Journey to Crufts Part 2

So.  There we were, going in the opposite direction to which we wanted to.  Min and I were in the nice warm cab of the AA recovery vehicle.  The dogs, however, were all in the van which was on the back of the recovery truck.  They must have been wondering what the heck was going on .

We had already started to discuss options, and had three plans in mind.  Plan B was to hire a similar kind of van, transfer everything over and set off again.  Plan C was to leave Chief and Larney behind with Min's husband and take my pick-up, and Plan D was to not go at all.  Each plan had its issues.

Plan D was something neither of us wanted - we were all geared up to go, all packed, all prepared.  River was in super condition, and Min - well, Min ALWAYS goes to Crufts!

Plan C - yes, we could take two dogs, but we wouldn't have got Min's mobility scooter in.  My thinking round that was that I could show Silkie for her, and for getting to the NEC from the car park, Min could sit on the trolley with all the stuff (!!!) and I would pull her in.  Yes, I could just see Min sitting in the dog crate surrounded by bags and bowls and leads.

So it seemed Plan B was by far and away the best one - we just had to find a van.  The first few phone calls drew a blank - they didn't have a van the size we needed.  Then we phoned Thrifty.  Yes, they had a suitable van, but they closed at 5.30.  It was now 4.30.  Our driver had asked us where we had been headed, and had seen our disappointment.  And he had obviously been listening to our conversations - he turned and said "I will do my damndest to get you to Perth for 5.30 to get a van and get you to Crufts!" And he did.

At 5.30 we raced in to Thrifty to claim our hire van.  We were relieved and happy to get there - but our cheerfulness was met with a blank wall in the form of the chap at the desk.  I swear his face would have cracked if he had smiled.  I suppose we did hold him back by 10 minutes on a Friday night.

Michael had very kindly waited outside for us.  On looking at the map to find where Thrifty were based, Min discovered they were just round the corner from her regular garage.  She phoned the owner and told him our dilemma - he very kindly said to abandon the broken down van at the gate and he would deal with it the next day.

Abandoning Min's trusty wheels at the garage

Now we had to push it!

The next move was for Michael to unload our van at the garage gate and for us to transfer everything over to the hire van.  To make sure we didn't leave the van in the way of anyone, we had to push it up the kerb onto a verge.   Amazing the strength you can find if you are determined enough!

We waved Michael off with profusive thanks - what a nice man, a very, very nice man for those of you who remember the old AA adverts - and set about our next task.  Oh boy, was there a lot of stuff to move!  And the dogs all need to stretch their legs.  It was quiet about the place so I just let River out to mooch as I didn't think she would go too far.  She surprised me though, that said.

The scooter alone is quite a task to carry out.  The mobile ramps have to be placed in the correct positions in relation to the van and each other.  And of course the new van had a slightly different side door entrance so a bit more man handling was required.  Backwards and forwards between one van and another - four large dog crates, one scooter, mobile ramps, dog bowls, dog food, leads, bedding, bags, food, water, dogs (let's not forget the long suffering dogs!).  We didn't make such a good job of loading the van in that there wasn't room for River's crate on the floor - and she couldn't go atop Larney's where she had been, as there was nowhere to anchor her.  And we couldn't see very well by this time as it was getting dark.  She can come in the cab with us, I said.

Our new chariot.

At 7pm we were ready to set off again.  I think both of us were thinking our thoughts of how mad we must be, but neither of us voiced them.  I also think that if either of us had been alone, we might just have gone home, but we quietly thought the negative stuff and brightly got on with the task in hand, each of us using our individual strengths and ignoring weaknesses.

As we set off down the road towards Glasgow, the song "Davy's On The Road Again" kept going through my head.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDjrFpt-wt0

Crufts here we come!!!

To be continued.........