It was a very bittersweet day on Sunday. On one hand it was sad to leave Guide Dogs for the Blind and all of the wonderful people that I’ve really gotten to know over the last two weeks. Although, it would be nice to go back home and get Mambo settled into his new surroundings. I still really miss my trainers and classmates. Plus, it’s hard having to cook my own meals now! LOL
We left GDB on Easter Sunday to head to the San Francisco airport at 6:00 AM. Mambo did not get fed breakfast that morning, since we would be flying 2,000 miles across the country back to Ohio. You want the dog to be as empty as possible so that they will not need to relieve as much. He did have a bit of water that morning. We left my wonderful City by the Bay around 8:00 AM and were headed to Chicago for a layover.
The flight to Chicago went very smooth. I sat in a row with two other passengers. I was in the middle seat, which I really do not like, but I suffered through it, LOL. The guy next to me, who was very cute, was from the Bay area. And the woman on my other side was an older lady who lived in New York. They were both very nice and did not mind having a dog at their feet. On my flight home with Pascal in 2009 I sat next to a guy and the first thing he said was, “I HATE DOGS!” So, you can imagine I was a bit nervous about flying home with Mambo… Luckily, everyone fell in love with him, which is completely easy to do!
We had about 1 ½ layover in Chicago, and since I had only eaten a bag of Cheetos (very healthy, I know) for breakfast, I decided to eat there. I went to a Starbucks and had a cinnamon scone and water. It was alright, but I missed the wonderful food at GDB!!! I also asked the lady at the gate if there was a place that I could take Mambo to relieve that was in the secure area. She offered to take him out for me, this worked great because I really didn’t want to have to go back through security again. She was so excited to take him out; she even offered to take him out again before we boarded the plane. But, he really didn’t have to go again since the flight from Chicago to Cincinnati would only be an hour. We arrived back in Cincinnati at around 5:20 PM. The second flight also went well, and we got to sit with another cute guy! 🙂
My Mom met me at baggage claim and then we headed outside to feed and relieve Mambo. My Stepdad, Larry was sitting outside with Pascal, so the boys got to meet in a neutral area. I fed and relieved both boys separately and then they got to meet and greet each other. My Mom, Mambo and I went into a restaurant to grab dinner, Pascal stayed in the car with Larry. Pascal did not seem jealous that Mambo got to go in and he did not. When we got to my house, Mambo and Pascal really wanted to play, but I wasn’t ready for them to play yet. Well, Mambo pulled very hard on his leash, and I almost lost my balance and fell. So, I said very sternly, “Mambo, no, sit.” And Pascal came running over to me and sat down, it took Mambo a few seconds longer. LOL, poor Pascal thought he was in trouble. Guess he still knows when his Mommy means business!
We started back to work on Monday morning, and man am I tired. I wish I would have been able to take a day or two off to unpack and settle in. But, things have been going well so far. Mambo is a big hit at work, and he’s adjusting well.
Pascal and Mambo did get a chance on Monday afternoon to play, and they get along very well. I think that they will both enjoy play dates.
So far, Mambo has been to a few restaurants and the grocery store. He is champ at every place we go. I’m going to rest for a few days, but next week, we will plan on getting out a lot more.
Will write more soon. Thanks for reading, I hope you’ve enjoyed my blogging experience.
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