Memorial Day: remember the dogs that died for our country too!

It's time to remember the Dog Armies and those that died helping our country win the wars against our enemies.

Dad says this is a day to remember all the humans that died in fighting wars to keep our freedom. That's why they call it Memorial Day. Well, that's fine and I'm sure that humans mourn their dead just like us dogs do, but I'd like to also dedicate this blog and this day to all the dogs that died in wars defending other dogs and humans and our great country.

I would have made a great messenger dog in the war. I could have run through the snow and help win the war.

Dogs were used in human wars from the beginning of time. Humans can't seem to keep peace between each other and can't seem to win wars without help from us canines. Our keen sense of smell, sight and general intelligence help identify the enemy better than any tool that humans can build. We can stand cold, heat and be without toilet tissue. Things you need to be a tough solider.

All of the abilities us dogs have that we use to defend the motorhome against cows and strange humans can be used in time of war to fight the enemy. We don't like strange humans or other stranger dogs or animals to come into our own territory. What's ours is ours and not theirs! Intruders get told on. We bark, we whine and we growl when an animal comes into our space. Our owners get notified immediately. We can even attack if asked to do so by our owners. Our teeth are great weapons. We don't like to use them, but we can if asked by our owners.

Dogs were also used to help find wounded humans in the battlefields. They would bring back something belonging to the wounded soldier and help the medical humans find them to save their lives. Some wore packs with medical supplies to help the wounded humans.

My canine cousins were great trackers and sniffers. We used to find the enemy when they were buried in caves and deep holes with their large weapons to hide themselves. These cousins sometimes were killed in the battles that resulted from trying to get rid of the enemy they found.

Some larger dogs carried supplies and stepped on land mines.

Other's were poisoned by evil gasses that humans used to kill each other.

Dogs were used to send messages back and forth between battlefields, risking and sometimes losing their lives for their human owners. These messages were often essential information to allow our humans to win the war.

Some of the brave dogs that didn't get killed were awarded medals by their human soldiers. They appreciated what the dogs did to save their human friends.

I guess that remembering the dogs that died in the war means to think about what our own lives might be like without them having lived and helped the humans. I suspect we'd have a very bad life indeed without all those canine sentries, messengers and trackers. The enemy would certainly have over-powered our human owners and we'd have no freedom today. My freedom to live with Mom and Dad in the motorhome might never have happened. Our enemies would be afraid of humans and dogs going wherever they pleased in a motorhome. We'd all be tied up in some nasty place with no loving owner or daily walks in the forest to look forward to.

I've dreamed of how I would protect Mom and Dad and our country in war. I'd stay awake all night and if I heard any enemy coming, I'd bark and wake up Dad. Dad showed me a picture of his Dad in the army. (I remember him from when I was a puppy. Sadly, he is not alive now.) His Dad helped win the second war with the enemy. His Dad was shot by the enemy in the leg. In my dreams, I imagined I'd be there watching out for him so he wouldn't have been shot. I'd have watched out for the whole family, and maybe even the whole United States. I could do it. I have the powers!

I am sad for all those lost dogs that helped humans win wars to keep our freedom. I'm even sadder that humans can't find a way to lick each other in the face and find a way to be friends with each other without killing. When that day comes, I'll be really happy.

I offer thanks to all my past canine cousins for the help they gave the humans in keeping our freedoms safe. Especially those that gave their lives early to win that freedom. They didn't get to know about relaxing walks in the forest or laying down on a comfortable couch in a motorhome and sleeping safely.

I have the freedom to be here enjoying the great outdoors thanks to my canine cousins that helped win our wars.

Arf

Reggie

Back to Yellowstone

Last week, I told you about how happy I was being back at my favorite home, RedRock RV park in Island Park Idaho. Now, I'll tell you about going back to my favorite National Park, Yellowstone. We are only about 22 human miles from it. Now don't get me wrong. National Parks are not my favorite human place. They discriminate against us dogs because they think we will chase their animals and destroy their pretty plants. They won't let us run free. But.. they also have the best selection of wonderful smells and weird animals to see of any place I've been. So, you take the good with the bad. I enjoy going with Dad to Yellowstone because I get to hang my head outside the window and watch all the humans and other animals from the safety of the car. Dad lets me out often too, especially if he wants to take my picture. (plus a guy's gotta lift his leg occasionally!)

I'm waiting to see if Dad asks me to go. I hope he does...

So, we went to Yellowstone National Park yesterday. I could tell that Dad was getting ready to go someplace as he packed the car and I was a little worried about whether I could go too. I stood next to the car to make sure he knew I wanted to go. I was very happy when he told me to hop in the car after he put a lot of stuff in it. His friend Steve came with us, but his beagle dog, Casey, had to stay home. I was sorry that Casey couldn't go because I would have had a good barking and sniffing partner.

It was a very nice day to go because it was warm and sunny. Usually in the time of May, Dad says it is really cold there, but not today. (Dad says it got to be 80F whatever that means.. but it is warm outside when he uses those big numbers.)

One of my favorite places in the National Park is along the river. Dad says they call it the Madison River, named after human that was supreme pack leader many human generations ago. There are lots of those big cows that Dad calls Buffalo or Bison that eat all the grass and have big horns (he can't make up his mind what they are called.) Yesterday they were walking in the middle of the road and we followed them ever so slowly along with a lot of other cars. Sometimes I get a little excited and bark a lot at them, but hey, they ARE giant cows and they might hurt Dad if I don't scare them away. He doesn't understand that and yells for me to stop. They still don't move very fast even when I bark at them.

This Osprey was flying over our heads along the Madison River. He's a good fisherman!

Dad also found some eagles and a bird he calls the fishing eagle or Osprey flying over this river. They like to hover over the river looking for fish for dinner and they dive real fast to pick them out of the water. I wish I could fly that fast (or at all).

There was a lot of water everywhere, even not in the river. Dad said it was because the snow (that white cold stuff that is all around right now) is magically turning to water. So all the ponds, lakes and streams were very full of water. Dad thought it was very photogenic, but I thought it was just wet. The Canada Geese like it though because they have a lot of water to splash and play in.


When the water runs over a steep cliff the water gets very angry and jumps and spits, turns bright white and makes a lot of noise. Dad said this was called a waterfall. Makes sense to me. Water is falling. Humans are so clever sometimes. Dad took my picture in front of a couple of these big waterfalls. I had to jump up on a wall to have my picture taken and it was very scary up there because it was very far down the cliff on the other side. But.. anything for a photo treat. (Remember, Dad gives me a treat for every photo he takes of me.)

Later, we stopped where a lot of humans were standing along the road. Dad took photos of an bald eagle (a very big bird with a white head) and a black raven (a big bird with a black head and more) that was eating an elk that had died in the lake. Dad says that a Grizzly bear had probably killed the elk for dinner and the eagle and ravens were feeding on his leftovers. I would have liked to had some too, but it was on a small island in the middle of a lake and I didn't want to swim. (Dad probably wouldn't have allowed me out of the car anyway.) Besides, I wouldn't want an eagle or raven or a Grizzly bear to eat me either!

Lots of mountains covered with snow, like these Gallatin Mountains.

Most of the mountains in Yellowstone were covered with the white snow on top. They looked nice to me and Dad likes to stop and take his photographs of course. Sometimes I got out and could smell around. There were smells of squirrels, goats, bison, elk, pronghorns and a lot of things I couldn't even know their names. This place is wild according to Dad and a lot of animals live here. I still don't know why I can't wander around freely if all those other wild animals can! I can be wild if I want too.

We stopped at another place where some humans were looking far in the distance. Dad set up his big stick with the big camera on it and took a picture of a small little buffalo with his dead mother. A coyote (one of my distant cousins, I'm sure) was eating the mother while the little calf looked on at him. Dad said the mom probably died while giving birth to the little buffalo calf and the coyote was having dinner. It was sad, because there was no mother to feed the little guy and he was sure to die soon too without his mother's milk.

Later we saw a lot of mountain goats. They have sharp horns. They were very white and changing from their winter coats. They weren't eating any other animals, but were eating a lot of grass. A little further along we saw a couple pronghorns. They have long horns and like to run and jump a lot. I didn't bark and Dad was proud of me.

Dad also saw a Downy Woodpecker bird jumping from tree to tree and Dad chased him with his camera. Dad can be funny sometimes. (and embarrassing).

Udine waterfalls are below me. It's scary to look down there!

We didn't see many wildflowers this time, but Dad said he'd come back in a few weeks and there would be a lot of them to photograph.

Even though I can't run around free, it's nice to know that there is a place that wild animals can run and play (and eat) without humans putting up fences or shooting them. And for big trees, wildflowers and bushes to grow without humans cutting them down or burning them. The National Park is good for that I guess.

It was a fun day for me and I got to jump out of the car and sniff a lot. I hope you come to visit me in Idaho and you can see all of these things for yourself. Bring your dog. The park rangers at the entrance to the National Park give great treats if you hang your head out of the window and look really sad.

Arf

Reggie

Back Again

Our motorhome (and me) at RedRock RV Park in Island Park, Idaho. I'm so excited to be here.

Dogs are known for their ability to smell well and remember smells I am told. This is definitely true with me. Familiar things bounce back into my head with the slightest sniff of them in the air. Most of these memories are good, but some are fantastic (that means really good). I'm now back in a familiar place which has those fantastic memories and smells. As soon as we turned our motorhome onto Red Rock road in Island Park, Idaho, I was up at the front window looking out, and the smells of the cows, the bears, the moose and the trees were so familiar that I started barking to let everyone know I was happy and remembered my summer home. I have spent 7 of my almost 9 years here in the summer so it is like a home for me.

Here's what the RedRock RV Park looks like from across the street (in the forest) in early May. See Henry's Lake (and me)

We see old friends, like Casey, my close beagle friend, and new ones like Mac that I met today. She's a small, little white fluffy thing with lots of energy, but we got to know each other and she settled down quickly. I get to see my human friends, like Gordon and Karen, Karen and Steve, and John, Georgiana and Arlene. They like me and I like them. Gordon always calls me in a high human voice from the top of his home (he has something Dad calls a balcony and he always tricks me because I never think to look up there for him.) Oh yea, I also got to see my cat friends that live with John, Georgiana and Arlene (they have 6 of those furry animals!). They look at me everyday when we go on our long morning walk from their big window in their motorhome. Sometimes they give me their paw to sniff when their door is open. So coming back to RedRock RV Park makes me feel really happy to see old friends.

I see lots of old friends, including John's cats (he has six) who like to see me too!

I scared some Geese off the land onto the ice of the lake. It's funny to see them walk on the water.

One of my favorite things is the walks with Dad and Mom. Yesterday we walked down to Henry's Lake. There was lots of that white cold stuff that Mom told me is called snow. It's fun to roll around in it because it is sometimes hard and lets me relieve the itching that is on my back. The lake is white in most places instead of black (Dad says blue, but I'm no judge of colors!). Dad says it's ice on top of the water, something like snow but much harder. The days are warming here and soon it will be all blue. I saw some big birds (Dad says they are Canada Geese) resting on the banks of the lake and I just couldn't resist chasing them. They flew onto the lake and walked around. It was funny to see something walking on the water!

There are a lot of familiar smells under the snow. I like to dig to find them. (some are squirrel holes and others are Badger holes,,,yikes!)

On the way to the lake I sniffed a lot of big holes that Dad says are the homes of Badgers. Dad tells me to stay away from the holes because the badgers have VERY sharp paws and will cut me if they find my nose in their hole. It's hard to resist I must admit though.

We walked down to Henrys Lake. It has lots of ice on it now (May 10th).

It is so quiet at the lake now, with no humans (except Mom and Dad and they don't really count), just birds and ducks (and me of course). Soon there will be those humans that Dad calls fishermen who look for their dinner on the end of a string in the lake. Now, I can claim the whole lake as my own (I'll share with Mom and Dad I guess).

All the mountains that are around us are white with this snow stuff and the air is cold. I like that because I'm always running around and I get hot easily, even with my summer coat as I have now (thanks to our visit to North Carolina and Texas and Arizona where it was hot.)

Dad and I started our daily morning walks down RedRock Road. It's fun to explore the smells and sights.

There aren't many humans at RedRock RV Park yet. I guess most of them are still packing, getting ready to come visit us. I like it when it is not too crowded, but I do like to visit other dogs, so I'm looking forward to when more dogs arrive here. I'm kinda like the park leader. I make sure they all feel welcome and obey the rules.

This morning Dad took me on a walk down Red Rock Road, and up onto the forest road. It was all white with snow. The birds were singing and we could see Henry's Lake and the mountains around it from there. I got to roll around and I slid down the road a bit on my back. It was fun. Dad made a lot of noise when he walked because his shoes crunched the snow down with every step. I was silent, but did fall through the snow ever so often. We heard the Sand Hill Cranes across the ranch and Dad even photographed a rare visitor to our area, the Clark's Nutcracker Jay bird. A great way to begin the day.

We saw this neat bird today on the fence post next to us on our walk, the Clark's Nutcracker Jay.

The aspen trees are waking up and growing fast to be ready for spring and all the humans that come to see them.

Dad says the trees and flowers are starting to wake up from a long winter sleep and getting ready for spring time. Right now they are stretching and growing fast (they don't have much time), but still they are mostly hiding their beauty. Most of the ground here is full of old and rotting flowers and leaves. I guess they are waiting for more humans to show up before they display their leaves and flowers. I'm sure Dad will be excited to see the flowers arrive so he can photograph them. So far he's only seen two flowers, the Sagebrush buttercup and the Wyoming Kittentails. But there will be more soon.

I've seen a few ground squirrels and smelled a lot more. They have been digging holes near us so I have a lot of exploring I can do, especially behind the RV park in the sagebrush.

Mom and Dad finally got the motorhome set up for the summer and my water dish and leash are outside where I can spend part of the day just looking at the sky and watching the other dogs walk by. Dad set up the bird feeder too, so before long I'll have the birds to watch too!

Soon Dad will be taking me on trips to Red Rock National Wildlife Refuge and Yellowstone National Park. That will be fun too!

Come see us at RedRock RV park this summer. You'll love it here like I do!

I'm so happy to be back here again, and I'm hoping that some of you will come to visit me at RedRock RV park. It's a great place in the country and I'm sure you'll love it too. Stop by to see me too, please. You can see the web page and learn all about it. (www. Redrockrvpark.com)

Until next week,

Arf

Reggie

Dad says that next weekend is Mother's Day. That means that we are supposed to think about how we feel about our mother and do something to honor her or make her feel good.

Well, my real mother is not around here anymore. Her name is Rachelle, but I haven't seen her since my human Mom and Dad adopted me almost 9 years ago. I hope she is still OK, and I do miss her, but I guess if you'd ask me, I'd say that my human Mom has done all the things that Rachelle would have done if I'd stayed with her, but I couldn't, so she didn't. So, first I say to my canine mother, Rachelle: I hope you are doing well and I miss you, but that's all I can say for you, except maybe Arff, Arf, Arrrrf.

This is mom when she was about my age. Isn't she pretty?

As for my human Mom, (her human name is Donna), I have a lot more to say about. I feel very good about her. I bet you didn't think dogs had feelings like what you humans call LOVE. We do. What do you think that licking is all about? Do you really think that you taste that good? No, it's our way of saying, I LIKE YOU. Well, that's how I feel about Mom, except much more. So I think it is LOVE.

(Dad, these nice things I feel and intend to say about Mom takes nothing away from how I feel about you. You'll have your day.)

When I was small Mom made sure I was safe while we were in the car.

Mom really cares about me. (That's a requirement for a Mom I guess.) She cares that I am fed on time, she cares that I'm feeling good. She cares a lot when I get sick and she does everything she can to make me well. She seems to know when I'm sick when Dad thinks I'm just fine. She covers me up with a blanket when she thinks I'm cold (even if I'm not really cold). She leaves a window open to give me fresh air and allows me to sniff what's outside even when I'm in the RV (that is my job anyway). She takes me on long walks at night (when Dad is asleep). She picks up my poop when someone else might step in it (like me). She makes sure my food is just the right temperature. She cooks real chicken for me and takes the skin and fat off to make sure I don't get too fat (she doesn't realize that I'd prefer the skin and fat, but I know she's doing that to protect me.) She talks to me and plays with me every morning when I come into her bedroom (even when she's only had 5 hours of sleep and wants very much to continue sleeping). She brushes me and checks my coat for ticks and takes those nasty little insects off of me (even when she is disgusted by them). She lets me go where I want on walks (Dad goes where he wants me to go, but I'm in charge with Mom) She lets me sniff and sometimes play with other dogs. She takes the stickers out of my paws when I step on one. She lays down blankets every night for me to lie on. It is very comfortable to sleep there, thanks to Mom.

Mom plays with me and makes me happy.

When the sky makes loud noises and lights, she comes and sits by me and hugs me to tell me I won't be hurt (even though I know she is scared of the noises too.)

Mom takes me to meet new friends and let's me stop and play with them.

She congratulates me when I bark at the cows and keep them away from our RV. She makes me feel worthwhile and useful. She even helps me with my spelling when I'm working on my blog.

Mom walks a lot with me and gives me plenty of exercise.

So, if you haven't understood by now, I'll tell you. My Mom is a VERY SPECIAL HUMAN and I'd have to say I couldn't make it in this human world without her. So I think it is fitting that one day a year is dedicated to thinking hard about Moms.

Mom lets me walk where I want to walk.

Mom does lots of things for me that causes her to have to work hard, miss TV programs, lose sleep, worry a lot and think of me before she thinks of herself. I don't think all Moms do that. So I'm thankful when she does it for me.

Mom used to fly on Airplanes for NASA, just like the birds do! I wish I could fly.

You might ask me, what do I do for her?

Well, I don't do nearly the things she does for me, but I'd like to do more. I show her my appreciation by being near her when it is dark. I keep the large cows away and the vicious dogs that come by us on walks and those that appear on the television screen. I kiss her hand and face when I can to show her I love her and I spend hours outside, looking down the road and waiting for her to return to the RV when she goes away. When she returns I show her how much I have missed her by being so excited that I almost pee on myself. I try to poop where she won't have to pick it up. I take the treats she gives me to make her feel good. I do everything I can to let her know I couldn't make it in this scary human world without her help.

Mom, I don't get an allowance of money, and I don't have a job that pays me human money, so I can't get you a human present. But.. maybe if you read this blog you'll know how much I care about you. Never leave me and I'll never leave you. Honest.

Happy Mothers Day MOM. I Love YOU!

Happy Mothers Day.

Please tell your Mother how much you love her. She'll feel good and keep giving you treats (even when you don't deserve them.)

Arf

Reggie