I need a camping buddy!

[trbomax]

All of our animals sisnce we have been married(1969) have been rescues and all have been great.That being said,there is a very real case for NOT getting a rescue in that you know nothing about its heritage.Most dogs have problems that are passed thru the gene pool,some unsuspecting person buys the dog from a pet store (NEVERdo that) or a backyard breeder that just makes them either by accident or just for $.A prime example is our sibe.Drop dead gorgeous dog,great manners and temperment,has never been a runner and generally runs loose on our 35a,but is never more than 100' from me or nancy.We got her from the Kalkaska Mi shelter,my wife had been "visiting" her for 2 weeks and found out she was on the kill list.She was found wandering on the town streets dragging a six foot chain the day after the championship sled dog races that they have every year.At age 9 she developed cataracs and was totally blind in two weeks.This was caused by her being severly diabetic and haveing advanced liver desease (as a result of the diabetes.)We treated her diabetes and got her liver desease in check over a six month period for around $4000.Then I searched and researched cataract surgery for dogs ,because (my oppinion) she deserved to see again and when we took the responceability of careing for her,we owed it to her.A few months later she recieved the surgery.I took her in to the hospital in Farmington,mi at 10am,totally blind. When they brought her out at 2 pm her sight was totally restored.The greeting I got from her made it worth every penny of the $8000 it cost.Today she still sees,but is getting a bit far sighted (typical in cataract surgery dogs) and doesnt see anything but shadows within about 6" of her nose,but otherwise sees fine. She gets 24 units of Novalin 2x a day and drugs for her liver Between the Novalin and her special diet she is pretty high maintanence at about $240/month plus vet visits and glucose screens every 4 months.Do I regret the money spent to keep her alive? Not a penny.I do tend to hover over her as my wife says,but I would do it again if the situation presented itself. My whole point of this very LONG post/story,is that with a rescue you have no idea of what you are getting into untill you are there and as far as I am concerned,adoption is a life long commitment.If there is a "next dog" it will be a sibe,but she will come from a registered breeder as a puppy as soon as we can get her from the bitch,and will have full disclosure about any inherited problems (which all breeds have).Anyway ,that is Robin's story and I hope I have not bored anyone to death with it,but I would strongly consider all the above when decideing on a rescue. Camilia (the aussie) has a long story as well,but I wont bore you with that one for now!

[Papa-t]

We have two small dogs a female teacup poodle 6Lbs and a male schnoodle which is a 8Lb schnauzer/poodle. Our teacup is 5 yrs old and our schnoodle is 18 and we rescued him at age 1.

[asquared]

One of the previous posters brought up an excellent point. Whatever breed you get, get the dog microchipped. It can reunite you if you are ever separated and the dog loses its collar. My current dog and previous dog are microchipped. It gives me a sense of comfort when camping in new territory.

[trbomax]

Originally Posted by asquared

One of the previous posters brought up an excellent point. Whatever breed you get, get the dog microchipped. It can reunite you if you are ever separated and the dog loses its collar. My current dog and previous dog are microchipped. It gives me a sense of comfort when camping in new territory.

Good point. Both of ours are chipped and also wear radio tracking transmitters,mostly because of our remote,rural location.The mules and donkey have transmitters as well.When they go thru the fence,we dont have to scour the county for them!

[rhughsless]

We travel with a domestic short hair cat. Roscoe has gone camping with us since he was a kitten 9 years ago. He loves traveling and camping. We get his carrier out and he jumps in ready for the next adventure. When we leave the motor home to explore the different areas we stay we don't have to worry about getting back for bathroom breaks or any surprises waiting for us if we are gone too long. He has been to 9 states so far.

[MCTroy]

There is a lot of great advise here. We have always had big dogs. I like the idea of protection, even if they rally are just big softies. And I don't have to worry about stepping or tripping over one of them. We always travel with our dogs, currently a golden retriever and a rescued black lab. Think about your other activities. Those little short fur babies aren't much good at hiking mountain trails or other activities. We have water dogs that like the boat as much as they like our camper.

[MCTroy]

Oops, uploaded sidewise. The dogs really weren't on a capsizing boat!

[CarolinaGirl]

We have an 8 year-old Siberian Husky named Sled. He absolutely LOVES when we go camping. He gets so excited when we are loading up the camper and hooking it to the truck. He knows the he'll get to spend lots of time with his people and go on tons of walks.

[Summer2Go]

I had a red Golden type dog 20 years ago, and recently a handful of Persian kitties. The cats stay home when we camp, and they are getting old now. I anticipate camping without kids soon too, so I was thinking companion as well as protector. The campground we like a lot does not allow Dobermans and the like, and I guess a German Shepard is even pushing it too much. My sister used to show Dobermans, so I know what sweet dogs they can be. I would be training a puppy for the first time.


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[donniedu]

Over the years I have found small dogs to be yappy and aggressive. I much prefer a large dog like Labs. Gentle, easy to train, love to run, fetch or swim. Great all around family pets.

[Wolverine 1945]

Love our rescued Lhasa Apso,,, She is very happy as long as Mothers lap is available while we are traveling !!! She loves People & is a very quite dog,,, does need a good brushing daily,,, and a grooming every 6 to 8 weeks !!!

[DickiedooFlagman]

Originally Posted by uhduh camping

Quiet dogs are great. We love our Lab but tends to rock the 'boat' while we are sleeping. People and pet friendly dogs are must. Keep a copy of shot records on hand. We have been asked twice now for them. The first time we didn't have them, that was almost ugly. We were lucky enough to have a really good vet and CG manager was willing to accept verbal proof.

Most vets would be willing to FAX proof of vaccinations. A smartphone could forward a photo to the CG.

[Maron]

Ditto x 2. We have 2 papillons and love the breed.

[Maron]

Chihuahua is the biggest bump for the $. They eat little, poop less, take up little space, are great friends and their ears r bigger then their heads so great alarms.

[Maron]

That $12000 vet bill guy wins. I want to go live with him.

[5er_tom]

3 years ago our Poodle fell and broke her front foot. She broke all the metatarsal bones. She now walks with a slight limp, but it does not prevent her from doing anything. She even chases squirrels and rabbits in the yard. We tried everything to get the bones to heal (pinning them, a bone graft, and laser therapy) all to no avail. So, after $8,000 it is what it is. And she has a quality life. She will be 5 on March 1.


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[Mtelkman]

Please, please, get a dog that doesn't bark constantly. I will thank you in advance.

[asquared]

Puppy training can be hard. Our guy was adopted at 5 months old. He ate walls even while we were home. He crate trained with difficulty. Potty training was easy. Obedience training was hard as he was so stubborn. Luckily he was food motivated. But when the food reward stopped, he was not into listening. This is part of his breeding. I knew going into adopting him he would be stubborn and very energetic. I knew his breed does best crate trained. My point is, understand the good and bad traits of any dog you bring into your home before you make them yours. You don't want to get him or her and then realize it's not going to work out.

[prestonj12]

I can see why full timers seem to favor the toy breeds. Big dogs take a lot of room


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[7.3Excursion4x4]

Staffies (Staffordshire Bull Terriers) are the best breed IMHO you can have. Super Intelligent, super athletic, very loyal, don't shed hardly at all, very quite non barking unless playing. They are just pricey to get an AKC one