When John and I were planning our anniversary vacation last year, we wanted to keep it as affordable and simple as we could. We managed to get two free tickets on Delta by using our frequent flyer miles, and we booked a resort in Sedona for half-price via Homeaway. When were were looking at places to stay in Tucson, I scoured Airbnb for a central place at an affordable price. I saw some nice places, and some sketchy places within our budget, so I saved a few of the nice ones in my Airbnb favorites and revisited them a while later. This Airbnb kept popping up in my search, and it really seemed to fit the bill. The place was centrally located. It was beautifully decorated. It was just the right size and price, and it was available! But best of all, it had a host-dog – a Yellow Lab named Tugboat! So, duh…..we just had to book it!
When we arrived, Tugboat greeted us very enthusiastically! It was the first time since our boy Peter passed away that I had been around a Yellow Lab, and all the feelings started coming back. This boy looked so much like our boy, and even made the same kind of “groans of contentment” that our boy did when John rubbed his velvet ears.
Each morning, Tugboat waited outside our door, until we were ready to start the day. I’d take a peak through the curtain, and there he’d be – just curled up in a furry ball, waiting for us to say “good morning” and give him his morning butt-scratch. We only stayed with Tugboat for a few of days, but he managed to steal a little piece of my heart. We’ve made a forever friend with this guy – and his mom, Carly, too!
