It was dog heaven for me this morning when Leslie gave us a tour of her kennel, Interlude Pet Resort, tucked away in the quiet town of St. Leonard, Maryland. I don’t know how the holidays are shaping up for their families, but the cats and dogs on vacation at Interlude look to be having the time of their lives while the folks are away. Luxury suites, condos, an outdoor playground – it’s a class A vacation. We set off a round of barking and tail thumping in the dogs’ quarters, and even the cats got in some “look at how great I am” time when we stopped to talk with them.

In addition to the animals that are boarding for the holidays, there are a few very special animals that have found a sanctuary at Interlude and are waiting to be adopted by a loving family. Among the cats and dogs that have found a temporary home at Interlude is Annie, who was abandoned as a puppy. As Annie grew older, she got bigger, but unfortunately the collar she was in did not, resulting in the collar growing into her neck. The collar has been removed, but I don’t suppose the memories have been. There are so many sad animal stories out there, and Annie is just one of them. It’s wonderful that people like Leslie and Lisa and the rest of the people at Interlude are there to turn the sad stories into good endings.

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