Dog Owners, Please Advise!

I have a wedding dilemma. It is dog-related.

Okay, so here are the basics of the situation. As I've mentioned before, we are basically having a mini-destination wedding; neither Mr. Octopus and I nor almost any of our friends and family live in Pittsburgh. Mr. Octopus and I have complicated travel plans for the week of the wedding: on the Wednesday before, we're taking a one-way flight from Boston to my hometown in upstate New York, then driving in a big caravan of family down to Pittsburgh. Then, the Monday after, we're taking another one-way flight from Pittsburgh back to Boston. I'm also expecting that those few days leading up to the wedding will be very busy, filled with lots and lots of errands to run, things to do, and people to see.

So here's the dilemma: do we bring Daffodil to Pittsburgh with us, or do we put her in a kennel?

There are valid arguments for both sides. My mom is advocating for kenneling her, because bringing her with us would add a whole new "something that has to be worried about" factor. We'd have to stuff her fat self into her carrying case and bring her on the plane with us, then, on the same day, load her into the car for the five-hour drive to the Burgh. In that Wednesday-to-Saturday stretch of errands and craziness, we'd also have to schedule "making sure Daffodil goes out every five hours or so" into the daily to-do list. And, finally, bringing her would be really expensive. Those bastard airlines charge an insanely obnoxious price to carry a dog onto the plane and stow her under the seat. Like, the price of an actual human being's ticket to sit IN a seat. Also, our hotel allows dogs, but charges a $100 non-refundable fee to accommodate them. Overall, it would almost certainly be pricier than kenneling her.

I, on the other hand, am feeling strongly that I want her to come with us. I've told you before that I am a Crazy Dog Lady. I LOVE Daffodil. LOOOOVVVVEEEE her. Mr. Octopus is similarly crazy about her. We really think of her as a family member. So my thought process goes, yes, we'd have to do all that traveling with her, which is annoying for us, but Daff is a champ traveler. She goes in her carrying case with no complaint, snoozes for the whole plane ride, and LOVES to ride in the car. So, it's really not that big of a deal.


THERE ARE A LOT OF INCREDIBLY EXCITING THINGS TO SEE OUT THE WINDOW!

And, yes, having her there will be one more thing that we have to worry about while we're in Pittsburgh. But the thought of putting her in a kennel for almost a week makes me really sad! In my experience, no matter how nice a kennel and its staff is, the dogs have to spend hours and hours and hours in a crate, with not a whole lot of interaction with people. Daffodil, like most French bulldogs, is totally a companionship-oriented pet--she's a MAJOR lapdog. Her favorite hobby in the whole world is cuddling.






There are also a number of photos of me nap-snuggling with Daffodil, but I'm a really embarrassing sleeper, so they will not be hitting the Internet.


Even Mom Octopus, an avowed animal non-lover, fell for Daffodil's cuddly tricks.

Because I am a Crazy Dog Lady, I most definitely think that my dog has emotions, and knowing that she is stressed and scared because she's in a strange place, sitting by herself in a crate, without her people, will make me feel really bad. I think I'd feel worse about that than I would about having to fit in several daily walks during the wedding week. Also, traveling with her will be expensive for sure, but kennels ain't cheap either. I feel like I'd rather pay a bunch of money to have my dog with me than to put her somewhere else.

Plus, if she comes with us, then she could be in a few quick wedding photos, like so!


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(Note: I first made the mistake of Googling "bride dog" instead of "bride WITH HER dog" and LOLed in terror at the results....)


Without a doubt, this is the creepiest thing the Internet has offered up to me this week.

So, practically, I understand why it doesn't make sense for Daffodil to accompany us on our wedding week. Emotionally? I really, really, really want to bring her.

Crazy Dog Ladies of the world, what would you do in this situation?