Jacob's Luna + House Guide

Quick Start

Travel Window

• Sat, June 6: Tim flies BOS to PHX, Delta DL514, 5:55 PM.
• Wed, June 10 - Sun, June 14: Vegas/Reno bowling trip window.
• Mon night, June 15 / Tue morning, June 16: Tim flies PHX to BOS, Delta DL1697, departs PHX 10:30 PM, lands BOS Tuesday, June 16 at 6:36 AM.
• No airport pickup or dropoff needed. We will Uber.

Food + Treats

Luna eats twice a day. Timing is flexible. If she sleeps in with Lori, her first meal might be around 2 PM and the second around 8 PM. On a normal day, aim for about 10 AM and 6 PM. The goal is two meals spaced out, not a perfect clock schedule.

Treat Rules

• Avoid the ice cream treats in the freezer. They have been giving her diarrhea.
• Bread is a high-value treat. Keep it to about half a slice.
• She will beg for anything you are eating. Small bits are okay as long as there is no chicken.
• When in doubt, skip it.

Where Things Are

• Food, supplements, and treats: bottom shelf of the pantry.
• Extra poop bag refills: near her food.
• Red collar and leash: guardrail at the top of the stairs heading down to the front door.
• Poop bags are attached to the leash.

Meal 1 video: slow feeder bowl, salmon food, broth, probiotics, pumpkin powder, salmon oil, and joint supplement.

Walks

Luna is used to at least 3 walks / potty breaks per day. She will take more if you want, but 3 is the normal baseline.

Beach / Wood Island Walk

Weather permitting, first potty break is often a car ride to Constitution Beach. Park by the basketball courts, then enter the East Boston Greenway Connector from there. Walk the self-contained walking/bike path toward Wood Island Station, turn around at the street just after Wood Island Station, and head back to the car. Luna walks this route every day and will probably guide you. She has favorite potty spots, and there are trash cans along the trail.

Beach parking: park here by the basketball courts. The walkway entrance is straight ahead and easy to spot.

Trains + Water

• On Bayswater, use the sidewalk along the houses. There is no sidewalk on the water side.
• Do not let her off leash to chase trains. The path is busier now, especially in warmer weather.
• If a train goes by in the direction you are already walking, it is okay to sprint with her briefly.
• Limit train sprints to 2 or 3 total for the whole walk.
• For other trains, hold her in place as they pass. She will not love it, but she is used to it.
• Bring 1 or 2 water bottles on longer walks. She prefers drinking straight from the bottle. Slowly pour water into her mouth.

Water on walks: bring bottles and slowly pour into her mouth. She prefers this over collapsible travel bowls.

Bedtime + Stairs

Luna sleeps in our bed, and she can sleep with Jacob. The bed is too high for her to safely jump down, so the stairs matter.

• At night, she uses the stairs to get onto the bed.
• In the morning, or anytime you get up and leave the room, put the stairs in the correct getting-down position right away.
• Do this even if Luna is not ready to get down yet. That way the stairs are there when she decides she wants off the bed.
• She is particular about the stairs for getting down. Use the photos once added.

Nite-nite setup: place the stairs here so Luna can get onto the bed.

Morning / exit setup: move the stairs here before leaving the room so Luna can get down safely.

Leaving Luna Home Alone

This does not happen often, but if no one is going to be home with Luna, set the house up first.

• Pull easy-to-move objects from the IKEA bookcase and place them on the recliners/chairs so she cannot easily get onto them.
• Leave her kennel open. Do not lock her in it.
• Leave the bathroom open.
• Close the office door.
• Close the bedroom doors.
• Bring her bed out from the office and place it on her favorite chair by the window.
• Tell her to get on her chair so you can go bye-bye. She knows this routine and usually does not fight getting up there.
• Leave a chew bone for her on her chair.
• Put Dog TV on YouTube.
• Turn on the Ring camera and place it in front of the TV, pointed toward her chair.

She likes sitting up high in her chair where she can see the ocean/bay and planes at Logan. If she gets mad and pees, the goal is to keep it to easier-to-clean places like the kennel or bathroom mat.

Use objects from this IKEA bookcase to block the chairs/recliners before leaving.

Example setup: objects placed on the chairs/recliners so Luna stays off them.

Close view: boxes/items on the seats are enough to make them less inviting.

Luna's chair: place her bed here by the window and cue her to get on her chair before you go bye-bye.

Behavior Notes

• Her most annoying toy behavior usually happens at night when Mom and Dad are both in the living room. One-on-one, she is usually great once she settles in.
• If she gets stuck whining about toys, trade her a treat, collect the toys/bones while she eats, and put them in the office closet.
• She is surprisingly good with fireworks.
• Her kennel stays open. She rarely uses it, but sometimes goes in there to chew bones. Do not use it as punishment.

Heat + Humidity

Luna is used to Arizona heat, but Boston humidity seems harder on her. Avoid long walks during the hottest or most humid part of the day.

• Bring water bottles on longer walks.
• After a hot/humid walk, put her cooling blanket on the dining area floor so she can lay on it and bring her core temperature down.
• If she is heavily panting, slowing way down, refusing to move, or seems unusually wiped out: get her inside, offer water, use the cooling blanket, and text/call Dad.

Cooling blanket setup: lay it flat on the dining area floor after hot or humid walks.

House Basics

Trash + Noise

• Trash cans go out Thursday evening.
• Large blue recycling can and large black trash can are along the side of the house.
• The cans are near the downstairs neighbor baby's room wall. Try to be quiet when pulling them out and putting them back.
• Try to avoid laundry after about 8 PM because of the new baby downstairs.

Cleanup Supplies

• Paper towels: kitchen, next to the fridge.
• Cleaning supplies: under the kitchen sink.
• Broom and dustpan: closet by the door leading up to Tatum's apartment.
• Vacuum: charging port in the living room next to the IKEA bookcase.

Emergency