My name is Astro, and since I've recently retired from monitoring puppy socials I have decided to blog about my experiences as a golden retriever.
Life is pretty good for me because my people really really love dogs. Dad is a veterinarian, mom is a dog trainer. That means that every stray in town ends up coming to live with us. I have 10 brothers and sisters, but not all are dogs. The cats, bunnies, and birds in the house certainly keep things interesting!
The most interesting thing that has happened to me recently is that I got to take my first ever camping trip. Sure, I had done lots of hiking with mom and dad, but had never actually stayed anywhere overnight under the stars. It was about three weeks ago, mom and dad started to load up the car like they do when they go away without us. At first I was really sad: seeing those suitcases meant bye-bye. I gave them my best sad eyes and moped around as much as possible. Then, much to my surprise, mom called me to join them in the car. Yippee!
It was the longest car ride I've ever had, after my first ride home from Lake Tahoe. Fortunately, I ride really well in the car. I looked out the window for a while then settled down for a nap. Eventually, we pulled into a driveway-it was the longest driveway I had ever seen! All along the driveway people had set up things that look like my soft dog crate. Could there really be that many dogs here!? Mom and dad unpacked the car and set up something they called a “tent”-it was even bigger than my dog house, and mom & dad slept in there...WITH ME!
The first night we unpacked our stuff, mom and dad made dinner, then we sat around the fire all evening. I wanted to sit right next to the fire pit, but mom wouldn't let me. She kept saying something about burning my fur. At the end of the night I got to join mom and dad in the “tent”. It was very cozy! The real fun started the next day, when we loaded into the car, drove a short way to the Big Sur Ranger Station, where we all strapped food and supplies onto our backs and went for a really great walk into the Ventana Wilderness Area (we like wilderness areas because dogs are allowed off leash). I had never had such a great walk ever before in my entire life! Sure, it was hard work but heck, I'm a working dog. There were many other humans and several dogs along the way. Unfortunately mom and dad wouldn't let me walk with the other people-I had to stay with them. Slowpokes! By the end of the day we had hiked 10 miles, and I carried my own backpack for eight of them. There were cool streams to play in, great smells all along the way, and the views were just incredible! Check out a few of my pictures from the trip.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. And for those of you who would like to go hiking with your humans, here is a list of tips and suggestions:
- Make sure the campground allows dogs. Know whether or not dogs are allowed on or off leash. It seems as though humans are pretty much always allowed in campgrounds.
- Prepare ahead of time: work up to long hikes gradually so that you don't injure your paw pads or overexert yourself.
- Make sure to take plenty of water: especially in the summertime, dogs can suffer heat exhaustion or heat stroke and this can be fatal.
- Remember to be responsive to your humans. If you don't come when they call, you could end up finding yourself alone and lost. The best way to make sure that your humans know what they are doing, is to take a good dog training class. Humans are not too hard to train!
- Take a good first aid kit along, with plenty of bandages, some antiseptic, and painkillers... Just in case.
- Take plenty of good bones and toys to keep you occupied when your humans are busy around the campsite.
- Always check the weather-be sure to prepare for rain and/or cold weather.
- Finally, be sure to guard the your bones and food from those stinking ground squirrels. Little thieves! I wish I could have gotten my paws on the bugger who stole my rawhide.
Wags, Astro T. W. Dog
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