Most people include their dogs as part of their family and since camping is a family activity lots of dogs go camping. There are several things to do when preparing to take your dog camping. First check when you make your camping reservations for dog restrictions and rules. Some campgrounds limit the number of dogs you may bring and others may restrict certain breeds of dogs or big dogs.

Be prepared to clean up after your dog. I carry a pooper scooper with me when I camp. If you do not want to do that, be sure to carry plenty of plastic bags.

When you are outside your dog will also want to be outside. So be sure to bring along leashes, tie outs or fencing. I carry a long web leash that if you tie onto a tree it will not dig into the bark of the tree. Many of my friends carry the folding fencing. Fencing is great for small dogs.

Don’t forget dog food, treats and dog bowls. A dog can work up a big appetite while camping. Also, don’t forget any medications that your dog is currently taking.

Toys and balls are great too. I always take a Kong camping as well as peanut butter, just in case I need to keep my dog busy.

If you have a long haired dog like I do, you might want to take along a brush. My dog loves to walk in high weeds and usually has all kinds of things hanging on his fur.

Your family and your dog can have a great time camping together! See you in the dog walk!

One hot summer day in August, I went to work just like any other day. At the time we did not have central air conditioning but units that you placed in the windows. The air conditioner units were quite old, but they still worked great except the accordion slides that were used to fill out the remainder of the window were no longer usable. So every summer, my husband would use a piece of plywood to keep the area around the air conditioners sealed closed.

When I returned from work, I was shocked to find my second Springer, Spencer, waiting inside the fence. He was very happy to see me! I know that when I left for work, I did not leave him outside. I looked around for my husband’s truck, but it was nowhere in sight. Then my neighbor approached me and said, “Your dog has been outside all day.” Now this was a mystery!

My husband was home soon after I had arrived and I explained the situation to him. He said that he did not leave Spencer out before he went to work, nor did he come home anytime during working hours. When I went inside the fenced yard, I noticed that Spencer had been sick sometime in the day with diarrhea. We all went inside and found that Spencer needed to be outside to use his yard, and worked to remove the plywood from the side of the air conditioner unit and crawl through the window. I do not know if we were lucky and Spencer just happened to use the window that took him to his fenced yard or if he realized that was the window he needed to use!