About Ollie – the Dog Behind the Dog Blog
Ollie is our 7-year-old golden retriever pup – and excuse the cheesiness, but he truly does have a heart of gold. He’s the easiest travel buddy and best snuggler. He keeps up on long hikes, enjoys long car rides, and takes on any adventure with a big ole smile on his face. We couldn’t be happier to have him around whenever possible. He’s our bestie and he definitely gets treated like family. Yes, that even means he gets Christmas & Birthday gifts. Some say he’s “spoiled,” but look at that face – can you blame us?!
We got Ollie in 2016 as a tiny little guy. I always say he looked like a little chicken nugget back then. The first time we met him was when he was about 4ish weeks old. The breeder allowed us to go meet the pups and select one. We then went back around 8 weeks to officially bring him home.
I still remember that first time meeting him so clearly. He was too small to even step off the tiny sidewalk ledge without tumbling. And he made this crazy whining sound, kind of like a little piglet. When I got to hold him, he was so unbelievebly small and cute, I couldn’t contain the happy tears. I had waited so long for a puppy of my own! I distinctly remember seeing a couple, around the same age as Kyrk & I, out walking with their golden retriever one day and just tearing up because I wanted that SO BAD.
Bringing Ollie Home
The breeder we got Ollie from was about a 1.5 hour drive from our house. We set out to get him on a Friday night after work & ended up getting a flat tire and having to postpone his pickup by a day. Unfortunetly this meant Kyrk couldn’t come along, as he had to work the day I went. I had a friend come with me to officially get Ollie so I could snuggle him the whole car ride home. The friend that went along with me even had a golden retriever puppy of her own, named Odin!
From the minute we walked into the breeder’s house, we were greeted by so many dogs. It was pretty much what I imagine heaven to look like. The breeder themselves lived on a large farm with several golden retrievers and a few other breeds. All the dogs came to greet us, as well as the new little pups! We signed some adoption paperwork, went over details and vet info, and set back out towards home with my new best friend!
Ollie loved riding in the car from day one. On that first car ride home, he was sticking his nose out the window and smiling already. He seemed so calm and happy!
By the time Kyrk came home from work that night, Ollie was his happy ole self. We were so happy to watch him trapse around the yard. He was just so small and everything he did was so cute! The best part though, was definitely snuggling at night. He would curl up in my lap and plop his little snout on the arm cushion of the couch. He was truly livin’ his best life.
Ollie's Firsts
Ollie’s had a lot of “firsts” throughout his seven years with us. He had his first pupcup from Starbucks, his first walk on the beach, his first vet visit, and even his first long road trip. Obviously he preferred his first Starbucks visit to his first vet visit. We even had a first birthday celebration, “OLLIE’S BIRTHDAY PAW-TY.” The party was so fun. We had some pup friends over to play in the yard, had pupcakes, and even dog themed decor throughout the house. We have always truly enjoyed showering Ollie with all the love we can and making it fun.
Some other memorable firsts over the years:
- Ollie’s First hike – Ollie’s probably the reason we hike as much as we do now. Somehow he makes it even more fun and peaceful for me and he obviously enjoys it too.
- His First Camping Trip – We took Ollie on his first camping trip when he was around 2 years old. We went to Asheville, North Carolina and camped in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Kyrk, Ollie, & I slept in a tent and it was so cozy and fun! Ollie loved hiking the waterfalls nearby and hanging out with us around the campfire at night. To this day, this is one of my favorite trips.
- First swim – There’s nothing in the world Ollie loves more than swimming, but that hasn’t always been the case. He was actually terrified of the water the first few times we took him to the beach. We would set him down in the shallow water and he would just take off running, trying to escape it.
- Our First Dog Park Experience – Ollie’s never actually been one for the dog parks. He basically just goes from human to human getting snuggles and ignores the other dogs. He isn’t mean or aggresive, just doesn’t tend to care much about dogs. He just prefers hangin’ with the humans.
- The First Grooming Adventure – For years, I always washed & groomed Ollie myself at home. He’s got such a beautiful coat and it’s pretty easy for me to bathe him and maintain it. But recently, we started taking him to an actual groomer in town once & awhile to get pampered. When he came home from the groomer for the first time, I was shocked at how fresh and clean he looked & smelled! He doesn’t go often though – he doesn’t really enjoy going and I have a hard time forcing him unless it’s needed.
First Baseball Game – We recently took Ollie to “Bark in the Park” at the Texas Rangers game. They have a special event where guests bring their dogs and they parade around on the field before the game. Ollie was one of SO MANY goldens at the event. I’d love to say Ollie loved this experience, but really he didn’t want to sit still during the game. We didn’t make it more than a few innings before heading out. - First Surgery – This one obviously isn’t fun, but still memorable. Ollie had surgery last summer because he had a mass that concerned the vet. Luckily, it ended up just being a lipoma, which is a benign, fatty, mass. He had to have a patch of fur shaved off though and it was such a scary time for me, not knowing if he had cancer or not.
Ollie's Travels
For a pup, Ollie is pretty well traveled! While he’s never been on a plane, we’ve taken him on quite a few roads trips over the years. He’s also had the priviledge to call 3 different states “home” in his 7 years! When we got him, we lived in Virginia. We then moved to Illinois for a bit & then finally to Texas. I’m not 100% sure, but I think he probably liked Virginia the most. We lived near the beach so he got to swim constantly. Plus, Texas summers are brutal, which means less walking during those hot summer months.
Trips We've Taken With Ollie
- Ouray, Colorado – This was Ollie’s most recent trip and what a GREAT time it was. Ouray is so dog friendly and has so many great activites. It’s about a 13 hour drive from Texas. We decided to stop and explore Albqurque for a night along the way to break up the drive. I have several posts about our trip to Ouray, which you can find on my Colorado page!
- Albuqurque, New Mexico – Ollie’s actually been here twice now. We spent a few days in ALQ in 2022, exploring the mountains and downtown area. We even rode a hot air balloon at sunrise (no Ollie allowed, unfortunetly).
- Asheville, North Carolina – This is still one of my favorite trips we’ve taken. Something about Asheville is so cozy and peaceful. We spent the weekend camping and hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We even hiked up a waterfall, which Ollie obviously LOVED for all the swimming. Asheville is also very dog friendly!
- Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma – This was a super different experience, but so fun! This area is a refuge for longhorns & bison, and they roam free around the park. We camped here and did some hiking and got super close to both Bison & Longhorns. Ollie, surprisingly, was pretty unfased by them!
- Austin, Texas – Austin is super dog friendly! We always enjoyed taking long weekend trips to Austin to hike or swim.
- San Antonio, Texas – Surprisingly, we didn’t find San Antonio to be the most dog friendly. The riverwalk is beautiful and fun, but not somewhere I’d bring my dog. We just didn’t find much in the area for Ollie to do or to make the area real note-worthy.
- Shanendoah National Park, Virginia – I took Ollie here to hike in the fall & was blown away by the beautiful fall colors. This is definitely a top destination for fall foliage. The hiking was beautiful & we found the drive from Virginia Beach area to be manageable.
- Galveston, Texas – This is also a pretty easy road trip from DFW. Although it was great to play on the beach with Ollie, Galveston probably isn’t somewhere we’d go again. We’ve been spoiled by the beautiful beaches in FL (such as Anna Maria Island) & Galveston just isn’t as nice. It is definitely a great dog friendly option though!
- He’s been to countless other towns in Illinois, Texas, and Virginia while living in each!
Texas State Parks
- Palo Duro Canyon, Texas – This place has a special spot in my heart. We spent a long weekend here in 2020 staying in a beautiful cabin & hiking a ton. We actually loved it so much, we had our elopement-style vow renewal here. Ollie was involved in both trips to Palo Duro. He was even involved in the vow renewal of course! Palo Duro is a great spot for a long weekend trip from the DFW area. It’s about a 6 hour drive.
- Colorado Bend State Park – We camped and hiked here in November and loved it! The fall colors were beautiful and we got to camp along the river. We slept so peacefully, falling asleep and waking up to the sounds of the river next to us.
- Dinosaur Valley State Park – This is another favorite of ours. We like the trail selections here & Ollie LOVES the swimming! This park is super unique, as there are real dinosaur foot prints to see while you’re hiking.
Dog Blog
Ollie is obviously a HUGE part of our lives. We strongly believe that dogs are part of the family and we always try to treat him as such. We love including him in our adventures whenever possible. Throughout the Dog Blog, you’ll find plenty of dog friendly tips, tricks, and advice. We’re happy to have you here & we hope our adventures inspire you to travel with your pups too!
FAQ
While we’d LOVE to bring Ollie everywhere, it’s just not feasible. He’s 90 pounds, which means he can’t fly on a plane without being put underneath, in cargo. This is just not something I will ever do. We are super lucky to have great friends in Texas, who let Ollie sleepover whenever we’re gone. They even had a little pup of their own, named Savannah. Ollie loves going to hang with his friends whenever we’re travelling.
Several years ago, we were really into the show “Green Arrow.” It was a super-hero show on CW. The main character’s name is Ollie & we just liked the sound of it!
SWIMMING! He is such a well-trained, obedient dog.. until he’s near water. He can’t stay away from a pool, lake, river, or even a puddle. Ollie also loves hiking, walking, and sometimes chasing his ball around the yard. Although, he only chases his ball a few times before laying down to chew sticks.
Maybe when he’s older. My dream life would obviously be to have a huge property in the mountains & to rescue like 27 golden retrievers. I would love to spend my days walking them & snuggling them. But for now, we really love hanging with Ollie and spoiling him. Having two big dogs would make it difficult for me to take them anywhere, like hikes or walks, without a second person. Ollie is also incredibly jealous and likes being an “only-child.”