Yesterday was my standby day at work but surprisingly and thankfully I didn’t get called in. I was asked a couple of weeks ago to help out with the EMS float for the Gun Barrel City Parade and since I wouldn’t know until the very day if I got called in I couldn’t promise anything. We had suspicions already Friday night that I wouldn’t be called and once I knew for sure I texted them and asked if they needed me. Never got an answer so I had to assume they didn’t. But I didn’t want to sit home when I knew it was so many things going on everywhere. Parades in Athens, Gun Barrel City & Kaufman, First Monday in Canton and so much more. So I decided that I would give Twix his car sickness medication and bring him and BamBam to Gun Barrel to see the parade. They needed some fun and stimulation other than a walk on the same route as always. I chose the Gun Barrel parade because I had to go through all the traffic in Canton to get to Athens and Kaufman is always tricky with parking. In Gun Barrel there is plenty of parking around the ER and our station.

I wasn’t really sure how the boys would react to all lights and sirens. Well the advantage of having one deaf dog is that he at least, can’t hear the sirens. Twix is so cool so I didn’t think it was going to be a problem.
What I didn’t know was despite leaving early and being there almost 1.5 hour prior the parade should start it was crowded. Where I parked was also at the end of the parade. I started to walk down to the main road where I thought I would get a good look at the parade as they turned on the last leg. Well… that was almost like we had our own little parade. People were already lined up on both sides of the road and when you come with a dalmatian and a great dane, you get attention. Both dogs was amazing. People everywhere that called for our attention, cars and traffic on a fairly narrow road and they just behaved perfectly! If I would know that it was that crowded I would have taken another way… but it was also kind of fun!

BamBam thought it was a little scary as always. But he knows that if he lays down on the ground next to me, both Twix and I will make sure no one gets close to him. It is so interesting to see how Twix is protecting BamBam and works to get all attention so they don’t get close to him. If it’s because of jealousy or pure smartness, I don’t know but I say it’s smartness and kindness.
I was also very happy that people respected BamBam’s “privacy”, EVERYONE asked if they could pet the dogs, not one person, kid or adult, just ran up to them to pet them! I think that was the first event that ever has happened on!

Neither of them was bothered about the lights and sounds of the parade or sirens. And it was loud!!! I was as proud as I ever could be of my boys!\

Twix was really not feeling well on our way home. Car sickness kicked in hard despite medication. He didn’t throw up but he was drooling excessively. When we came home he ran straight to the water bowl and drank a lot of water. Both dogs were really happy to be back home. They were tired! So we went to bed and both fell asleep like logs.

We had been in bed for around an hour. They were sleeping and I was scrolling social media. Suddenly, out of nowhere Twix sits up. He starts to look around in the room. He looks confused. It’s like he is looking at the air and not really aware of where he is. At first I thought he just woke up suddenly from his sleep but he kept sitting like that. I had an expression on his face that I couldn’t really determine what was going on. Then he started to drool a little. Unless he is in a car he doesn’t drool. I sat up in front of him petting him trying to figure out what is going on. It is over 7 hours since he got the medication, that shouldn’t be a problem now. Is he about to have a seizure? Did he get something in him at the parade I didn’t see? Is he getting bloated after all the water he drank so fast? My mind is going 100 miles/hour right now. The closest emergency vet is in Dallas… He is continuing looking around in the room like he is looking at ghosts. I decide to get out of bed to get a hair tie. In case something bad happens I don’t want to have my hair out because it’s bothering me. Then Twix jumps down from the bed and trots out in the living room. Suddenly behaving just like nothing has happened. He goes to the back door so I get he wants to get out. But I don’t want to let him out of my eyesight. My mind is so confused at this point. Twix runs out, then stops… and starts to pee. And he pee and he pee and he pee. He was probably standing there for about 3 minutes emptying his bladder. When he was done he turned around, ran straight back in and to his foodbowl where his dinner that he was too tired to eat earlier was, ate it without problem and went back to bed. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him! He needed to pee! And I was about to take him to the emergency room! I felt both so relieved and so dumb in the same time. He really scared the crap out of me!!!