Partner Spotlight: DogVacay
A post by Indiana . . .
"Mandy" came to live with our family nearly five years ago... a mere three weeks before our oldest child Jude was born.
She came with the name "Mandy", which we immediately changed to June Carter Cash Adams. She was a rescue dog who, at just three months old, was relinquished by an elderly woman in a motorized wheelchair. "Mandy" had been run over by her first owner's wheelchair several times and had therefore learned to be very quiet and to hide. The woman reported that "Mandy" wouldn't come out from under the couch, and she was often unable to find her or reach her or coax her out of hiding.
Something else that was peculiar about "Mandy" was the fact that she was so docile. She went limp like a noodle when anyone tried to pet her or pick her up. It made us laugh so we affectionately called her Noodles when she did this, but we still mainly called her June.
After Jude was born, though, it got really confusing:
INDIANA: June went poop!
CHRIS: Did you say June or Jude?
I: JUNE!
C: JUDE?
So yeah. We dropped the June and started calling her Noodles just a couple weeks after Jude was born. I think it's a fitting name. She still goes limp at human affection! Limp with joy! Is that even a thing?
With three charming children to take up story space, Noodles doesn't get a lot of attention on the blog or my Instagram, but I wanted to take a moment to tell you more about her. She is quiet, kind, and patient. She has graciously welcomed three children in to our pack. She barks at two things: visitors, until they cross the threshold of the doorway, and her cat "twin" / nemesis from next door (a very large, black fluffy cat that looks a lot like her!). She's small and gets trampled on occasionally, and she puts up with the kids poking her in the eye, picking her up by the tail, and trying to get her to play fetch (Nope. Not interested!). She is deliriously happy when you cuddle her or pet her. She is the perfect companion for a household of rowdy children. In truth, she's an unassuming, very sweet dog. Kind of boring, but thankfully mild mannered and obedient. She isn't a burden because she requires no exercise or grooming. She goes outside to the bathroom by herself, and for the most part, she just lays around and sleeps.
This is a family full of people who like a lot of attention. Our dog is the opposite of that. She's always under the radar and therefore is easily forgotten.
I mentioned in my recent vacation post that we go on a lot of little family trips. Sometimes I'll go visit my best friend in South Carolina, we've already been back to Texas for a visit once, and I like to go to a couple blog conference each year. We always forget about Noodles.
Not because we're terrible dog owners! It's mainly because she's such a chill dog. Thankfully we were introduced to DogVacay back when we lived in Austin.
DogVacay is a network of vouched for pet sitters who will care for your pet, usually in their home, while you're away. Noodles loves her DogVacay host the Hart family. Amy, the mom of the family, even takes the time to text me photos of Noodles enjoying her stay.
DogVacay has saved us in a pinch in a few situations, and when I went to Texas for nearly two weeks for SXSW and TxSC, Noodles thoroughly enjoyed her long DogVacay.
The kind folks at DogVacay want y'all to be able to use them, too. They offer both dog and cat sitting services. Using code NoodlesTheDog, new users may enjoy a $10 off promotion.
And if you love animals, perhaps you, too, can become a DogVacay host.
Learn more: DogVacay website, Instagram (OMG cute puppies!), Twitter, & Facebook.
Noodles was given a DogVacay credit to help offset her stay while we were in Texas last March in exchange for an honest post / review on our website. We welcome them as our episode one podcast sponsor. We are repeat customers and love what they do! Thank you so much for supporting the awesome companies who partner with our family!
