On Thursday June 14th Jack and I, along with Dylan, packed up the car and headed to Michigan to get our new puppy.
It is about a 1000 mile trip each way. We left at 4:00am with the intent of covering as many miles as possible on the first day as Dylan is such a veteran traveler. We stopped Thursday evening just east of Toledo, Ohio. We got the chance to take Dylan to Lake Erie for a walk and a swim.
On Friday we got to Michigan early afternoon and went to Julie’s. 
We visited with Caitlin and the puppies and helped Julie, who had Monica with her, take the A-Litter to the veterinarian for their wellness checkup.
We spent the night at the Arbor Inn in Marshall, which is a pet friendly motel and very convenient to Julie’s.
On Saturday we went back to Julie’s and spent more time with the pups. During the day several A-T family members also came to visit. It was great to see Andrea, Matt, Michelle and Jackie again, and to meet Scott, Alexis, Connor and Lee. We all went to lunch at the famous Schuler’s Restaurant & Pub, a Marshall tradition. After lunch we all went back to Julie’s and everyone met Dylan!
Dylan with Alexis and Connor
On Sunday morning we picked up our new puppy…. Alta-Tollhaus Aiden , formerly the blue collar boy from the A Litter – Ypsilon vom Lärchenhain x Maikali vom Kirschental. 
We started our trip back to Massachusetts.
We planned our vacation time to coincide with us picking up Aiden. Initially Aiden complained a bit in the crate but within 15 to 20 minutes he settled down and you would think he had been on road trips many times. We stopped every couple of hours to stretch and take a potty break and by the time we got to Syracuse, NY we decided to stop at the Red Roof Inn. We did not want to stress the young boy out with long days on the road.
Considering this was Aiden’s first night away from his littermates and in a hotel he was calm, confident and playful.
He had a good night. We got an early start this morning and were home safe on Cape Cod by lunch time. When we arrived we discovered that my Mum had let the cats have access to their pen. Since it was a nice day Owen and Lamont were lounging outside. We took the opportunity for Aiden to meet them.
Aiden seems to be adjusting well to his new life.
Thank you Julie for all your advise and support.
…and so a new journey begins
Oh, Lynda and Jack, I am so happy for you. Aiden is one beautiful puppy. It gives me joy to see you start a new adventure with him and Dylan. Happy trails… Jane
This made my day! Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I feel like I was right there along with you guys. I am so happy to see the start of a new adventure! It goes without saying, but of course you must post plenty of pictures of Aiden as he grows up. That is one lucky puppy!
Dylan is as handsome as ever.
I’m so excited to see your post! I’ve been checking the blog non-stop to see who was going to be the first new puppy owner to post. It was so nice to see you and Jack again, and I must say meeting Dylan was the highlight of my weekend. He is such a cool dog. I just love his laid back personality. Aiden is a doll; I look forward to watching his adventures.
Oh!!! So happy for you!!! For sure Aiden has hit the jackpot! Wish I would have known you were making the trip. Chris, Roman and I are living in Cleveland for the next 8 months before we head back to Michigan. We could have met up for lunch a dip in the lake 🙂
It was great to finally meet both Lynda, Jack, and of course the legendary Dylan. I am so happy that you have blue collar boy! That is one lucky pup. I am looking forward to tons of pictures and reading about all of his new adventures and the continuation of Dylan’s!
Congratulations to all of you! That’s a long trip in a short time frame! I’m glad you made it safe and sound. I hope he quickly sleeps through the night for you. 🙂 He is adorable and Dylan has got to be the prettiest lab I’ve ever seen.
Absolutely wonderful!
It is so good to see another post from you. I am so happy you decided to go forward and add a new AT member to your family. Aiden is precious, and I know he will bring much happiness to you both and delight you in countless ways. I look forward to seeing him evolve and watching you bring out his potential talents. Congratulations and warmest wishes as you begin life with your new little boy.
It was great to spend time with you both again and get to finally meet the absolutely wonderful Dylan! I loved your blog entry and story telling photos. I know you are going to have a blast with little Aiden and look forward to regular updates. Congratulations!
Oh my gosh, I am just so happy HAPPY to read this from you!!
*Tears of Joy*
Aiden is such a perfect name. He is such a handsome little guy.
Lynda and Jack–it warms our hearts that you have this beautiful little guy. We wish both you, and your Pack, the very best. May you have a grand adventure with him!
So happy to read this post and meet your handsome boy, Aiden.
Ditto what everyone else said. I am crying for joy for you guys and I look foward to the stories. sorry I missed the visit. Hope to see you and Aiden soon!
Love your story and pictures Lynda and Jack. I am (as we all are) so use to seeing Dylan and Ivan together like a (mis)matched set, it was bittersweet to see him without Ivan and new puppy in his place. I know it is time to be happy but it still made me cry for Ivan.
Aiden looks so happy and soon he and Dylan will look like they have always meant to be together.
Much love to you.
So glad to see this post. If you went to Syracuse, you went right by us. We are about 20 minutes north of the thruway. Aiden is one lucky pup and will be a good bud for Dylan. Looking forward to the Lynda posts again. Maybe we will meet up when I have Ziva at a show. Not posting much myself now – – new mothers are always tired. LOL. Take care.
Congratulations on your new addition — I, like so many others, am really looking forward to following this journey.
Can you give me any tips on introducing the cats? I remember seeing the pictures from an earlier post of the cats with the dogs and I would love to have that kind of harmony at our house. I think a lot depends on the cats, too, and one of my cats is never going to be friends with a dog, but the other cat, Bailey, kind of things he is a dog, I think. He is always hanging out with the dogs. Most of the dogs just ignore him, but Shotzie has been known to give chase. She hasn’t hurt him, but I’d rather she didn’t chase. Bailey has claws, so I thought one well placed swipe across the nose might do the trick, but I’m very concerned that he might hit an eye. Any suggestions other than yelling ‘NO!’ from across the room?
Lynda, Aiden is the luckiest little puppy in the world. I cannot wait to hear of your adventures and was also glad to see new pics of Dylan. As you know, he’s on my “favorite dogs that don’t belong to me” list. Hugs to you all — J
Dear Lynda & Jack,
I am SO very happy for you!
A new little life to nurture and love! 🙂