Parker one of the first dogs to earn frequent flyer miles at Midwest Express Airlines

Parker Earns His First Premier Frequent Flyer Miles with Midwest

I was just handed the card: “Precious Cargo Aboard – “Parker” IS ON BOARD by the flight attendant before our plane took off from the Los Angeles airport en route back to our home in Wisconsin. For those who have never flown with a dog before – this is the procedure when you fly with Midwest Airlines so that you know that your pet is secure in the climate controlled cargo area and is on board with you.

I was invited by close friends to come and stay with them in Manhattan Beach, CA and the trip was going to be long enough that it was worthwhile to have Parker join me. (These friends are dog lovers and so this worked out wonderfully.) Julie and Dean have two dogs of their own and live three blocks from the ocean!

Parker and I went for frequent walks on the strand near the ocean, made a series of road trips, stayed in two different motels, participated in fun photo sessions with friends, enjoyed great sunny but ocean breezy weather, and met an untold number of Berner owners and Berner wannabe owners. We were literally stopped on almost every single walk with Parker (not me) being flooded with compliments.

One of the longer road trips (six and a half hours) was planned spontaneously to Roseville, CA near Sacramento to visit my good friend, Peg McQueary and her husband, Dale. Peg and I had frequent phone conversations in the wee hours of the night, multiple emails back and forth, shared tips and Berner care information, and shared multiple Berner related photographs but have never met in person! Peg had helped me select the stud dog who ultimately became Parker’s father. Donner who belonged to a special friend of Peg’s was a fun loving woman who had wisely saved semen from him before he and then she had ultimately passed. The breeding was that utilizing frozen semen breedings two years ago and two and a half years ago respectively. The first produced a litter of six of which Parker is from and the other produced a litter of thirteen of which “Spirit” is from. The second breeding produced a world’s record for Bernese Mountain Dogs with the use of frozen semen as told to me by the International Canine Semen Bank.

I placed “Spirit” who is Parker’s half sister with Peg as they share Donner as their father and their dams are half sisters from two of planned breedings four years ago and five and a half years ago. Peg is a photographer and is responsible for the set up of the photo of myself and Parker by the wading pool in her back yard – complete with rubber ducky and blowing bubbles. Parker posed well for this as well as pictures with his half-sister, “Spirit”.

My sister who lives in Arizona and I had arranged to meet half way and so Parker joined me on yet another road trip to Palm Springs, CA. He stayed in the motel with us and then joined us to visit the Botanical Gardens. He surprised me by jumping on the table directly next to where the rare cactuses were displayed. Since the temperature was 109 degrees and since I did not want to pull cacti quills out of Parker we didn’t stay long. Much air conditioning and a lot of ice were needed for the “Parkster” on this part of the trip.

We returned back to Manhattan Beach where both Parker and I had been spoiled by a very relaxed routine. This trip was over 3 and half weeks before the “real world was rearing its head and I needed to return to the work force. Parker is quite attached to me as Berner owners are all to familiar with and so I could not leave him with Julie and Dean for evenings because he would not settle down and resorted to howling like a wolf looking for me and awaiting my return. Poor Julie lost two nights of sleep before the decision was made NOT to try that again. Other than that, counter surfing and eating a pound and a half of ground beef Julie was defrosting for dinner, and the usual tumble weed shedding action, Parker was the perfect quest.

He entertained Julie, Dean, and I by is play antics with Gerta, their beloved Weimariener and with “Millie” a tiny fox terrier mix that they had rescued from the street earlier this year. It was fun to watch the play and Julie captured this with photos. Julie and I did two or three front yard photo sessions with Mille, Gerta and Parker. Parker is such an experienced poser that when the photo session was over and we were back in the house with the other two dogs we realized that Parker was still outside by himself very quietly sitting in the same spot for more picture taking. We would have to tell him he was released and only then would he follow us back in to the house!

Parker was also a riot on frequent rest area stops on our road trips. He has a deep love and passion for children, including babies and his favorite: toddlers. At one rest area north of LA, enroot to Sacramento, Parker attempted to “herd” a toddler who insisted on playing with his water dish. Luckily this cute little boy could not stop giggling with this behavior and his mother and siblings fell in love with Parker with mom saying she could use this kind of help at home.

I finish this article on my lap top not really looking forward to that real world aspect I referred to earlier. The staff of Midwest Airlines treat dogs so well and it is the only airlines, that I would consider taking a dog on. Parker’s grandmother, “Mora” had made two or three earlier trips to CA with me to visit the same great friends. Since the cargo area is climate controlled there is not the restrictions in the timing of flying that one experiences with other airlines. Also, I have personally watched the personnel go out of their way to gently handle the crate and offer water. I purposely tape pictures of my Berners outside of the crate with a typed message stating “take good care of me until I reach my destination” to hopefully enhance the special care the dogs receive.

I just swiped another home made chocolate chip cookie as I conclude this article. The flight attendant made the mistake of setting the tray next to my seat. Also one of the flight attendants saw pictures of Parker and so she came back to my seat with beautiful photos of her two Bernese Mountain Dogs. We land in an hour and a half and I have a bottle of water packed in my case with my sister-in-law Jane coming to pick both of us up and bringing a water container. As is my custom, I over pack and had to leave the dog bowls at Julie and Dean’s house. (Hopefully these will be used on our next trip.)
I was just handed the card: “Precious Cargo Aboard – “Parker” IS ON BOARD by the flight attendant before our plane took off from the Los Angeles airport en route back to our home in Wisconsin. For those who have never flown with a dog before – this is the procedure when you fly with Midwest Airlines so that you know that your pet is secure in the climate controlled cargo area and is on board with you.

I was invited by close friends to come and stay with them in Manhattan Beach, CA and the trip was going to be long enough that it was worthwhile to have Parker join me. (These friends are dog lovers and so this worked out wonderfully.) Julie and Dean have two dogs of their own and live three blocks from the ocean!

Parker and I went for frequent walks on the strand near the ocean, made a series of road trips, stayed in two different motels, participated in fun photo sessions with friends, enjoyed great sunny but ocean breezy weather, and met an untold number of Berner owners and Berner wannabe owners. We were literally stopped on almost every single walk with Parker (not me) being flooded with compliments.

One of the longer road trips (six and a half hours) was planned spontaneously to Roseville, CA near Sacramento to visit my good friend, Peg McQueary and her husband, Dale. Peg and I had frequent phone conversations in the wee hours of the night, multiple emails back and forth, shared tips and Berner care information, and shared multiple Berner related photographs but have never met in person! Peg had helped me select the stud dog who ultimately became Parker’s father. Donner who belonged to a special friend of Peg’s was a fun loving woman who had wisely saved semen from him before he and then she had ultimately passed. The breeding was that utilizing frozen semen breedings two years ago and two and a half years ago respectively. The first produced a litter of six of which Parker is from and the other produced a litter of thirteen of which “Spirit” is from. The second breeding produced a world’s record for Bernese Mountain Dogs with the use of frozen semen as told to me by the International Canine Semen Bank.

I placed “Spirit” who is Parker’s half sister with Peg as they share Donner as their father and their dams are half sisters from two of planned breedings four years ago and five and a half years ago. Peg is a photographer and is responsible for the set up of the photo of myself and Parker by the wading pool in her back yard – complete with rubber ducky and blowing bubbles. Parker posed well for this as well as pictures with his half-sister, “Spirit”.

My sister who lives in Arizona and I had arranged to meet half way and so Parker joined me on yet another road trip to Palm Springs, CA. He stayed in the motel with us and then joined us to visit the Botanical Gardens. He surprised me by jumping on the table directly next to where the rare cactuses were displayed. Since the temperature was 109 degrees and since I did not want to pull cacti quills out of Parker we didn’t stay long. Much air conditioning and a lot of ice were needed for the “Parkster” on this part of the trip.

We returned back to Manhattan Beach where both Parker and I had been spoiled by a very relaxed routine. This trip was over 3 and half weeks before the “real world was rearing its head and I needed to return to the work force. Parker is quite attached to me as Berner owners are all to familiar with and so I could not leave him with Julie and Dean for evenings because he would not settle down and resorted to howling like a wolf looking for me and awaiting my return. Poor Julie lost two nights of sleep before the decision was made NOT to try that again. Other than that, counter surfing and eating a pound and a half of ground beef Julie was defrosting for dinner, and the usual tumble weed shedding action, Parker was the perfect quest.

He entertained Julie, Dean, and I by is play antics with Gerta, their beloved Weimariener and with “Millie” a tiny fox terrier mix that they had rescued from the street earlier this year. It was fun to watch the play and Julie captured this with photos. Julie and I did two or three front yard photo sessions with Mille, Gerta and Parker. Parker is such an experienced poser that when the photo session was over and we were back in the house with the other two dogs we realized that Parker was still outside by himself very quietly sitting in the same spot for more picture taking. We would have to tell him he was released and only then would he follow us back in to the house!

Parker was also a riot on frequent rest area stops on our road trips. He has a deep love and passion for children, including babies and his favorite: toddlers. At one rest area north of LA, enroot to Sacramento, Parker attempted to “herd” a toddler who insisted on playing with his water dish. Luckily this cute little boy could not stop giggling with this behavior and his mother and siblings fell in love with Parker with mom saying she could use this kind of help at home.

I finish this article on my lap top not really looking forward to that real world aspect I referred to earlier. The staff of Midwest Airlines treat dogs so well and it is the only airlines, that I would consider taking a dog on. Parker’s grandmother, “Mora” had made two or three earlier trips to CA with me to visit the same great friends. Since the cargo area is climate controlled there is not the restrictions in the timing of flying that one experiences with other airlines. Also, I have personally watched the personnel go out of their way to gently handle the crate and offer water. I purposely tape pictures of my Berners outside of the crate with a typed message stating “take good care of me until I reach my destination” to hopefully enhance the special care the dogs receive.

I just swiped another home made chocolate chip cookie as I conclude this article. The flight attendant made the mistake of setting the tray next to my seat. Also one of the flight attendants saw pictures of Parker and so she came back to my seat with beautiful photos of her two Bernese Mountain Dogs. We land in an hour and a half and I have a bottle of water packed in my case with my sister-in-law Jane coming to pick both of us up and bringing a water container. As is my custom, I over pack and had to leave the dog bowls at Julie and Dean’s house. (Hopefully these will be used on our next trip.)

I was just handed the card: “Precious Cargo Aboard – “Parker” IS ON BOARD by the flight attendant before our plane took off from the Los Angeles airport en route back to our home in Wisconsin. For those who have never flown with a dog before – this is the procedure when you fly with Midwest Airlines so that you know that your pet is secure in the climate controlled cargo area and is on board with you.

I was invited by close friends to come and stay with them in Manhattan Beach, CA and the trip was going to be long enough that it was worthwhile to have Parker join me. (These friends are dog lovers and so this worked out wonderfully.) Julie and Dean have two dogs of their own and live three blocks from the ocean!

Parker and I went for frequent walks on the strand near the ocean, made a series of road trips, stayed in two different motels, participated in fun photo sessions with friends, enjoyed great sunny but ocean breezy weather, and met an untold number of Berner owners and Berner wannabe owners. We were literally stopped on almost every single walk with Parker (not me) being flooded with compliments.

One of the longer road trips (six and a half hours) was planned spontaneously to Roseville, CA near Sacramento to visit my good friend, Peg McQueary and her husband, Dale. Peg and I had frequent phone conversations in the wee hours of the night, multiple emails back and forth, shared tips and Berner care information, and shared multiple Berner related photographs but have never met in person! Peg had helped me select the stud dog who ultimately became Parker’s father. Donner who belonged to a special friend of Peg’s was a fun loving woman who had wisely saved semen from him before he and then she had ultimately passed. The breeding was that utilizing frozen semen breedings two years ago and two and a half years ago respectively. The first produced a litter of six of which Parker is from and the other produced a litter of thirteen of which “Spirit” is from. The second breeding produced a world’s record for Bernese Mountain Dogs with the use of frozen semen as told to me by the International Canine Semen Bank.

I placed “Spirit” who is Parker’s half sister with Peg as they share Donner as their father and their dams are half sisters from two of planned breedings four years ago and five and a half years ago. Peg is a photographer and is responsible for the set up of the photo of myself and Parker by the wading pool in her back yard – complete with rubber ducky and blowing bubbles. Parker posed well for this as well as pictures with his half-sister, “Spirit”.

My sister who lives in Arizona and I had arranged to meet half way and so Parker joined me on yet another road trip to Palm Springs, CA. He stayed in the motel with us and then joined us to visit the Botanical Gardens. He surprised me by jumping on the table directly next to where the rare cactuses were displayed. Since the temperature was 109 degrees and since I did not want to pull cacti quills out of Parker we didn’t stay long. Much air conditioning and a lot of ice were needed for the “Parkster” on this part of the trip.

We returned back to Manhattan Beach where both Parker and I had been spoiled by a very relaxed routine. This trip was over 3 and half weeks before the “real world was rearing its head and I needed to return to the work force. Parker is quite attached to me as Berner owners are all to familiar with and so I could not leave him with Julie and Dean for evenings because he would not settle down and resorted to howling like a wolf looking for me and awaiting my return. Poor Julie lost two nights of sleep before the decision was made NOT to try that again. Other than that, counter surfing and eating a pound and a half of ground beef Julie was defrosting for dinner, and the usual tumble weed shedding action, Parker was the perfect quest.

He entertained Julie, Dean, and I by is play antics with Gerta, their beloved Weimariener and with “Millie” a tiny fox terrier mix that they had rescued from the street earlier this year. It was fun to watch the play and Julie captured this with photos. Julie and I did two or three front yard photo sessions with Mille, Gerta and Parker. Parker is such an experienced poser that when the photo session was over and we were back in the house with the other two dogs we realized that Parker was still outside by himself very quietly sitting in the same spot for more picture taking. We would have to tell him he was released and only then would he follow us back in to the house!

Parker was also a riot on frequent rest area stops on our road trips. He has a deep love and passion for children, including babies and his favorite: toddlers. At one rest area north of LA, enroot to Sacramento, Parker attempted to “herd” a toddler who insisted on playing with his water dish. Luckily this cute little boy could not stop giggling with this behavior and his mother and siblings fell in love with Parker with mom saying she could use this kind of help at home.

I finish this article on my lap top not really looking forward to that real world aspect I referred to earlier. The staff of Midwest Airlines treat dogs so well and it is the only airlines, that I would consider taking a dog on. Parker’s grandmother, “Mora” had made two or three earlier trips to CA with me to visit the same great friends. Since the cargo area is climate controlled there is not the restrictions in the timing of flying that one experiences with other airlines. Also, I have personally watched the personnel go out of their way to gently handle the crate and offer water. I purposely tape pictures of my Berners outside of the crate with a typed message stating “take good care of me until I reach my destination” to hopefully enhance the special care the dogs receive.

I just swiped another home made chocolate chip cookie as I conclude this article. The flight attendant made the mistake of setting the tray next to my seat. Also one of the flight attendants saw pictures of Parker and so she came back to my seat with beautiful photos of her two Bernese Mountain Dogs. We land in an hour and a half and I have a bottle of water packed in my case with my sister-in-law Jane coming to pick both of us up and bringing a water container. As is my custom, I over pack and had to leave the dog bowls at Julie and Dean’s house. (Hopefully these will be used on our next trip.)