Rambling Ruka Robinson here, on the road again, with my chauffeur/minion/BFF Laura. I love to travel and have already marked routes all the way to Idaho,Oregon, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Georgia and a few other states. Yes it’s hard work, I have to constantly drink plenty of water, but someone has to be able to navigate the way home. The last couple of weeks we were in the Black Hills, which I enjoyed because it’s not so humid and the trees are turning. I’m part Husky and summer isn’t my favorite season. I’ll let Laura tell you about the trip later; right now I’m just going to describe my RV lifestyle.
Me and Roadtrekking are like this! (if I had actual hands I’d show you, but I don’t, so you’ll have to picture crossed fingers in your head) and here’s why:
1. In my Roadtrek van, we are higher than the car that we use back home. I can see EVERYTHING and feel even more spoiled than I already am. Queen of the road and all that.
2. My human puts a big cooler in front of my seat, with a towel on it so I have plenty of room to nap when I get tired of pointing things out like goats and rabbits or getting slobber all over the window and the side of the van. Being ever vigilant is tiring work!
3. There’s her handy bed that I can roll around on, even while Laura is busy up front at the wheel. She might say, “down” but I know she can’t do anything about it when we’re moving. Does it get any better than that?
4. This house is smaller than my regular one, which is good because I don’t have to get up and follow her into every room to keep an eye on her. I can see her all the time, just in case she drops a snack, or when she simply touches her shoes which is a clear indication of a walk. I like being comfy and able to just partially open one eye to see what’s going on and not have to actually get up. This is a big benefit. They should put that in the brochure.
5. We are always going to new places with incredible, exciting smells. I get out, run around and don’t know which way to go! I’m like a crazy nut job! New animals to hunt and things to see. Our favorite thing to do is hike together, me in the lead, watching out for anything exciting or dangerous. And we do plenty of it! Last year, I saw the ocean for the first time (the water tastes horrible, by the way, and it feels a little weird in the sand). I’m also not a fan of those stickers out in the desert that get in my paws and OUCH. But I’m always learning new things on the road which keeps me sharp.
6. I meet a lot of other traveling quadrupeds! Of course, there is a ritual we have to go through each and every single time, but it’s worth it- I have friends all over the country. If we could text, we would. And we would do it a lot because we aren’t doing the driving. But shoot, I guess if I COULD text, I would have to help drive. A canine conundrum.
7. We get to go places that those big giant rigs can’t go, so I can swim in clear streams, chase things and generally mark the entire country as my own. I can have my human all to myself and get extra attention. She even talks to me quite a bit, though I don’t understand much. But hey, if it makes her feel better, I can deal with that.
8. A/C and heat! If I do have to stay inside, which is almost never, I am comfy. Heck, I usually just go to sleep anyway… I DO lead a dog’s life after all.
You know what I don’t like? That I have to be on a leash most of the time, I’d like to chase and run more, but I know, I know… National parks don’t like me digging and leaving a mess. Not to mention- I love antagonizing bears and large animals as I am fearless and don’t have a clue about them. You just don’t see those guys in Kansas City. But hey, that’s what I do, okay? However, Laura usually manages to find some places for me to get off leash and burn some energy. It’s a big country out there.
And what’s with those rental RV’s that have the picture of the golden retriever in the window? It gets me every time I see it, making me whine and pull my leash to get at him. He is gorgeous; I want to meet the real one some day.
In the long run (and I like those a lot) life is fantastic in my Roadtrek. And because it is, sometimes I just sit by the van. I have Laura trained pretty well, so it doesn’t take long before she gets the message and we head out.
Woof
4 Responses to “A Dog’s Life”
Comments are closed.
October 17, 2014at2:26 am, Bruce Mendenhall said:
That was a great read! I’m planning on taking my dog around the country in a Roadtrek one day, so I got the whole picture from the canine perspective. Sounds like a blast!
October 08, 2014at10:37 am, Janet said:
Well they always say “it’s a dogs life”.
I wonder how my cat is going to take to it. Test run coming up this month.
October 08, 2014at8:28 am, Jackie said:
Love your post! We just started trekking in September with our Aussie, which is as spoiled as Ruka. Our dog loves the Roadtrek. As you mentioned, they can see out the windows. Favorite spot is between the to captain chairs and on the bed.
October 08, 2014at7:48 am, Sandy said:
Psst,it’s not really Sandy posting…it’s me Hailey. Ruka I remember you from Oregon and I miss you. I was so excited when I heard Sandy & Jim talking about seeing Laura in MS because I knew I would get to see you again !
Maybe we can ditch our owners and find our own BBQ or chase some alligators !! I’m jealous about the seat you have-since I have both Sandy and Jim I have to either use my own bed between the two, which I love or I can sneak back on their bed like you do. They are too busy enjoying the scenery to notice be sprawled out in the back. Can’t wait to see you again..woof woof.