So, if you remember, our story had just left off with the news that Dad was driving to Memphis on a mission to retrieve my new (and mostly unwanted) brother....
It was about a 7 hour drive from my house to Memphis. Dad decided to leave at around 4am and targeted the pickup time at Noon on Saturday. This would give us time to get back while it was still daylight. Dad didn't want to make the drive alone but Mom had a commitment on that Saturday. My 11 year old brother Joey offered to come along and, at the last minute, it was determined I would go too. The fact that I was a Chin would be a calming factor on the new dog and make the transistion easier (yea... what Brainiac really thought that was a good idea??? Dear ol' Dad... thats who). So we all packed it up and headed out on an adventure.
It was a long drive... for Dad! Joey and I mostly slept for the first 3 hours. The sun fully rose at 7 am and we stopped for breakfast at McDonalds. MMMMMMM... Sausage & Egg McMuffin, hash browns, apple pie (road food is the best). I took another nap till we cruised through Nashville and onto the longest leg of our trek, across middle and western Tennessee.
Dad is a talker when he drives (Dad is a talker when he sits, eats, walks, poops... he talks a lot) and soon the topic changed to naming he new dog. The immediate choice was "Elvis" because we were picking him up in Memphis... but Dad works with a guy named Elvis (who is an Elvis impersonator, by the way) so that was quickly ruled out. Next... we went about eliminating anything that sounded like Sophie with the "IE" or "Y" sound at the end. Dad didn't want to confuse me... I AM 7 YEARS OLD, I THINK I KNOW MY NAME DUMBASS! As we wheeled past the signs for a Civil War battlefield, Dad thought about Robert E. Lee or Grant as names. Dad is a big believer that the name of the dog jumps out at you when you first see him... so we waited to pick a name.
We stopped for snacks and pee-pees a few more times. Snacks are like gold on an adventure. You have your chips and beef jerky, cookies and gas station fare to pass the time as the road rolls by. I love snack foods, so this was a win-win for me. Dad called Ginny Holder, who had rescued Finn from the Pound and was caring for him till we could get there, and told her we were within 25 miles of the pickup spot. Ginny was good enough to come to the East side of town to cut down on our journey. Dad said "See you in about a half hour" and hung up the phone.
THAT was the exact moment that well over 400 miles of snack and fast food hit this little dog!! I gave Dad the "Bat Signal" that I had a powerful problem brewing, so he wheeled on over at the next exit. What happened next can only be described as the largest bout with the runs that has ever errupted from the bowels of a dog. I pooped for, what must have been, 15 minutes. It took wet wipes, towels from the gas station bathroom and a wash rag (which was left to the people of Tennessee as a momento of our trip!!!) to change the tide of this poop disaster. Dad had to give me a butt bath in front of God and strangers. I was not feeling well... thats for sure. The National Weather Service issued a smelly poop warning for the entire Memphis region of Tennessee, THAT'S how bad it was. To say I was a bit embarrassed is an understatement!
After a half hour layover to empty me out and clean me up... we were back on the road. Dad called Ginny back and appologized for our delay and explained there had been and "emergency". No kidding... I blew out an "O" ring and left a deposit at the First National Bank of the Gas Station Parking Lot!!!
Our Story Concludes Tomorrow
It was about a 7 hour drive from my house to Memphis. Dad decided to leave at around 4am and targeted the pickup time at Noon on Saturday. This would give us time to get back while it was still daylight. Dad didn't want to make the drive alone but Mom had a commitment on that Saturday. My 11 year old brother Joey offered to come along and, at the last minute, it was determined I would go too. The fact that I was a Chin would be a calming factor on the new dog and make the transistion easier (yea... what Brainiac really thought that was a good idea??? Dear ol' Dad... thats who). So we all packed it up and headed out on an adventure.
It was a long drive... for Dad! Joey and I mostly slept for the first 3 hours. The sun fully rose at 7 am and we stopped for breakfast at McDonalds. MMMMMMM... Sausage & Egg McMuffin, hash browns, apple pie (road food is the best). I took another nap till we cruised through Nashville and onto the longest leg of our trek, across middle and western Tennessee.
Dad is a talker when he drives (Dad is a talker when he sits, eats, walks, poops... he talks a lot) and soon the topic changed to naming he new dog. The immediate choice was "Elvis" because we were picking him up in Memphis... but Dad works with a guy named Elvis (who is an Elvis impersonator, by the way) so that was quickly ruled out. Next... we went about eliminating anything that sounded like Sophie with the "IE" or "Y" sound at the end. Dad didn't want to confuse me... I AM 7 YEARS OLD, I THINK I KNOW MY NAME DUMBASS! As we wheeled past the signs for a Civil War battlefield, Dad thought about Robert E. Lee or Grant as names. Dad is a big believer that the name of the dog jumps out at you when you first see him... so we waited to pick a name.
We stopped for snacks and pee-pees a few more times. Snacks are like gold on an adventure. You have your chips and beef jerky, cookies and gas station fare to pass the time as the road rolls by. I love snack foods, so this was a win-win for me. Dad called Ginny Holder, who had rescued Finn from the Pound and was caring for him till we could get there, and told her we were within 25 miles of the pickup spot. Ginny was good enough to come to the East side of town to cut down on our journey. Dad said "See you in about a half hour" and hung up the phone.
THAT was the exact moment that well over 400 miles of snack and fast food hit this little dog!! I gave Dad the "Bat Signal" that I had a powerful problem brewing, so he wheeled on over at the next exit. What happened next can only be described as the largest bout with the runs that has ever errupted from the bowels of a dog. I pooped for, what must have been, 15 minutes. It took wet wipes, towels from the gas station bathroom and a wash rag (which was left to the people of Tennessee as a momento of our trip!!!) to change the tide of this poop disaster. Dad had to give me a butt bath in front of God and strangers. I was not feeling well... thats for sure. The National Weather Service issued a smelly poop warning for the entire Memphis region of Tennessee, THAT'S how bad it was. To say I was a bit embarrassed is an understatement!
After a half hour layover to empty me out and clean me up... we were back on the road. Dad called Ginny back and appologized for our delay and explained there had been and "emergency". No kidding... I blew out an "O" ring and left a deposit at the First National Bank of the Gas Station Parking Lot!!!
Our Story Concludes Tomorrow