Pet Travel

Westie M&G Train Ride – Part 2

Written by Rachel Phelps

Recently I attended a Westie meet at Cumberland Falls Kentucky and here is part two. To catch up please click doggie diary on the right.

Saturday morning I woke up bright and early. Of course I needed to go out..doesn’t every dog when they wake up, but I had an alternative motive. I was hoping to bump into some Westie friends out in the grass. So Daddy put my leash on and out I went and I was so excited. I finally got to see another west Highland White Terrier! Other than my litter mates I have not been around any dog my own breed. Well I sniffed and sniffed and greeted and greeted. They all knew my name from the website. I even have a nickname Double P 🙂 So daddy found out all the details of the day and then I went back to the room to wake mommy up with my usual jump on the bed, run up to her face, and start licking her as she wiggles, and says Preston stop, I’m awake, stop licking me, etc. Daddy is usually laughing and egging me on to lick her more. So while they got ready in the scary bathroom I played some and was all ready to go but then I was put in my crate and they left. I was so mad. I knew there were Westies out there and I couldn’t go see them. After a while my parents came back. They had gone to the state park for breakfast and said it was very yummy. Well 10 am finally rolled around and it was time to go meet everyone. Overall there was about 15 Westies attending and two other dogs who were siblings of a Westie. All the parents and dogs were very nice and welcomed us with open paws. Then we all loaded into our cars and made our way to the TRAIN!!! Yep us Westies took over a train! I had never been on a train before and I was so excited. We arrived at the train station and all of us jumped out of the car and walked up the hill to buy our humans tickets (doggies rode for free). We got quite a bit of attention from everyone else waiting to go on the train and a lot of questions about the white cotton ball dogs. We went on the Big South Fork Scenic Railway. Lucky for us the train was already there so we boarded right away and we filled up half of a car. I don’t know how excited everyone else was that was in the same car as 17 dogs but I didn’t care. I was going somewhere with my mommy and daddy and my new friends. It was also funny when they sounded the all aboard whistle and we all in unison barked. It wasn’t long until we were off on our 16 mile trip into the Daniel Boone National Forrest. I loved sticking my head out the side of the train and I’m sure we were a funny site with a bunch of white dogs all doing the same. Some dogs did better on the train than others. I say I was ok..I was kinda shaky but as long as one of my parents held me tight so I felt safe I was ok. We arrived at the Blue Heron Coal Mining Town for about an hour break and time to explore the area and have lunch (well the humans anyway). The train people were so sweet they even put out water bowls for us! The meet organizer had brought a picnic lunch with fried chicken, sides, and cookies for dessert. I do have a bone to pick..I think I was the only Westie who didn’t get a little chicken. But my mommy has this “stupid” rule that I don’t get human food while anyone is eating because she doesn’t want me to start begging. And boy oh boy she stuck by the rule so I just watched the chicken closely. But don’t tell her I did find a piece on the ground and that chicken was good. After lunch I was ready to play but no other doggies wanted to. I guess they were all older than me and most didn’t act like puppies in the heat. So mommy took me around the area and let me smells the smells and took some cute photos of me on the railroad tracks. Then it was back on the train for the ride home. I have to admit I think I was the only westie to fall asleep on the train. I was very tired from the outing. Here are some photos from the train ride.

 

About the author

Rachel Phelps

Rachel Phelps, “America’s Pet Parent,” is an award-winning writer, photographer, and certified dog trainer. She keeps busy managing the career of her Internet celebrity dog Preston from Preston Speaks. Her three Westies — who think they are mini-humans — and three cats rule the house. To learn more about Rachel go to: Rachel Phelps Website

Leave a Comment