Mackey came to B.O.N.E.S. from a bad situation in central Massachusetts. He was underweight and limped painfully. X-rays revealed a displaced femur fracture in his right hind leg – it was amazing that Mackey could use the leg at all. The options didn't look hopeful, but with help from the B.O.N.E.S. Medical Director, a carefully-structured exercise program, and a lot of TLC, he can now lead a normal life.
As Mackey recovered from his injuries, long-time B.O.N.E.S. adopter John was mourning the loss of his long-time beagle companion, Hudson, whose "Chronicles" were documented here for many years. John was settling into a new job with lots of driving, and Mackey loved to ride... a great match. John and Mackey will both share their viewpoints with us on this page.
Hello from Durham, Maine. We are home for a day of bills and laundry before heading back to Baltimore. We had a charity event in Bangor Saturday to benefit a camp for special needs campers.
Last week Mackey and I spent the majority of the week in a rack truck making stops in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. It's quite a change, going from a tractor-trailer with a sleeper and storage to a rack truck, which is basically a pickup truck with a flatbed body instead of a pickup bed. As a result we were quite cramped and had to get a motel every night.
The first night out found us in Charleston, South Carolina. I went to the local Motel 6 where we've stayed before, only to find out it was closed for renovations! Two motels later, we found a motel with only one room left. Only one problem... NO DOGS!
Well, being as late as it was, I didn't see any other option, so in the duffel bag Mackey went! Of course, we were on the second floor on the front side with plenty of light, but we made it to the room undetected. I got up extra early the next morning and got Mackey back out to the truck without getting caught. I don't condone this kind of behavior, but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.
Disclaimer: No beagles were hurt in this story!
Last week, I watched John clean out our truck and start putting it all into a tiny truck. I don't care what kind of vehicle I'm riding in, as long as we are moving!
Well, after I hopped inside, I took a quick look around and realized that we were pretty cramped in there. The biggest problem was trying to get back into the sleeper. There was a window in the way, and no sleeper!
Later that evening, we pulled into a dark parking lot and John got out and went to the front door of the building. He came back mumbling to himself. I don't think he was happy. We went somewhere else, and he again came back mumbling... louder this time.
We stopped at a third place. He went inside and came back out mumbling again, but this time he parked and made several trips with bags, groceries, and my dog food. I was wondering why he didn't take me with him like he usually does.
He came back a third time with the duffel bag, which was empty and tried to put me in it! By now, I'm really starting to miss the Kenworth and its comfy sleeper!
Anyway, since John seemed so determined to get me in the bag I decided to play along. It was my first ride in a duffel bag and I kind of enjoyed it! Once we got to the room, it was pretty much lights out for the night. Next morning, we were up extra early and out the door before anyone was awake to witness our sneaking around.
The next two nights, John did a better job of getting rooms and I was able to walk into the rooms myself with pride!
I think we were both glad to get back into the Kenworth at the end of the week.
