We're Off Again!

 After a long spring, summer and fall stay at home, we finally left on November 7th for our winter excursion. Mom had spent the summer redecorating and renovating our house on wheels. She spent several days moving stuff from out from the house and packing up for our long trip - dog food, human food, clothes, toiletries, dog food, dog toys (which I don't play with any more but Dora does), bedding, dog food, drinking water, canned goods - all the things you can imagine that humans would use in the course of daily life. Over the past year she has outfitted the RV with its own set of cookware, dishes, utensils, etc., so she didn't have to move those. Oh, and did I mention she packed dog food?

Our first stop (#2 on the map) was Clayton, NY to visit Dad's cousin that he hasn't seen in 20 years. They have 2 dogs, 1 of which became Dora's best friend. They wrestled and chased each other till they both passed out from exhaustion. And they have geese which Dora immediately decided didn't belong in the yard and chased them till they fled in terror across the pond. The other dog, well, sort of got upset with me and bit me on my back. Ouch! That was rude! I'm OK, thanks for asking, although I have quite a bruise. Fortunately the people got hold of the dog right away or an old guy like me might have been severely injured. And speaking of being an old dog, I hadn't been feeling very well for a bit but my people have started giving me Rimadyl every day. I feel a lot better and even have my appetite back.

We really enjoyed our visit and after a few days we headed out toward Kansas City, MO to visit Mom's son. We stopped a few nights on the way (#3 and 4) just to rest up and get back on the road the next day.

When we got to Mom's son, Chris's house in Kansas City, MO (#5 on the map), he and his fiancé had a wonderful announcement. They were getting married that day! Not only did Mom gain a new daughter-in-law, but she gained 2 new grandsons. I think the whole family is pretty cool! 

Again, Dora made fast friends with one of their dogs, and I got to sleep undisturbed in my favorite spot - curled up between Dad's legs on the recliner. I love it when she's occupied with other dogs because she leaves me alone! And Mom thought it was ironic that Dora came from KC Pet Rescue, and here she was back in KC.

We took a trip out to some land in the Ozarks that Chris owns to see his campsite set-up. It was a long, but fun day. The road in was 2 1/2 miles of bumps and ruts but once we got there we got to run around through all the fallen leaves. Mom loves scuffing through dry leaves on the ground. She says it reminds her of being a kid and running through leaves as her dad raked them up.

Since we won't be home on Thanksgiving we tried to find a turkey before we left Colebrook last week so we could roast it up and bring the meat with us. Dad couldn't find any turkeys in the stores. So on Sunday Chris and Kim served us a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. Mom was in heaven. She said that although she usually only has turkey at Thanksgiving she didn't want to miss out on the wonderful taste this year. Dora and I had leftovers. We approved.

They also made Mom a new sweatshirt. Pretty cool, huh?

Monday is preparation day. Laundry, shopping, straightening things out, and preparing the trailer for travel on Tues. We go to Pretty Prairie, KS for 4 days, then to a cattle farm in Shamrock, TX for 4 days, on to Placitas, NM for 2 days, and finally to Shiprock, NM for 4 days, which brings us to Dec. 1 when we check in to an RV park in Hurricane, UT for the month of December. Not sure what we're doing after that but I'll definitely keep you posted.

Dora and I "helping" with breakfast.

---Sammy

Dora

 After Cruz left for his new family I sort of missed him. I even laid in the spot on the floor where his bed used to be. I'm a never-lay-on-the-floor-because-the-couch-is-more-comfy kind of guy. So Mom and Dad started talking about getting me a new companion. I was just getting used to being an only dog when they came across Dora.

Dora was a stray. Mom saw her picture on a pet adoption site and fell in love with her. I didn't think the idea sounded too bad either. That is until I met her. Sure she's cute, and sure she's a girl. But she's also only about a year old. That means she still has some puppy antics like jumping on me and running around trying to bite my ears! I do NOT appreciate that. Mom says I was probably like that when I was that age. I don't remember that. Now that I'm 14 I prefer a much more sedentary and peaceful lifestyle.

Life has been really busy here. Mom decided to redecorate the ENTIRE RV this summer. She says winter is depressing enough no matter where you spend it without having to look at all that brown. I have to admit it's a lot brighter and seems so much bigger. Only thing is that now the RV is all new and bright the house is looking tired and outdated. Guess mom's got her project picked out for next summer. Here's some before and after pics. Just a few finishing touches and we're good to go.

We head out for the winter in early November. I, for one, will not miss the cold and snow. Since I'm short I definitely won't miss having to stand in snow almost over my head just to go wee! I'll keep you posted on our adventures.

---Sammy

Introducing Sammy

OK, OK, so I'm a little on the aging side. Cruz says I'm old, which I would be if I were one of his breed. But being a Poodle cross, well, my breed lives considerably longer. So although I'm older, I can't say that I'm old. I do love to sleep though.

By way of introduction here's my story. I was found wandering around by someone's driveway when I was about 5 years old. I wasn't wearing a collar with any identification nor was I microchipped so I was incarcerated at the local animal shelter to see if anyone would claim me. After the appropriate waiting period no one came forth to say I was theirs so I was adopted by the lady who originally found me.

She had several kids who I came to love very much. We would go to visit Grandma's farm sometimes. Oh, how exciting to see all kinds of different animals. There was a huge yard where I could run around and investigate all kinds of strange smells. I came to love Grandma and Papa and stayed with them sometimes when Mom traveled places I couldn't go.

One by one the kids left home to start their own separate lives. Between work and a place she called college, Mom was gone a lot. It seemed like I was left all alone and missed my family being around all the time. I became so depressed I just laid on the couch and hardly even ate. So Mom called Grandma and asked if I could live with her permanently. Of course, Grandma said yes. I mean, I'm so adorable, who wouldn't?

Grandma and Papa became my new Mom and Dad. They are retired so they're around all the time. Most of the time they take me with them when they go anywhere. I do love being with my people, going for rides, or just snoozing on the couch. My favorite place to snooze is between Dad's feet while he's sitting in his recliner or snuggled up next to him in bed. Although I'm getting on in years, my Jedi mind powers are just as sharp as ever because I can will Mom to drop something on the floor when she's cooking in the kitchen.

Now Cruz, there's a bundle of wasted energy. He's always running here and there, who knows why. I was reading his latest adventure about chasing the geese. Wow, it's a good thing he wasn't at the ocean. They'd have had to send the coast guard out after him or he'd be in Europe by now! Me? I'd never go swimming. You just never know what might be lurking beneath the water! I hate being wet, even when I go to the groomer. Well, as the saying goes - no brain, no pain. I'm not saying Cruz is stupid, I'm just saying that hopefully he'll get some wisdom as he gets older. He is such a knucklehead.

Grandkid R and great-grandkid A visited for a few weeks this summer, plus a local friend came to visit for several days while they were here. This is what happens when 3 girls get bored. Seriously? Don't they realize I'm a boy dog?

Mom went to the doctor's today for an insect bite that looks very suspicious. Mom has no idea what kind of insect decided she was lunch, but the bite left a large red area about the size of the bottom of a coffee cup. She's never had any reaction to a bug bite before so she felt it was worth a doctor's visit to get it checked out.  Doctor thought the large rash area might be from a tick so she put her on an antibiotic to prevent Lyme disease. While we were out and about, we stopped at Chester's Chicken and Dad bought me a whole chicken tender all my own. I do kinda miss Cruz but it was nice not to have to share my chicken with anyone.

A friend of Mom's needed a place to keep her goats, sheep, horses and chickens for the summer so Mom offered for them to be here. She says they're like grandchildren - you can enjoy them for a while, then send them home. She calls them grand-chickens/sheep/goats/horses. Mom kind of misses the livestock she sold last fall before we went on our winter excursion so this gives her some animals to keep her occupied in the summer without having to worrying about them next winter when we want to go south again in our traveling home.

Not much else is happening during these hot summer days. Just kicking back trying to stay cool. But I wanted to take this opportunity to assure you that I am, indeed, on top of this blogging thing.

-- Sammy

No Geese Allowed

Hi, Cruz back here for a guest post to tell you about my latest adventure with my new family. It's really exhausting keeping 3 boys entertained all day but I'm up for the challenge. I play ball, race around the trampoline making sure they don't fall off, have play dates with the "girl next door", and we even get to go to the lake. I love splashing around in the shallows but haven't yet dared to take that final step that would bring me over my head to actually swim. Until yesterday!

Just a speck way out in the lake

At my former home I'd chase geese off the small pond, harassing them until they flew off. And I'm fast so I'm sure they got whiplash trying to keep track of me as I raced back and forth from one side to the other, sort of like watching a tennis match.

So there I was at the lake, minding my own business, playing ball, keeping watch of my family, when I heard the honk of two Canada geese swimming toward me. That's not allowed here either! I didn't even notice how deep the water was when I launched myself straight into the lake. I swam out to the middle after them. The two I originally heard turned into 14 of them. My head just about exploded with this wonderful opportunity. I mean, with that many I was bound to catch one of them.


They split into 2 groups so I swam toward 1 group, then turned around and went after the other. All the while my family was apparently calling me but I didn't even hear them. I was so focused on chasing the geese my brain shut off to everything else and I got major tunnel vision.

My new Dad dove into the water after me. Meanwhile, a small fishing boat saw the commotion and headed toward me to try to keep me from swimming off. I suppose they also thought they could save Dad if he ran into trouble. Going between the two groups of geese allowed Dad to catch up to me, grab my collar, and drag me back to shore. Mom said she was kind of worried because Dad isn't that strong a swimmer, but he sure reached me in record time. I guess his burst of adrenaline allowed him to do super-human things. I'm really glad he was OK and didn't have to read the headlines of "Local man drowns trying to save geese chasing dog". And just to let you know that no geese were harmed in the making of this story, although it wasn't for my lack of trying!

Dad finally got me back to shore

I understand Dad was quite upset with me because I took off after those geese and didn't come back when he called, and because he had to swim way out to get me. I imagine my folks were pretty worried, but I could have swum that lake all day! I was extremely delighted with myself and pranced around quite oblivious to the commotion I caused. Dad did forgive me pretty quickly and gave me plenty of snuggles later on. After all, I am adorable and have velvety ears!

Well, thanks for reading my update. I'll try to keep you informed of my adventures. I see that Sammy still hasn't written a post. I imagine he's taking yet another nap.

--Cruz

Passing the Torch

Hair braiding is a group activity

I love kids! There's just no doubt about it. Children are my absolute favorite things in the whole world - well, maybe with the exception of breakfast, or 2nd breakfast, or dinner, or in between snacks. Don't get me wrong, I love Mom. But kids? Well, that's a whole different level of fun! These short humans are a smorgasbord of activities. Their faces are at just the right level for licking, their laps are just the right size to sit on and they don't take up too much of the bed at night so I can stretch out while still cuddling with them. They will throw a ball or a stick until their arms practically drop off, then be ready to snuggle on the couch to rest up for the next activity, which might be anything from teaching me tricks (aka treat time), or lunch (aka clean up the dropped food on the floor time), or tug of war (aka watch me shake your arm off time). The fun just never ends when you're with kids.

My boys "O" and "E"
"C" was napping

We went to visit some friends and they have 3 boys. We had so much fun! They threw the ball until I was so tired my tongue was hanging practically on the ground. They were quite willing to play keep away. I love for them to throw the ball but never want to give it back so they have to chase me for it. I've learned that if I drop the ball when they get tired and pretend to look away, they'll try to pick it up. That's when I can grab it and run. Then the whole keep away game starts again. I let them get it just often enough to keep them interested. Only kids will play this game with me. Adults don't seem to get it. I think they're actually untrainable on this game. They actually want me to bring the ball back and give it to them. Imagine that!


Mom hurt her foot a few years ago. She spent 5 months in a walking boot and 3 months in a brace. It's better now but won't ever be good enough to allow her to take me for long walks or hikes, so I haven't been getting enough exercise. For a young Vizsla that presents a pretty boring life. My breed needs a lot of activity and exercise to make me happy. Mom says her hiking days are over. She still bikes but I can't go with her on the roads. Mom and Dad were trying to think of ways to give me the activity level I need. As it turns out the family we visited used to have 2 Vizslas who both died of old age, one a few years ago and the other in early June. They had just started looking for another but didn't really want a puppy since one of their sons is only 2 and they've got their hands full with him. They have been praying to find another Vizsla to join their family, especially their 7 yr old who misses his special friend terribly. I had such fun with the kids that Mom and Dad decided to let me stay. The first day was a little confusing but I quickly fell in love with the boys and now it feels like I've always been here.

Loving my boy "O"

Night time brings new challenges in the fight for the most bed space. Adults take way too much room. I try to push them to a corner but they're just way too heavy to move. I've found if I keep stretching, they'll move over an inch at a time until I have a large enough space in the middle. But I have to be careful not to stretch too much because if I wake them up they'll move me to a corner and I have to start all over again. Kids are small enough that I have plenty of room to make myself at home. "O" is just the right size and he sleeps on the bottom bunk. The first night he told his mom that this was "the best day ever!" I think that's evident by the big grin on his face.

"AL", my special friend from next door

And to add hot dog frosting to my hamburger cake, I've met the girl next door and we have regular play dates. She's 2 years old and just full of energy and fun. I understand there are 3 more dogs in the neighborhood who will be stopping by soon for a meet and greet and wrestle match.  I can't wait for a doggy free-for-all. 3 boys of my own and a dog park right in my own backyard. Oh, this is most excellent!



But that leaves this blog without a writer, other than maybe the occasional guest post from me. I'm turning the writing over to Sammy who's promised to keep you informed about all the great adventures without being too cynical or sarcastic. He is old, after all. SpongeBob says old people are the greatest, they're full of wisdom and experience. On the surface that sounds pretty mature and respectable. I try not to laugh but it's sure hard when they do things like this or this. I should point out that neither of those are my Mom and Dad, but I can picture them doing something like that. And I'd try to be understanding, although I'd put my paw over my mouth to keep from howling with laughter!

So I'm passing the torch to Sammy. I hope he can keep you up to date on the goings on in the family. That is, if he can wake up long enough. Being old, he does sleep a lot. Thank you to all my fans for following my stories. I hope you'll continue to follow Sammy as he gives you his view of life. I'll keep in touch occasionally to let you know about my adventures as well.

--Cruz

Farewell Old Friend

Many of you will remember way back into ancient times, probably almost pre-historic in doggy years, when I was an 8 week old puppy and first came to live with my family. If your memory isn't that good, or perhaps you never read it, here's the link to refresh the story. Remi, the old, retired livestock guardian dog, was my best friend. I snuggled into her warm fur and enjoyed many hours of entertainment playing with her tail. She always tried to be patient with me except when I bit through the fur and actually connected with what was underneath. She let me know she wasn't happy about that and I learned to control my bites. I guess I was stronger that I realized and combined with those needle sharp puppy teeth, I'm sure I hurt her, for which I'm very sorry.

Remi and her friend Gabriel

When we left for our road trip in December Remi went to stay at a friend's house where she fell in love with the children and the baby goats. She liked it there so much she decided to stay permanently. She did very well even though she was 14 years old which, I'm told, is extremely old for a Great Pyrenees. But last month her body failed her and she died. I'm not sure what all that entails but Mom said I'd have to wait till I die to see her again. Since I'm only 9 months old I assume that will be a long time. She is buried up on the hill next to her old friend Gabriel, who passed away a few years ago. I never met him but if Remi loved him then I'm sure he was a great guy. I just know their reunion was glorious and they're running together through the fields.

Baby goat keeping warm with Remi

Mom said Remi was the best guardian dog she ever met. She was gentle with all the babies yet was tough enough to tree bears and chase off coyotes. She was very sick just before she came here but was nursed back to health by a friend in TN, who we got to visit this past winter. That's where she met Gabriel and they became fast friends. She came to live with us when she was 10 months old. Gabriel joined her a few years later. Of course, all that was way before my time.

Remi loved children and baby animals, except baby chickens who she affectionately named "chicken nuggets". But she was fine with them after they got older. She took care of the baby goats and lambs like they were her own puppies. She cleaned them, kept them warm, and watched over them to make sure they didn't become a snack for coyotes, fishers, owls and hawks.

So goodbye old friend, until we see each other on the other side of the rainbow bridge. You've earned your rest by a life well lived!

--Cruz

Meeting My #1 Fan

Just because we're at our "sticks and bricks" home for the summer, and have basically been staying at home because of, well, the "stay at home" orders because of Covid-19, doesn't mean I don't still have wonderful adventures. We went to a friend's house to pick out a meat cow that will be delivered in nice, neat packages for the freezer this fall. It's pretty special when you know where your food comes from and how it's raised. You get better quality food when you buy from local farmers. Mom says she wants to know "who" she's eating and that it had a nice life before that one bad moment.

Being a dog, and a young one at that, I don't know not to chase the cows and become a Vizsla pancake. So for my own safety Mom and Dad made me stay in the truck. Lots of folks came to pat me though, since I had my head hanging out the window.

On the way home we stopped to visit some other friends, visiting outside and keeping a safe distance of course. Susie is one of the top fans of my blog and has followed my adventures all winter. So I was happy to meet her and even happier to lick her face all over. It's the least I can do to say thank you for reading all my stories. If there are any other fans out there just let me know so I can give you extra kisses if I ever meet you in person.

Susie, one of my #1 fans!