Miley's Trip and Nebraska Highways

We headed out early at 7am to Nebraska City, NE to meet Miley's new "parents". Miley is one of Bayla’s pups and that is the name her new owners gave to her. It was a little over 250 miles up there but it was a very straight route and we got to stay on the same highway almost the entire way so it was an easy drive and we didn't get lost once! Highly unusual for us, we always get lost at least once it seems! We had given her a bath the night before, I knew I wouldn't have time in the morning and I didn't want to stress her out with a bath right before putting her in the carrier for a long drive anyway so I bathed her late the night before, carefully groomed all the little stick tights out of her hair (that is what we call those little greenish stickers that are not prickly like cockleburs but they sure stick to everything). Miley looked like she had rolled in a stick tight bush...but a regular comb worked great for getting them all out of her hair after her bath. Boy did she look beautiful when I was done with her! I was so proud! She was clean, fluffy and just beautiful, that bath and brushing made such a difference!

By this time it was after midnight, I of course put her back out with her goats, I did not want to keep her in the house overnight because this is not a good thing for a working livestock guardian dog and besides...how dirty could she get out there in the grass for a few hours? The answer...VERY! I was finishing getting my shoes on and was about ready to go, so my husband Jamey went out and got her that morning to put her in the carrier in the backseat of the car. He had to bring her in the house first to show me and when I seen her I just said "Oh My Gawd!", she was SO muddy! Muddy paws, muddy legs and a muddy belly with flecks of mud in her hair on her chest, I don't know how she did it but the pup clearly has a talent for getting dirty. There is a reason I have called her and her sisters the "mud puppies" but at least she still smelled nice from the bath, even with muddy legs and stomach. I didn't have time to bath her again so it would have to be what it was. So we got her in the carrier and headed out.

Over all she did really well, for being raised in a goat pasture her whole life to go through the experience of such a long trip; although about half-way there I smelled something strange, it smelled a little like dog food but not quite...uh oh she had gotten car sick. (We had fed her the night before over 8 hours prior, so I was surprised she had anything to throw-up...but she did and boy did she!) So much for at least smelling nice!

So after a stop at a gas station and a lot of paper towels to clean up Miley and the carrier we were off again. This put us a little behind but we should have still made it on time, except as soon as we crossed from Kansas into Nebraska the speed limit went down to 60 almost the entire way. I don't know what is up with that and no offense to Nebraska, but they need to put some more money into highway work. I am not saying KS is better than NE, but from what I saw we sure have better roads! Right at the state line it went from a nice, well maintained, high-speed highway to a rough riding 60mph road, held together by lots of tar, it clearly hadn't seen any work for awhile. I also didn't realize that Nebraska is a day ahead of Kansas because everyone up there was Sunday driving on Saturday. I never saw so many people driving so slowly! Of course my perception of this was probably skewed by the fact we were now in a hurry. So we did not get there as early as we hoped, but we were not too late considering the puke pit stop, a bad road and getting behind every person in the state with clearly no-where to be that day.

So we get to the McDonald's parking lot where we agreed to meet and immediately see the blue and silver truck we were looking for. Miley's very nice new parents were there and had brought a picture of their other Great Pyrenees to show us, and he was clearly a handsome and adorable fellow with a sense of humor. I think Miley has a great new goat guardian partner waiting at her new home for her. It was a little sad to see her go, but I know she is going to a great home and her own goat herd to watch over and that is a good feeling, even if it is a little bitter sweet. So after a short meeting, it was time to head home, and the trip home went quickly. Small towns and corn fields make beautiful scenery to me. By the time we got home from the 9 hour trip my husband and I were both pretty tired, but it was a good day!