Hotel for Dogs

When I was a little girl, I used to play a game with my two childhood friends, Dawn and Emma.  It was a game we made up where we ran a hotel (a Hilton hotel) for people who wanted to travel with their pets.  My dad gave us an old phone to use, (that we would pretend to answer), and we would take reservations.  Each reservation was written down on recipe cards and stored in a recipe file box that my mom had given us to use.  We would write down the dates the people would be coming and the names of the cats and dogs that would be traveling with them. That was the whole game, just taking the reservations of these imaginary people who wanted to travel with their pets.  Well, that and suggesting people call a different hotel when they called, wanting to stay at our hotel but didn't have any pets.  

While it might not sound like a very exciting game to most people, to me it was the best game we ever played.  I slept well at night knowing these imaginary people would be able to travel with their imaginary pets.  

As I got older and was doing a lot of traveling of my own (and worrying about who would care for Lucky when I was out of town), I would often think about that game of ours and wish our game had been a reality so I could take Lucky on my business trips with me.   I am pleased that so many hotels are now allowing people to bring their pets along and do hope the trend continues. 

When I first heard about the movie that was being created called "Hotel for Dogs," I was equally intrigued and tickled at the thought that maybe someone else had been thinking the same thing my friends and I were thinking when we were little.  I emailed both Dawn and Emma to see if they remembered the game and sure enough, they both held the same fond memories that I did. Dawn said she planned to bring her boys to see the movie but she lives in New Jersey so I couldn't go with them.  :-)  None of my friends were particularly interested in seeing the movie, but I wasn't going to let that deter me from seeing the movie.  I decided to borrow my friend's daughters so that I wouldn't have to go alone.  

Just this afternoon, we went to see Hotel For Dogs and I enjoyed it so much, I felt like I was a little girl again.  While their hotel was different because it was just for dogs, it still brought back wonderful memories of the dreams I had had as a child.  I knew from a very early age that animals deserved better treatment and more respect than I had seen them receiving and I was determined to somehow, someday positively impact the lives of animals.  It confirms my belief that what we know when we are children is vitally important.  It may have taken me forty years but finally I am doing what I knew I wanted to do as a child.  Even though I don't own a Hilton Hotel for dogs, I believe the work I am doing with animals is still part of my childhood dream. 

So, if you have children, pay attention to what they say is important to them.  I believe we have a better idea at a young age of what we are meant to do than we ever will.  

For tonight, I am happy to have seen a movie that brought back wonderful memories of my childhood and happy to have been able to share the experience with the two precious girls I saw it with.  I think it was even better to see the movie with a 10 year old and a 12 year old, than it would have been if I saw it with someone my own age.  When the scene of the shelter and the mean animal control workers upset us all, we all held hands. We laughed at the same parts and all looked at each other and smiled when we saw a German Shepherd on the screen.  And towards the end, when all the dogs ran back "home" to the hotel and I started to tear up as my heart swelled over the concept that I believe so deeply . . . that all animals deserve to have a home, my precious little friends reached over and held my hand.  There was no criticism or teasing from my little companions over the tears I shed, whether they were happy or sad tears and when we got back to my house, they were as anxious as I was to tell Lucky all about the movie.  I would say it was a very wonderful day.

And if you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend "Hotel For Dogs!"