Summer vacation plans are made, and in less than a month I will be traveling to the beach. Relaxing next to the ebb and flow of the Gulf will be tranquil, but before I get there I know I will experience a few stresses before the calm.

One of those stresses certainly will include making a reservation for the dog.

Yes, you heard me right, a reservation. Ruby is so much more than your typical canine. While living with us for more than 12 years, she has developed a princess mentality and requires top of the line accommodations.

You might think I am crazy to fork out dollars for a dog, but if I don’t, she gets super sick.

The first time we ever left her at the veterinarian’s office overnight for a trip, she apparently barked the whole time we were gone.

Poor little thing, she was so hoarse by the time we returned, the noise coming out of her mouth sounded more like the chirping sound a bird makes than a woof woof from a dog.

You see, Ruby is spoiled. Since she is the only four-legged animal around the house, the thought of sharing her space with others apparently does not sit well with her.

Her hospital bill from the ordeal did not sit well with me, and so it was decided that since she did not play well with others, the next time we left town she would get a private room.

Some of you may ask, ‘why not just get someone to come to the house?’ We tried that too.

She freaked out, got sick, and wound up having to go to the vet anyway, yet again creating a bill from a hospital stay.

As for taking my sweet little Jack Russell with us on the trip, the condominiums where we will be staying do not allow pets, and besides that, Ruby hates to travel.

The one time we decided to take her with us on a long distance trip, she made the car ride miserable. She would not sit still and continually moved from lap to lap to lap.

Maybe you think you are beginning to see my problem. You think you now know how this could cause me to stress.

But if the truth were told, dealing with a high maintenance dog is not the problem, it is the thought of leaving her behind that causes my unease.

She knows when we are about to leave on a trip. She sees our suitcases come down from the attic, and with a little bit of my own canine instinct, I can tell by the look in her eyes she is sad thereby causing me to feel sad, sometimes to the point of questioning whether the trip is worth it.

Ruby is not a perfect dog, and she has definitely caused me plenty of heartache (chewed up heirlooms, spots on the carpet, dog hair on the furniture), but I love her, and she loves me.

As usual, I know I will find a way to deal with my anxiousness around leaving my pet behind.

Possibly a mimosa on the balcony overlooking the water will help comfort my worry.