Why I Like RVing

Everyone asks Mom and Dad, “Does Reggie Travel Well? or “Does Reggie like to RV?” Well, I’d finally like the chance to answer that myself. I’d be pleased to tell everyone whether I like it or not, and why.

RVing is not a natural condition for a dog. We normally like to stay close to our dens and be in control of where we are. So bouncing around in a large crate all day without any idea of where we are going and ending up at who knows where, well that’s a challenge for the best of us.

Once I realized that the RV was really my own den, I felt better about the idea of traveling in it. Mom and Dad helped me by putting me in the RV before we started traveling and letting me get used to its smells, the comfortable couch, my water dish, and the nice cool tile floors. By the time we started traveling, I was happy to go.

They also taught me a couple good rules to be safe. I can’t leave the RV until they put my leash on and release me out the door. They claim this will avoid my being run over by cars (a good thing to avoid, I hear). I also can’t jump into Dad’s lap or lie on the dash while he is driving (especially since I don’t fit on the dash)—something about crashing the RV. I did lie on the electric switch by Dad’s seat once and caused him to squish into the steering wheel while he was driving. Boy was he surprised! Now I can’t lie down next to him when he is driving.

Before I got my “RV legs” I was all over the place, sliding down the kitchen tiles, having my nose smashed against a cabinet when Dad stopped suddenly, and admittedly, getting a little sick from all the back and forth and up and down. But that was when I was a puppy; I’ve grown up now. Now I can sit in front of Mom and peer out the front window, or lie down on my couch and look out the picture window.

There are a lot of good things about being able to travel so much. We get to see so much of the outdoors. When we lived in Colorado, I got to see trees and mountains, but I got used to those smells, and life became a little boring for me. Now, we move around in the great big outdoors and there are smells galore for me to sample (and add to).

One thing that humans just can’t understand about us canine companions is our superior sense of smell (among other things). It’s hard to deal with the puny little smellers that humans have. By the way, they have no idea what a smelly mess they are, especially when they make strange noises and forget to bathe. But we dogs are able to smell hundreds of things and places, remember where we smelled them last, and then find them again. We can tell about which other canine travelers have been there, whether male or female, how old they are, and how they were feeling at the time. When Mom and Dad rave about a beautiful landscape, I’m smelling the landscape on several different levels. (I suspect my experience is better!)

I’ve heard Mom and Dad talk about us dogs having such poor color vision. Well, first of all, we do see some color, and secondly, we more than make up for lack of color vision with our ability to smell so much. The point of this is that traveling gives me great olfactory pleasures (that’s a new word for smelling that I learned when I learned how to use the on-line dictionary!) I love the smells of the sagebrush in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana (these are names that Mom and Dad tell me when we arrive someplace). I love all the wildflowers that I run through in Idaho. Dad photographs them and I smell them. What a delight. I smell all the different trees, the salty ocean sprays, the beautiful canine ladies I meet, and so much more.

RVing allows me to meet so many other dogs, too. They come from far away places, and sometimes I recognize places I’ve been, just by smelling them. I get to run and play with them in the fields outside the RV parks, and sometimes in those fenced-in places called Dog Parks where I can play with lots of dogs at once. There’s nothing more fun than a game of “nip and run”
with a group of my friends.

I like to walk with Mom and Dad. They take me on long hikes in the forest or the desert when we go to different places. I can smell other animals (inferior ones like bears and deer and elk and moose). The really dangerous ones I try to avoid (like badgers here in Idaho and wolverines and possums in North Carolina). A possum once put a pretty big slice on my face when I poked my nose into a large pipe. Boy that hurt. My favorite thing is to chase the little squirrels here in Idaho through the sagebrush. I don’t hurt them, but darn it’s fun to chase them into their holes. (They are sure fast though!)

One of my favorite places is the beach. We have visited both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the Gulf of Mexico. I can run free on the sand, roll in the smelly seaweed, and splash in the water (without Dad yelling at me to keep dry!) I often meet other dogs on the beach too! Once, on the beach in Oregon, Mom rode her Segway and I led the way.

Rivers are great for swimming. For example, we have walked along the Snake River in Idaho where I can jump in to cool off, and there are many little creeks where I can get a drink or splash around for fun. Lakes are like that, too. Right now we live only one mile from Henry’s Lake in Idaho. It’s fun to chase sticks that Mom and Dad throw into the lake.

One of my favorite pastimes when we are traveling is to look out the picture window and look for cows. When I see them, I chase them away by barking, making sure none of those large clumsy animals get in our way or harm Mom and Dad. I do a pretty good job at that! I also like to sleep while Dad is driving, then wake up at a rest stop where I can go potty and smell loads of new and interesting smells as we walk around. It's also a great place to meet other dogs from around the country. I like rest stops.

Every morning this summer, Dad has taken me for a long walk in the forest. I sniff and pee a lot and Dad photographs wildflowers. When I have to wait for Dad to finish photographing a wildflower, he usually gives me a treat. I like that part!

Another fun thing about RVing is getting to visit my past friends (and their human companions)
all over the country, especially Megan, my human sister Genevieve’s companion. I’m also a new uncle and love to visit Chloe, my human niece. (My human brother Damon’s new baby!)

So, do I like RVing? You bet I do. I’ve lifted my leg across the entire country and marked my property wherever I could. (I bet your dog will know it when he smells it.) I recommend RVing for any civilized dog and his human followers. The hard part is to get your humans to get up and go. Let them know you want to go too! But remind them that you can’t do all the things I do unless they take you to do them. Remember, the only places we can go are the places they’re willing to take us. Keep working on them.

See ya on the road!

Arf!

Reggie