Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Furry FROG Friends

According to a survey conducted by the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), 61% of RV owners travel with pets.  The FROG Rally in Goshen this year certainly reflected that statistic.  In addition to the usual complement of dogs, a number of cats and several birds were in attendance.  I realize that if you are a full-timer, your pet, of necessity, lives in and travels everywhere with you in your rig.  But even for those who still maintain a “sticks and bricks” residence, travelling without your “fur-baby” (or babies) is inconceivable. 

With FROG Bob’s approval, I set out to photograph some of the pets that attended the 2017 FROG International Rally.  I did not take any photos without the pet parent’s permission.  Herewith are just a fraction of them.  If I missed getting your baby’s picture, I apologize…and we apologize, as well, if we got any of the details about your pet – name, breed, or anything else – wrong.  It’s dog-gone hard to remember everything!

Reba, a seven-year-old Schnoodle, a cross
between a Schnauzer and a Poodle
Jolene loves to play with tennis balls.  She and Reba have the same pet parents
This Westie hails from Kansas City, MO.  His
mom says he is "mister independent"
Scooter, a six-year-old, rides in the front seat while traveling
Corgis Kenzie and Nigel (above and below) are "the ultimate camping
dogs" according to their pet mom

Max, a Morkie  (Maltese and Yorkshire Terrier)
is described as having "personality plus"
Lily, a rescue Chihuahua, loves to ride
motorcycles - and apparently bicycles, too
Arya, a Cardigan Welsh Corgi, enjoyed her first rally
Holly, a seven-year-old Boston Terrier rescue...

...and Willow, 8 months old, who is in agility training 
At 14 months and a whopping 5 pounds, Tobey loves people and travels well


Casper, a Beagle / Boxer mix, is a rescue
dog who loves kids
Boxers Bristol and Talladega, named
after NASCAR tracks
Jude, a rescue Border Collie / Flat-Coated Retriever
mix, thinks his first name is "Hey..."
This beautiful, blue-eyed Siberian Husky is Mya
Cindy is a mini-Poodle who has been to 46 states and most Canadian provinces
Rusty, a Red Labrador Retriever and Tootis, a Daschund, hail from Florida
Rico, a Pug, is deaf and nearly blind, but
is a really sweet baby
Hailing from Lancaster, NY is Skippy, seven
years old, who attended with his "grandparents"
Luke, seven years of age, is from Kansas City
Bella, a German Short-Haired Pointer, can balance
treats on her nose, then flip them up and catch them
Little Lady, a seven year old Toy Poodle, marks
her territory by peeing while walking on her front legs
Riley, a Beagle, loves pizza
14-year-old Spanky, has been to 49 states
Jack, a Jack Russell Terrier, is another rescue dog
Miko, a Belgian Tervuren, is seven and is also a rescue dog 
Marley has a beautiful coat

Patrick is now 11.  Sophie and Patrick first met in 2012
and still remembered each other at this year's rally
Ike is a German Short-Haired Pointer who
loves to run
Max (beige) and Buddy (black) (above) and the blue-eyed Pomeranian
(below), whose name we didn't get, are all rescue puppies of the
same pet parents

Vee (shown) and Bev are now full-timers with
Standard Poodles Thudster and Taurus
(L to R) Sam (13 years old); Baily (9 years old);
and Benji (10 years old).
 
Cosmo, a 9-year-old rescue dog from New York,
was heading for Yellowstone after the rally
 
Misty Mew, a rescue cat, has been a "camper kitty" for 14 years
Harley loves the sun and rolling in the grass
Dudley is a Cocker Spaniel who was left tied to a tree in
a park in Chicago.  He was rescued by the Fire Dept. and
his now-parents were asked to foster him...five years ago.
Sandy, a Golden Retriever

Cody (black) and Bella (white) Bichon / Poodle mixes, are
3 years old and 10 months old, respectively
Despite rumors to the contrary, Casey, a Cairn Terrier,
does not bark with a strong Scottish accent 
Jake and Chloe are 12-year-old Cocker Spanials 
Mixed-breed rescue dogs Bentley and Bernie, from Long Island, NY
Tanner, a Puggle (cross between a Beagle
and a Pug) is six years old
"Meet-and-Greet on Maple Street" - Chopper, Mack and Willie
Bandit, a male Calico cat, surveys the scene from behind the tinted windshield
                      
Chief, a Yorkshire Terrier, and his pal...
Chewy, a white Poodle

Zidney, a beautiful Airedale Terrier, is 10 years old.
He reminded us of Tasha and Fergie, two Airedales
that were once a big part of our lives
Izzy, the Shih Tzu, (above) is "bossy" and is the self-appointed protector
of the English Cream Golden Retrievers, Sherpa and Phoebe (below)

Since this blog is about photos, we thought it appropriate to included Seward
Johnson's sculpture of the photographer, seen on a street corner in Nappanee
This is Missy, a 20-month-old from Florida.  We're
not saying that her daddy spoils her, but it is quite
possible that her feet have never touched the ground
Zoey, who belongs to a couple that we met in Arizona
last winter, attended her first rally, as did her parents
Shetland Sheepdogs Lexi, Walker, and Shelly
Jinx, a beautiful German Shepherd
Smooch is an eight-year-old French Bulldog who is also a rescue dog.
Three of the four of these extremely well-trained dogs are rescue dogs.
Left to right are Logan, Willie, Ruby, and Wesley
Charley, a Standard Poodle, is two years old - in fact,
the day his picture was taken was his birthday
Carney is certified to work as a therapy dog in nursing
homes, and loves to play with tennis balls
Muffin Man, a Maltese, and Ik-Kii, a Yorkie / Maltese / Poodle mix
hail from Louisiana and "love their ice cream", according to their parents
Shiloh (rear) and Sporty and Macy live and travel together
Joey, a rescue, is a Cockapoo, a cross between
a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle
Little Buddy, an Italian Greyhound, is used to being
carried in a pouch - it is how he rides on the subway
Zoe , 11 years old, prefers people to other dogs
Miss Pearl, a Maltese / Poodle mix, hails from
Florida and is, according to her mom, "spoiled"
Pepper loves to ride on scooters and golf carts
Holly, who comes from Ohio, seemed to be enjoying
the music of the "Bulldogs" on Friday evening
A family affair:  Andrew, Sarah, Kay and Brice, pose
with Bentley, a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel
Greta, a three-and-a-half-year-old Poodle who is
"spoiled beyond rotten", according to her mom
Moose is an Aussie-Doodle with beautiful blue
eyes, who is "very friendly and really smart"
Old English Sheepdogs Lilo and Paris.  Paris (r) is just a
puppy.  We once had a very sweet sheepdog named Maggie
Diane, from Georgia, with Remington and Sue Ellen,
two of her four Golden Retrievers.  Missing from the
picture are Smooch and Bullet, along with Gayle
The head FROG dog...Rascal, FROG Bob and Mama FROG Cindy's fur-baby
Our own "little white dog" Sophie, a seven-year-old Bichon Friese.  She
has traveled with us to forty-two states and five Canadian provinces

It is amazing how many of these dogs are “rescue” dogs.  How anyone can mistreat or abandon these sweethearts is unimaginable.  Thankfully they have now found their “forever” homes.  Quite a few of the dogs are certified therapy dogs, logging countless hours in nursing homes or hospitals.  A few are even certified as “reading” dogs (“Tail Waggin’ Tutors”) who spend time reading with children.  Still others are champions, having won "best of breed" or "best of show" honors in competitions.  But all of these dogs and cats are, undoubtedly, loved unconditionally.  And if you know just how to listen to them, they may even tell you their own Road Stories.



A fitting end to our dog story...artist Seward Johnson's sculpture
of the mailman in front of the Middlebury Post Office





Editor’s Note:  For those readers who are new to our blog, we have been publishing it for about three years.  It is generally about travel – both in North America and abroad – and topics range from Arizona to Zimbabwe; antiques to zebras.  We invite you to browse and read at your leisure.



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