Words and photographs by Heather Schulman
Puck’s In Paradise.
It’s been almost a year, this past September 2015 since Puck had to be rushed into emergency surgery. His discs were com- pressed against his spine and he had no feel- ing in his back legs. Dr. Michael Kimora with BluePearl Veterinary Partners felt he had an 80% chance of full recovery and we were lucky enough to beat those odds. Puck now works hard every day including once a month acupuncture and laser treat- ments from Dr. Shawna Green at Medicine River Animal Hospital in Madeira Beach. He also does water therapy on a weekly basis to fight against his disease, interverte- bral disk disease (IVDD). Our house since his surgery is more dog-friendly than ever, with dog ramps, dog gates and rugs. We turned our bed into a large crate (so he can’t jump off) and built a dog ramp for his doggy door. What better way for our fami- ly to celebrate Puck’s success then to take our first road trip with him? We decided to visit the beautiful
Everglades National Park for a long week- end and make some dog-friendly stops on the way to and from. First, we headed to Marlins Park to attend our first major league baseball game in Miami. We ran- domly stopped at a rest stop on Alligator Alley and threw a few casts in hopes of catching a bass. Puck loves to catch fish (it must be because of his breed since they were originally bred to hunt small prey such as rabbits or badgers). The vast amounts of water located along Alligator Alley have produced some of the best bass fishing in Florida—how could we not stop? Alligator Alley, Florida’s most contro-
versial highway, connects the lower east and west coasts of Florida via Broward and Collier Counties. Virtually carved out of a swampy wilderness, bordered on both sides by water literally teeming with wading birds in flight and at rest, and yes, alligators along the canal banks adjacent to the highway. Although we did not catch a bass or run into any alligators, the magnificently scenic drive to Miami cleared our minds and heightened our senses.
Puck’s Map, illustrated by Anna Hamilton. 46 THE NEW BARKER
www.TheNewBarker.com
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