We weren't sure how good Kiva's bladder control was. He had piddled on the floor at Nancy's. So we put out all these absorbent pads. No need. Indeed, he hasn't peed on the floor anywhere since we left Nancy's.

Finding hotels that accept pets was a whole new experience for me. Fortunately, www.bringfido.com makes it easy. The hotels' main concern, it turns out, is barking, though out of concerns for allergies they do try to confine pets to a particular set of rooms.

Kiva barked only once - when they slipped the bill under the door in the wee hours. What an amazing puppy!