Critters & Camping

I’ve worried about how Kira is reacting to our nomadic lifestyle [not having her own yard to protect], and happily have concluded that she LOVES all the new and different smells around the campground as people (& other dogs) come & go. She races back & forth on her leash as I walk a straight line so gets plenty of exercise without me having to do a marathon. And she still feels that she has a job by protecting our little campsite.

In addition, I finally realized that we’ve developed our own unique clicker training. When I lock the length of the leash on the retractable leash I use, it makes a clicking sound. Kira has learned that means stop, don’t go that way, or follow me this way. It’s almost like having a horse that’s trained to neck reign. Very subtle but effective ques. And I don’t have to chase her around an object to untangle the leash!

The campground also supplies mutt mitts for cleaning up dog poop, and it makes an unpleasant job SOOOO much easier. I stick my arm thru a white-plastic sleeve and put my hand around a heavy, black-plastic mitt at the end. I can pick up everything quickly & cleanly then pull the sleeve off my arm, around the mitt, & it’s ready to dispose of in the trash. Works much better than a baggy.

Kira just turned four years old on the 18th and has our routine down pat. She sleeps all night long & doesn’t get up or want out until I get out of bed. She knows that breakfast or dinner means. However, the crisp mornings in Colorado have her all fired up often on our morning walks. I’m usually moving slow but she’s going super-sonic. Sometimes I wonder if she thinks she’s training to pull a dog sled [me — dead weight]!

Boots is also getting used to the people, dogs, & vehicles going past our campsite. He happily lays down behind the picnic table — on Kira’s retractable leash — and watches the world go by for a half hour or so without getting spooked. When he’s had enough outside, he goes to the trailer door to be let in [just like a good dog].

And the vinyl sheeting we put over the carpet is working great too. I just use a little whisk broom to sweep out the dust & grit tracked in by us & Kira as well as the litter that always seems to jump out of the litter container.

In our travels around Colorado on our days off, we’ve seen A LOT of RV campgrounds — mostly gravel parking lots with few trees, right along the highways. We feel very lucky to be in a campground that is over the hill from Hwy 160, has quite a few trees, and is very private and quiet. And since Pagosa is such a tourist spot, there are lots of stores available that the average small towns don’t have [still no Wal-Mart or Best Buy tho].
Overall, we just couldn’t be much happier with our current living and working experience at Pagosa Riverside Campground. Have I mentioned our much we’re loving the weather and the scenery?