TRAVELING WITH OUR BEST PALS

CARLSBAD  CAVERNS NEW MEXICO

I know it's hard for a lot of people to wrap their heads around the thought of traveling in a motorhome with 3 dogs. An even harder thought for me is the thought of traveling in a motorhome with 3 kids. Dogs I understand but kids I know absolutely nothing about.  I think they are totally from another planet somewhere. Relatives tell me I was a kid once, but I don't believe them!! Relatives can be wrong you know.

My Mother was an animal lover & fortunately that has been passed on to me. Had 18 hamsters, 2 guinea pigs, a bird & one cat living with me one time plus an aquarium full of guppies. When Kelly & I lived in an old farm house years ago we had 2 house cats, about a dozen barn cats outside at any one time, 3 birds, & another tank of guppies. Oh, & some more guinea pigs in the basement. Then we got Max.
PANCHO VILLA STATE PARK, COLUMBUS NEW MEXICO

Max was about 6 weeks old when we got him for $5 from a farm near Mitchell, Ontario. Just a little ball of puppy fur I could hold in one hand. Wasn't sure what he was but he's looking a lot like a blond border collie/lab now, 11 years later. Max won a 1rst place red ribbon at doggy obedience school when we took him. He was also the only dog in the class to poop on the floor twice too. But, no matter, I was proud of my boy:)) He used to fetch the newspaper from the end of our driveway too back then. His much most favoritist thing of ever to do is playing sticks. He just loves to chase sticks. SOMEWHERE IN THE GREAT AMERICAN SOUTHWEST:))

Cora, our little Motormouse was Kelly's daughter's dog after an original owner didn't have time for her. Her daughter lived in a big city & was busy with a new job as well so one day little Cora came out to our place for a holiday. That was about 4 years ago & she's still here. We're sure glad she is. Max was a little put out at first but they soon became bestest Pals. We think she is a cross between a Chihuahua & a Pug. She has a face like bat so I call her a Chipugamug. Chi for Chihuahua, Pug for a Pug, & boy, what a mug!! Chipugamug. I never cared for the name Cora so I nicknamed her Motormouse & call her Motor for short. She is the big Boss of the other 2 dogs in the house & she is just a little Sweetums.  In later years I called her 'Beans:))'  BORREGO SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

Checkers came to us about 3 years ago. She was having a hard time fitting in at the place she was living. She had fallen on hard times at several points in her life. Kelly first met Checkers in an unusual way. On the beach one day where she worked she heard a dog barking way out in the waters of Lake Huron. It appeared to be in trouble & some boaters were trying to help by getting the big dog in the boat but things were not going well. Without a thought, Kelly, an avid swimmer in those days, went into the lake & swam out to the dog in distress. It was a beautiful black & white Border Collie & Kelly was able to get a hold of her collar & guide her back to the beach. People in the boat were clapping. Checkers went on her way that day but Kelly tried to keep an eye on her from then on.  Checkers would often wander away from her home at the beach & be gone for days. Sometimes people in Bayfield would bring her back. Sometimes the dog catcher would bring her back or lock her up for the night. Kelly worried that someday.......nobody would bring her back:((

And then one sunny summer afternoon I looked up as Kelly pulled in the driveway after work. And there in the front seat of the car was this big beautiful black & white Border Collie named Checkers. Sitting up as proudly as she could because her very best friend Kelly had just brought her home to stay. And Checkers has been with us ever since. Max & the Motor weren't too sure about this new intruder at first but with a lot of TLC on everybody's part, the bond between the 3 furry Musketeers was finally cemented & we all became one big happy family. We became, The Bayfield Bunch:)) The Bayfield part is named after the little town we live near. DEAD HORSE STATE PARK, COTTONWOOD ARIZONA

When we first began putting to-gether our plans for RVing someday we were concerned as to what we would do with the doggy guys if we go away. Didn't figure there was any way to travel with 3 dogs, but we had 2 priorities going for us that had to be worked out & number one on that list was the dogs. They are just an important part of the family as either Kelly or I so we decided wherever we go, the 3 Musketeers were going as well. Our second priority was a suitable RV & after a couple false starts & poor decisions on our part we finally decided on a Motorhome where we would all be to-gether in one big comfortable place while traveling.
DARBY WELL ROAD, AJO ARIZONA

We soon discovered that RV Parks were totally out of the question. No place for the dogs to run free in an RV Park & we do not believe in having them straining & choking on the ends of leashes or tied up to ropes & chains. Dogs are meant to be free, to run, to play, & to just be the fun loving critters they are. It was one of the many things that pointed us in the direction of the Boondocking lifestyle. It's not just the doggy guys who needed to be free of rules & regulations, leashes & chains. It was us too.

It's like a 3 ring circus here in the motorhome sometimes with dogs, rubber balls, & chew toys flying around all over the place. They are a constant source of entertainment for us & I love to watch them all playing to-gether. The personalities (or dogonalities) each one has is so uniquely individual & I just love watching them all interacting with each other. We have our morning routine of playtime that sometimes gets Mom a bit riled up when the barking gets a tad loud & the rubber toys are flying through the air but we somehow manage to get on Mom's good side again until the next time.

Like the old saying goes about a dog being man's best friend. It is true & I sure get a lot of people mad at me sometimes when I tell them I've never met a human being yet that I liked better than my dogs. But, that's the difference between people & animals. No matter what, your bestest pals are just going to love you forever, no matter what you say.........................and you, them:)) QUARTZSITE, ARIZONA


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