The last thing you'd expect when traveling with your dog

The hardest part of traveling with another person for a long period of time is the eventuality of getting really sick of each other. Believe it or not, this can happen when you're traveling with a dog too. I feel it. I know Olive feels it.

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I'm sure it's a combination of things - the heat, the amount of walking, the busy streets with motorcycles and other dogs - but because it is half way through our trip I have to wonder if it's just that same inevitability with any kind of travel companion.

Here's how I know we're sick of each other: I got back to the hotel with raw hands from the amount of pulling, jerking and sudden leaping Olive would do all day. I'm sure she has similar injuries on her chest from the harness. Neither of us are happy with this situation. She knew she was being annoying too - I'd get the classic side-eye all day. So as to say "Oh, you're still there - I was hoping you were finally annoyed enough to leave".

We were at that point where we were not looking at each other and once in the room she sat as far as possible from me, giving me the occasional side-eye (her version of the stink eye).

Just like with any travel partner - there have been things along the way that have been annoying but not annoying enough to really grind my gears and be as fed up as this scorching day in Innsbruck. One example is her food situation. Ms. Princess Olive hasn't liked any kibble I've purchased for her. So I'd bought then thrown away bags of food. In Germany she mostly survived on the guests scraps and generosity at the campsite. In Prague I would smuggle meats from the free breakfast buffet in the mornings and bought her sausages from the street at night. She's over here getting treated with fancy foreign meats and I'm eating fancy foreign pastries - so we're both going to finish this journey a little chunkier but that's part of the travel experience I suppose.

I think the big difference between having your 'travel tiff' with a dog and a person is that a dog isn't going to sulk in the corner and just stay on their cell phone the rest of the day. That's the WORST. People hide behind their phones like an ostrich hides from the world but sticking their head in the ground. Like... I can see you!  And with a human travel partner you know they're just talking about you to their friends and this deceit is causing more tension between the two of you.

So Olive took a nap in the farthest corner of the room while I watched some TED talks and ate way too much chocolate. I found this a much healthier way of separating ourselves from the situation. I took her out one more time and she pulled as if she wanted to sprint into the Alps far away from my clutch then later peed in the hotel room (which by the way she hasn't peed inside anywhere in years). That was her getting the last word in. "I shall pee at the door so when you go out to pee yourself you shall step in it." or something like that.

We made it through because best buds can't stay mad at each other forever. Also this hotel had it's own towels so at least I could clean up the pee, which made me a bit less pissed off.

Ok I posed. Now give me that sausage.