both he and his fiancé Cristina appeared at the hospital Saturday night and stayed until Tuesday morning, assisting with Jett’s release from the hospital.

They left Tuesday morning, with Rusty, solving that critical logistical problem for me.

Thank you, Josh and Cristina!

I am happy to report that following her discharge from the hospital on Monday, Jett had four very good days at home in the RV. She was mentally alert, got out of bed and prepared for radiation treatments every morning with very little assistance from me and actually ate some real meals. Small portions, but real food. All very encouraging.