A Friday Chat About Dogs on Planes
Featuring Billfolder Vicky Austin!

VICKY: Happy Friday from the Swamp!
NICOLE: Where is the swamp?
VICKY: Washington, DC. 😀
NICOLE: HAHAHAHA when I put up that photo of the SunTrust bank outside Dupont Circle the other day I thought of all the times I’d walked through Dupont and checked the temperature — once it was, like, 114.
But that was years ago.
What’s the weather like today?
VICKY: Not quite “I can see why diplomats got hazard pay” but 90 or so and the humidity’s climbing. How’s Seattle?
NICOLE: Perfectly comfortable in the low 70s.
My phone says it is 58 degrees out right now but my apartment says otherwise; high today of 76.
So what are your plans for this weekend? Anything expensive?
VICKY: The weekend itself should be pretty low key, but on Sunday I’m flying to California for vacation!
I took the Kelly Conaboy vacation plus one or two days advice to its logical conclusion and gave myself a weekend alone at home before and after my “real” vacation.
It Should Be Vacation + One Or Two Days
NICOLE: Kelly is the best. We should take her advice on everything: vacations, Spoon, candles…
VICKY: 100%.
My vacation is a staying with family thing so I’m hoping to keep that low cost as well. Just, like, drinking tea with my stepmother and watching my dog enjoy the luxury of a real yard (I live in a high rise so it’s a real treat for him).
NICOLE: Are you flying your dog across the country?
VICKY: I am! He’s an emotional support animal.
Before I had a prescription for him, it was $99 each way on Southwest.
Now that I have a prescription for him (sounds weird to say it like that but you know what I mean) it’s free.
I had to do an evaluation (on me) to have him with, and that was about $250 — an annual expense but worth it to bring him. Very little in the world that a tiny dog with an expressive face can’t put right.
NICOLE: That’s so adorable! Does he go in cargo, or on the seat?
VICKY: He’ll ride in the vicinity of my seat. I’m not sure if he’ll prefer the floor or my lap, probably the latter.
NICOLE: I have to ask: do dogs get nervous during turbulence, or is that just humans? Is there any part of them that registers “we’re flying in a giant tube 30,000 feet above the ground?”
VICKY: This particular dog does not care about ANYTHING if he can see (and preferably touch) me.
NICOLE: That is the best kind of dog.
VICKY: But he’s also not scared of thunder or anything and he only barks at people if he thinks THEY are scared of HIM, like “yes, I am the most intimidating, fear me.”
NICOLE: Specific breed, or all-American mutt?
VICKY: We made up a fake breed name for him — he’s a shelter mutt that they labeled as chihuahua mix — we call him a Crevice Terrier.
NICOLE: Now I’m trying to remember the Tumblr post I saw the other day… it was a chihuahua mix wearing a knit hat that was, like, designed to look like a Crock-Pot?
It was, you know, Tumblr.
VICKY: #peaktumblr
Do you ever see things on Tumblr and ask yourself how much did this project that is clearly just for Tumblr (or Instagram, I guess) cost?
Like the Doctor Who scarves that people were putting on Livejournal like 100 years ago… That is so much yarn!!
NICOLE: That’s a good question. I guess I haven’t, because I always assume people who knit Crock-Pot hats or set up dominoes in some perfect order or whatever are doing it out of love.
But yes, the Fourth Doctor’s scarf is way too excessive. 😉
I’d actually love to do a piece on that, if anyone wants to pitch The Billfold.
VICKY: Haha YESSSS.
NICOLE: Have you ever made a thing mostly because you knew it would look good on social media?
VICKY: Not just for social media, but social media has motivated me to redo finishing touches on projects to get them just so.
Like I re-did the binding on this baby quilt I was making because I knew it would probably feature in my niece’s baby pics online, it made me a little more self conscious.
NICOLE: Oh wow, I’m impressed. The most I ever do is, like, put the book I’m reading next to a vase of flowers before I take the photo.
Does it cost you extra to do the extra work?
VICKY: Not really — for a project I usually buy a little extra in case I mess up along the way or in case my math isn’t quite right so it’s a sunk cost to fix, just time/pride
So either it’s a sunk cost, or my purchase strategy has already accounted for the cost, I guess you could look at that two ways.
NICOLE: Hey, as long as it’s with in your budget and financial goals. 😉
VICKY: If the Billfold had a tattoo, that would be it.
Lattes? Travel? 50 foot stacks of books? As long as…
NICOLE: Now I’ll go figure out what it costs to design and print temporary tattoos.
Want to be part of an upcoming Friday Chat? Email nicole@thebillfold.com.
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