Me And My Dog Are Having A Night Out Tonight

Tonight I`m taking my dog Ice for a night out because he is a very special dog! He`s a very special dog who has a back problem so he deserves to be treated like royalty, or at least I think he does!

Not that we are going anywhere posh – in fact we are going to check out an airport hotel ! Ice had been limping badly his left back leg for some time and the vet confirmed that this was arthritis and to give him Green Lip Mussel tablets ( human form) as this would help. However the lameness got considerably worse and an x-ray confirmed that he has Canine Spondylitis which is a form of arthritis in his spine. It is defined as a degenerative condition affecting the spinal column and can be hereditary or caused by repeated stress on joints in active dogs – which he was ! He loves nothing better than chasing anything that makes a noise,  especially horses as they trot down the lane past our house, and playing catch with one of his many balls and toys.

 Ice after a serious haircut!

He now has to lad a sedate life in his old age, he is around 12 years old, no jumping turning or dong anything that will make his back hurt, which is difficult as he still thinks he`s as active as he was when he was a puppy!

My friend is going on holiday tomorrow and she is flying from Birmingham to Palma, Majorca, at the unearthly hour of 6am!.  We live about 45 minutes from the airport and I have, on previous occasions, got up and driven to the airport at 3am but this time we have decided to travel to the airport this afternoon and have a night out as well.  I have booked a room at he Manor Hotel, Meriden which is only about 5  minutes from the airport.

I have stayed there before and it is a really nice hotel that offers a taxi service to the airport on the day of your flight, parking overnight is free and the rooms are lovely. It also means I don`t have to get up at the crack of dawn! The hotel has a bar and restaurant, lovely gardens and ample parking making this an excellent choice for your pre holiday stay.

But what about the dog? A friend offered to come and look after him for the night, but the thought of him maybe trying to climb upstairs and falling ruled that out. The only option – take him with us!

The Manor accepts dogs and, for £15 per night, he gets a bed and a treat ! They have given us a ground floor room which opens out on to the garden so that it`s easy for Ice to get in and out. This afternoon he will pack his little overnight bag with his tea, comfy cushion to lie on, and his toys and off we go for the night. He`ll probably think he`s off to the kennels when he sees Carol`s suitcase so he`s in for a real treat !