Today was the Dierks Bentley Miles and Music For Kids motorcycle ride.

It started at the Harley Davidson in Cool Springs. (I was there.) It ventured down the beautiful winding road called Barry's Chapel. (I was there). Then onto Highway 46 after crossing Highway 96 and heading into Leiper's Fork. (I was there.) Then onto Pinewood and the Natchez Trace Parkway.

I missed that last intersection, because I took another route to the Natchez Trace Bridge over Highway 96 in Franklin where I and a handful of other photographers waited for the motorcycle riders to pass over the bridge near Birdsong Park.

Soon after our beloved pet sitter (our next door neighbor) moved away, we began our search to find someone we could trust to watch our dog whenever we went out of town.

This was hard for us. In all my years of having dogs, I have only left my dogs in a pet boarding facility twice. They were well cared for, but it just wasn't the same as leaving our dog in the comfort of his own home when we were away. Everywhere that we've lived, we've always been fortunate to have a responsible teenager living next door to us.

One of the first places we researched here in Franklin was The Farm at Natchez Trace.

The Farm is Middle Tennessee's only pet boarding facility to earn full accreditation by the American Boarding Kennels Association.

Still, it was hard to get past my first impressions:

#1 That this was probably just some expensive "doggie hotel" for the well-to-do people in Franklin and Williamson county.

#2 That the experience for our dog would probably be nothing like the 4-5 times a day that our next door neighbor typically visited our dog in our home.

Boy, was I wrong!...

The Farm is a cage-less facility with no concrete runs -- just 18 acres of private farmland, complete with a creek and a well-maintained nature trail.

Aside from play time inside the fenced-in yard, all dogs are kept on leashes during their walks.

There is 24-hour care on-site, even on weekends and holidays. A night manager is always on duty (not just "on the premises"). Also, the Director lives on the property. All FT and permanent PT staff is ABKA-certified.

A veterinarian is on-call 24 hours a day.

Look what I found at the Nashville Home and Remodeling Show last weekend...

If you're interested, the contact info is:
Owen Carpet Company
Resaca, GA 30735
706-277-1321
sales@owencarpet.com

More pictures and details below.

Wondering what the traffic is like in Franklin, Tennessee today?

Check out these live traffic cams...