By Miss October 2014, Deborah Brauser

I believe the world is made up of animal lovers and non-animal lovers. And that first group can be subdivided further by levels of love. My “guilty pleasures” confession this week is that yes, I am one of those crazy-about-my-dog people. But come on, look at those big blue eyes!

I’ve always loved animals, especially dogs. And I was lucky to have wonderful adventures with some really, really great doggy pals. But Dakota came into my life when both of us were at a low point and really needed each other.

I decided right before I moved to Arkansas that I was finally ready for another large dog after my last one passed away at the wonderfully old age of 17. Believe it or not, I found Dakota in a cute picture posted on a Craigslist forum in Oklahoma while I was still living in Orlando. It was estimated that he was about 2 years old back in 2010, but he’d had a rough life. Previous owners had abandoned or ignored him, and one had even shot him in his hindquarters.

Even worse, his last owner told me she almost gave him to a guy who seemed nice but then let slip that he wanted this sweet pup for dog fighting! That thought still makes me sick to my stomach and I had no problem jumping through several hoops to prove that I would be the one to give this dog, at the time named Kota, a loving forever home.

Our first meeting. I’m keeping him!

But one week after bringing him to my first place in Arkansas, I got the news that he had heartworms. The vet asked: since I’d only just met him, would I want to have him treated? Um, yes. This ball of fur had already stolen my heart! So after lots of vet trips and medications that actually contained arsenic, and spending roughly 45 days on house arrest (actually forced relaxation), he was cured. And we had become a tight team.

Renamed Dakota, my newly healthy dog loved (and still loves) adventures, walks, hikes, long drives, and meeting new people. This included a fun outing last year to Murfreesboro to go digging for diamonds…

And to go wandering through the city’s antique stores.

Seriously, these shop owners came out to the street and begged us to come in. I was kind of shocked just how pet-friendly these wonderful people were!

So now that Fall is here and the weather’s a little cooler, I’m ready for more animal adventures. I’ve heard that War Eagle Cavern in Rogers and Wegner Crystal Mine in Mt. Ida welcomes well-behaved dogs on leashes, and that there are several pet-friendly lodging options in Eureka Springs. Does anyone have other suggestions for places to go, check out, or stay? We’re all ears! 😉

Where should we go next??