Doggie Freedoms

My ancestors had the most freedom. They could roam where they wished. (image: http://www.firstpeople.us)

Dad told me something the other day that got me thinking. It's not really about RVing, but effects every dog and human, whether he lives on the road in an RV, or in a house. Dad said that we were lucky to live in a country and a time that gave us Freedom. I asked him what Freedom was and he described it to me. I was able to understand him because Dogs have a similar concept. I won't try to tell you the dog word for it, (it's a high pitched barking sound you probably wouldn't hear anyway) but I'll call it Freedom too.

Freedom is important to dogs as well as humans. Our ancestors knew it best. They could run free (thus the human word, free dom, I'm not sure where the dom comes from) in packs. They roamed the country looking for food, good places to live or rest, and protection from bears and other frightening animals (like early humans). No one told them where they could or could not roam, (there were no National Parks then) except maybe for another pack of dogs.

Today, freedom for dogs is not the same. Many dogs are kept in small fenced areas where they barely can turn around. Now this is OK for a while, especially at night, because we enjoy the protection of a small den or cave, but not all day long. Dogs in pet stores or dog pounds (or dog jails) must stay in small cages for long periods. At least some of the dog pounds take their dogs out for exercise once per day or more, but that's not common.

These caged dogs don't have freedom.

Some dogs are born in "puppy mills" where they are raised in small spaces just to be sold. While being raised to be sold to pet stores and before they are sold a caring human, they have no freedom at all. Their human breeders never play with them, they have no space to run or to even turn around, and they are sometimes without water to drink or a clean place to lie. I'm so thankful that me and my brothers and sisters were raised by a caring and loving and knowledgeable human that gave us good food and plenty of room to be with our real moms while we were very small. I even had freedom when I was just born.

People who work all day and play all night often want a dog for protection and give them no freedom or love.

Some dogs are unlucky with freedom and have human masters that spend no or little time with them and they are caged in a small yard or fenced area all day and night. They have little contact with other dogs or humans. That's not fair. I feel sorry for those dogs. I understand from my visits with many dogs on the road that there are a lot of these dogs in cities where humans work all day and play all night, but still need a dog for "company or protection." I know those dogs are in pain and are depressed in spirit. I wish I could give all of them their freedom.

Dogs that humans keep for only fighting have the opposite of freedom. I wish their masters would trade places with them!

Some dogs who are kept by humans to fight for money must stay in cages in the dark all day long, with their only excursion out of the cage being to fight another dog. That is the opposite of freedom and no dog enjoys that. Humans that do that deserve the same treatment in my opinion. I'm thankful that there are humans who are working to give those dogs freedom. (See the Humane Society web page about it.)

I have a lot of freedom, but not like my ancestors. I can't roam around freely. I have come to learn that if I did, I would be in lots of danger. There are so many dangers for dogs that live with humans. There are large trucks and motorhomes to avoid, speeding cars, packs of coyotes, packs of angry wild dogs that no one wants, bad humans that want to harm dogs or dog-nap them, poison that look like foods to eat which harm us, dog diseases and many other things. So freedom for dogs is different than for our ancestors.

The freedom to sleep safely and where you want. It's great that I have those freedoms.

However, I still have a lot of freedoms. I enjoy the freedom of being able to sleep outside or inside during the day, the freedom to take a walk with Dad or Mom and sometimes get off leash when they think it is safe. I like the freedom to follow a good scent until Dad or Mom thinks it's not safe to do so. I like the freedom to be friends with humans and other dogs. I have the freedom to walk around the motorhome and lie where I want and tell Mom or Dad when I'm ready to go out, or when I'm out, when I want to come in. I love the freedom of running in a field of grass in the country when Mom and Dad visit RedRock RV Park. I love the freedom to go to a dog park and run around with newly found friends. I love the freedom to be me.

I wish for the freedom of all dogs to be able to explore the flowers and mountains with me!

The freedom that Mom and Dad have seems so much more than mine. They can go where they want without a leash, take their RV all over the country, free to see what they want, eat what they want and when they want, and they can speak what they want. However, it seems that with that freedom comes a lot of responsibilities that us dogs don't have. Like how to pay for the fuel to travel, and how to pay for the food to eat and how to pay for the computers to browse the internet. Getting money to pay for these freedoms is hard (I know since I have to work to write this blog and it's not easy coming up with a different topic every week and then typing it with my big paws!)

I have the freedom to follow a scent when I'm in the mountains with Mom and Dad.

I think that freedom is the reward you get for working together with other humans (or dogs) to accomplish something good for everyone in the pack. Freedom doesn't seem to be a "free" thing, but something you work hard to get and keep. I guess it's the same for dogs. Our ancestors who roamed in the pack worked hard and worked together to get and keep each other's freedom.

Those of us that have freedom must continually work together with our humans and be friendly to our human Mom and Dads and other human friends. If we are not friendly, our freedoms are taken away. Being friendly and doing your job well is a very small price to pay for your freedoms. It's a good deal and I'm planning on keeping my freedom as long as I live.

Where ever I go I feel lucky to be free and have choices that so many other dogs don't.

So be friendly to your neighbors and your friends and you'll keep and value your freedoms..

Arf

Reggie

InDOGuration

I was thinking about that guy who won Supreme Pack Leader of the United States. Whatever happened to him?

As I was relaxing today, contemplating the world and the squirrels going by, I remembered my days running for Supreme Pack leader of the United States. I wondered how the human that actually won was doing. So I asked Mom about it and she said this week was called the Inauguration week (or inDOGuration week as I think it should have been called) and he would soon be in power.

Mom says that President Obama will become officially the leader of the USA this Tuesday.

My honorable and esteemed (and lucky) Presidential running opponent is to become first Human of the United States this week. Humans call him President. I call him Supreme Leader of the Human Pack (of the USA). I guess it doesn't matter what we call him, as long as we respect his position.

We all need a leader. Otherwise, how would we know where to make our den, when and where to hunt for our food, where to poop and pee, what trails to follow and who to call our friends or our foes? A leader is definitely a handy animal to have around you.

I'm not sure about humans, but us dogs respect the leader of our pack. We may not have wanted him to be leader, and we might have even fought him once over the honor, but once he is made the leader, we give him all the respect and support that we can muster. The reason is simple: we make him more powerful against our foes, and make it easier for him to find our food and shelter when he is respected and supported by his pack. A pack leader with good followers makes for a very strong pack. A weak leader with a pack that doesn't support him is weak and won't last long.

So, my recommendation to you humans is to stand behind the leader of your pack and you'll have a strong pack. Dad says the human pack is now in trouble because we had a weak leader before and no one was behind him. So, if you help President Obama, whether you fought him before or not, you'll have a greater chance to get out of your big troubles. He will help you find suitable dens, good trails and plenty of food again. Trust me. A Dog Knows about these things!

When I ran for Supreme Pack Leader and quit, I thought Obama might choose me as vice-pack leader. We'd have made an awesome team!

I've heard that he also needs help in choosing the FIRST dog. He has promised his daughters that they can have a dog while they live in their white house. Of course, my feelings are hurt because he hasn't asked me to be the First dog. After all, I was his respectable opponent for a while. Dad says he appointed another opponent to be a secretary, so why not me as the first Dog? Or even the vice-pack leader? Well, good thing he didn't because I'd have turned him down. I love and respect Mom and Dad and wouldn't consider leaving them (unless they'd come with me).

I can't help but wonder if the First Dog will have the supreme leader of the human pack pick up his poop? If so, that's got to be a powerful dog. I can't imagine that President Obama would want his daughters and wife to walk around the grounds of the beautiful white house he lives in and step in First poop. I'm sure this is just one of the many difficult decisions he will have to make in his first days as President.

I hear President Obama is looking for some strange breeds for First Dog: Portuguese Water Dog (left) or Labradoodle. I think he should get a Golden Retriever!

Such a powerful First dog surely can help the rest of us. I will send email to the new First dog and we could become friends. I wouldn't mind having a good friend in high places. Couldn't hurt. Maybe I can convince him to get his master to change that silly law about dogs having to be on leashes in National Parks. That would be a good thing for him to do for dog kind. I can assure him that he'd get the full support of all dogs in the United States at his next election.

Dad says this is a first time in his packs' history that a black man has been given the honor of President. I'm still confused over that one. What difference does their color make? I'm gold, Moms white and Dad's kind of brownish-white. A lot of dogs I know are black and they seem to be just as good as me. Seems to me you'd judge your pack leader on how well he does his job and not the color of his fur (or skin in this case). (I am a little suspicious of him for having no fur, I must admit.) I'll never understand these humans!

President Obama, when you need support, go play with your First dog in that big yard in your white house for a few minutes.

I wish the new President Obama a lot of luck. He should remember that his FIRST dog will be a source of many good things for him. He will be his FIRST supporter, he won't question his motives, morals or ideals, and he will lick his face when no one else will. If he gets a First dog that is Internet savy (like I am) he can exchange emails with him and get good dog advice. We dogs keep our nose to the ground and have a way of making difficult things seem as simple as peeing and pooping. So, rely heavily on your first pooch. If you need some support or want to feel good for a while, spend a few minutes in the big yard of that big white house you live in with the First dog. You won't regret it.

Arf

Reggie

Death Valley is a Death Trap

We stayed in the Furnace Springs campground in Death Valley.

Dad said we’d be going to Death Valley. I told him that I’d not want to go to any place with Death in it’s name. I say, what other meaning could there be in such a name but danger? The human that named it has something valid in mind, I’m sure. He assured me that there was little danger, especially if I would stay close to him. Well, I had no choice but to go, but I was a bit afraid at first. I thought we’d see big fire-breathing monsters as we entered, but there were only big rocks and mountains all around us.

Mom let me out near the road in Death Valley so I could pose for this stupid picture!

Death Valley is another National Park in California. They are not very Dog friendly, but it is a big place and we get to drive around a lot, so I can stick my head out and smell the animals and see the sights. Dad and Mom let me walk around on the leash near the car too.

We stopped along the road to take pictures of wildflowers in Death Valley.

Dad says it gets real hot here in the summer. We were here in March and it was warm, but Dad says it gets so hot that I’d be wanting to stay in the water the whole time I was here and even then I might boil! He said my paw pads would burn when I walked on the ground. I wouldn’t like that. I can’t take my coat off like humans can, and I don’t wear shoes and I’d probably get sick from the heat. So. I advise humans with dogs to come in the winter or early spring to be safe. I now know why they call it DEATH Valley. Dad read to me that in 1917 (way before Dad or Mom or me was born), Death Valley recorded 52 days with temperatures over 120 degrees and 43 consecutive days over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Now that’s a long VERY HOT summer.

Here's the Desert Five spot. Count them. 5 spots!

The ground here is all sand and rocks. That’s because there is so little rain in a desert (which this is) that plants can’t grow well. Dad says the big mountains to the west of us prevent the clouds from coming into the valley. So very little rain. (Some sneaks in without the mountains seeing them.) The plants that are here are thick skinned and some are cactus. No grass. I’ve run into cactus before and I know how painful they can be if you aren’t careful with your paws. The plants have to have special coats I guess to survive in the really really hot weather here. There are some veru nice flowers here in the Spring time and of course, Dad had his camera at the ready. We saw a really pretty one called Desert Five Spot. It had five spots inside, so.. you get it.

Here's one of those salt (dry) lakes in Death Valley. Strange to see a white lake, isn't it?

This used to be a large lake many years ago according to Dad. (He’s so smart.) It’s water has all evaporated (that means drying up) and left a bunch of salt in its place. So a lot of the ground is white from the salt. It tastes funny too. Dad wouldn’t let me run out on it, but I did get a good lick of the ground next to the parking lot near the big dry salt lake.

Here's a photo I took of Dad (OK, Mom did) while we were on the Titus Canyon 4WD trail in Death Valley.

There are animals here, I know because I could smell them. There were the familiar cousins of mine that seem to follow us around called Coyotes. I’d sure like to meet one, but Dad says they don’t play fair and would gang up on me and treat me bad. So, I’ll just bark when I hear them howl. That seems to keep them away.

I saw some snake tracks and Dad assured me that I wouldn’t want to play with the snakes. They have rattles like my toys, but they bite with a deadly poison. Again, DEATH Valley.

Dad said there was a funny animal living here called a Desert tortoise. He told me that the desert tortoise can live up to 80 years, yet most of their lives are spent sleeping in underground burrows. They go real slow, so they wouldn’t be much fun to chase. Besides I probably won’t see one if they are hiding underground.

I did see a lot of little mouse or rat like things. They live underground too, but they come up and scurry all about looking for food. They go so fast that I can’t catch them. There are also squirrels about, but not a lot. Most of them are in the mountains, but there is one I saw nearby our campground at Furnace Creek called the roundtail ground squirrel. Never caught him though. I’m getting too old to chase these little critters too far.

Another Death trap at Death Valley, the Ubehebe Crater was caused by exploding steam.

One day, Dad and I went on a long trip on a dirt road. We first saw this really big hole in the ground called the Ubehebe Crater. Dad says it was made by fire coming up out of the ground and heating water to cause a big hot explosion and this hole. (See, I told you there was a good reason to call it DEATH Valley.) I wouldn’t have wanted to be there when all that hot water was exploding, would you? It’s kinda neat to look down into the crater. The humans that are walking down there are the size of ants. How do they do that? I can never get close enough to them to step on them. They get bigger when I get closer. Humans are strange animals.

Coyotes pushed this rock across Racetrack Playa in Death Valley, looking for Squirrel holes. (That's my theory of the mystery behind these rocks.)

Dad wanted to go to this place where there were lots of big rocks mysteriously crawling across the desert floor very slowly. Humans don’t know why they move so slowly. I think they move by coyotes that push them with their noses across the desert floor. They are looking under the rocks for squirrel holes. Us dogs really know our science!

Dad and Mom were excited by the color in this dirt at Artists Palette. Not too impressive to me.

Another place we visited wasn’t too impressive to me, but Dad was all excited about the colors of the dirt. They called it Artist’s Palette. I can’t tell the difference but Dad and Mom thought it was beautiful.

Mom and I were exploring Death Valley with our noses.

Death Valley is a strange place. Not much for a dog to like, but plenty of humans seem to enjoy it. It’s a huge place, and according to Dad it’s really deep, even below the level of the sea (if the sea was here). If you like wildflowers, colorful dirt, high mountains, and lots of sand and salt, you’ll like Death Valley.

Arf,

Reggie

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Dad is always looking for places to take me near our RV parks. One place that we went, not too far from Silent Valley and Ramona Canyon RV Park, is Anza Borrego Desert State Park. It’s in the desert where humans are few and animals hide from the sun to stay cool. Unfortunately, it’s another place where I mostly have to be on-leash and can’t go on most trails. Darn!

But, as usual, it’s a great time to get away and be alone with Dad for a while, smell new smells and see new sights. If you go the right time of the year you can see the wildflowers (if you can see all those colors, which I can’t), but Dad assures me that humans can. And they are worth seeing. I can smell them and they are nice smelling (for a flower that is.)

On the way to the Desert Dad and I saw these California Poppy wildflowers. They were popping up all over the place.

We drove down from the mountain where Silent Valley Club is into a large valley with lots of mountains above us. On the way, Dad stopped to photograph the large groups of orange flowers he calls Poppies. They pop up all over this area (that’s probably why they call them poppies) and Dad says they make beautiful carpets of colorful flowers. You couldn’t convince me. But Dad says I’m kind of color blind. I am sure I can see just fine, but he thinks I am color blind. Who you gonna believe?

On the way to the desert we stopped and played near the rocks. That's my kind of trip!

Red cliffs like these were around us with lots of flowers to see.

A desert is an unusual place. There are a lot of rocks, dirt without plants, sand, red cliffs, streams without water, and plenty of animals, though they are hard to find. With my nose, it’s easier to find them, but Dad won’t always go where I ask. This is also a place where Big Horn sheep are found, but we didn’t see any either. Dad said I’d love to chase one until they turned around and tried to chase me with their big horns.

Dad says there are Big Horn Sheep, but I don't like the looks of those big horns.

There are also rattlesnakes. Dad says I can’t play with them even though they look like the ropes I love to pull with Dad. They also have very inviting rattles, just like some of my toys, but he says they will hurt me, so I’ll be on the lookout. I once played with a small black snake in Florida and Mom almost went berserk! We also saw lots of harmless little lizards scurrying about the desert floor, but not the large lizard Dad calls the Chuckwallas. They are shy and you have to walk along trails to see them (darn, I can’t go along trails in this State Park.)

Barrel Cactus are full of water. I just don't want to be the one to get the water out. Ouch!

I guess the most important plant in the desert is the cactus. Dad says they are designed to keep dogs from running away or playing with them. They aren’t very friendly are they? They have needles that make your mouth and feet very sore if you try to take one away with you. So, I look very carefully where I step and what sticks and plants that I take to play with. Dad saw some Barrel cactus here. They look like big barrels and they store a lot of water inside to be sure they have enough during the summer when it never rains. Dad says if I’m ever lost in the desert that’s a good thing to know. I hope the human that tries to get the water out of this cactus knows about the really sharp needles on the outside.

These cholla cactus look like deer from far away. Don't try to chase them!

We also saw some really strange looking cactus. I thought it was a deer until I got close and knew I’d be picking needles out of my skin if I attacked it. I think it was a cholla cactus. We saw some in the Joshua Tree National Park too. We also saw some really tall and spindly plants called Ocotillo plants. They have red flowery tips and bloom after it rains.

Dad said that this desert used to be a big salty sea or ocean and there were fish all around. You’d have to be pretty dumb to believe that after you’ve seen this place! It was so dry, and not a fish in sight. I wasn’t born yesterday!

After a good run in the desert, its fun to rest on the top of a hill.

In the desert there is lots of white and red sand. (Dad said the sand came from the beaches when it was a sea. Come on Dad.. I’m not stupid!) But, it’s fun to run around in the sand, but I can’t run as fast as on regular dirt or a street. My feet sink in and the sand gets in my mouth. Yuck! I always like to drink water after I run in the sand. It helps to wash the sand out of my mouth. After running for a while, I like to rest on the top of a hill where I can see everything around me. It’s cooler too when wind can come to you from all directions. It makes me feel safe to see everything around me. That way a rattlesnake or a cactus can’t sneak up on me.

Desert Sunflowers at Anza Borrego are very sweet smelling and Dad says their colorful too!

Desert sunflower

On the desert floor there were large fields of Desert Sunflowers for Dad to photograph. He let me walk around near him and smell the small desert animals that hide in the holes between the flowers. I never caught one, but I knew they were there. I liked the sweet smell of the sunflowers too.

There are purple and white and gold flowers all over in the early springtime at Borrego Desert.

Dad says it takes more than one day to explore this desert. It has over 500 miles of dirt trails to explore and we didn’t have enough time. I guess we will come back some other time to see those trails. Today was just a time to look (and smell) the beautiful wildflowers.

The desert if a very flat place with mountains all around it.

Maybe someday we will bring our motorhome down here and stay in the state park RV park. That would give us a lot of time to explore, and maybe I can find one of those Big Horn Sheep to look at.

Hope you can come to California and see the desert at the Anza-Borrego Desert. It’s really cool, er, hot!

Arf

Reggie