Have dog, will travel.

So I hate whatever part of Colorado's bureaucracy is in charge of professional licensing. had to transfer her speech therapist license from Texas to Colorado - a fairly straightforward process. Texas sends Colorado a letter saying her license is in good standing & Colorado issues her license. But they told her this would take NINETY days. So, instead of sitting around unemployed for three months, she took a seven-week travel assignment back in Texas.

Which means that Shadeaux has to travel with me to the Arapahoe project. Last week was her first trip. We found a dog-friendly hotel, & a doggie day care in Sterling (the Bow-Wow Barn). There's a park with river access, & another park with a big grassy area. I drop her off at the B-WB at 0630, go to work, pick her up around 1700, hit one of the parks, & then head to the hotel.

At first, I thought having the furball along was going to be a huge pain in the ass. And it certainly has complicated packing. But overall, I love having her with me. Coming back to a hotel after a work day is usually boring. Doing it day after day is dispiriting & depressing. But coming back with Shadeaux is awesome! We eat dinner, play Fetch, cuddle on the bed, & then go to sleep. I feel safer & less lonely. I think she likes all the attention (though all the disruption to her normal routine is definitely stressful). It's expensive - an extra $180 a week - but what's the alternative? My brother can't watch her for weeks at a time. We don't yet know our neighbors well enough to trust her with them. HPG couldn't find a dog-friendly hotel near her work assignment. So Sterling it is, at least until the end of October.