The Sadie Saga

Sadly, we had to put down our 9 1/2 year old chocolate Lab, Buster, on May 31. We didn't think we could ever endure losing another family pet, so my husband and I made up our minds to not own another dog. But on July 10, my husband persuaded me to go check out a Labrador breeder in Ansonia, Ohio, about 2 hours from our house. There were two groups of Labs to choose from--5-week old pups and 7-week old pups. And once we saw that little black female with the sad face sitting in the back of the cage,it was love at first sight! It took several days to find a name that suited her. She was fiesty (and still is!) and very nosey about everything that's going on around her. The name Sadie suited her perfectly!

At 9 weeks old, we took her on our first camping trip in our popup camper to Rocky Fork Lake near Hillsboro, Ohio. We caught her jumping into our camp chairs to enjoy the campfire. She enjoyed the woods and all the attention the children at the campground gave her. On August 1, we went on a camping trip for a week to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. What a beautiful state for camping and sightseeing! The Great Lakes and all the Michigan State Parks and State Forest campgrounds we visited provided great adventures for vacationers. Sadie enjoyed all of the new sights and sounds everywhere we traveled. I've included some of our favorite photos from our summer with Sadie. Our trip took us from Hoeft State Park on the east side of Michigan by the shore of Lake Huron to the city of Munising located on the southern shore of Lake Superior. The parks were clean, accessible to the Lakes, and very pet friendly. What more can you ask for?!