Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Living Nomadically with Canine Companions

Episode 5 of ON THE ROAD WITH MAC AND MOLLY focuses on the initial challenges faced by those who decide to take their dogs with them when they move from living in an attached-to-the-land home to living nomadically, in a not-attached-to-the-land home.

In this episode, we consider why folks may pay far more for their pet's grooming than they do for their own haircuts. Here are some of those reasons:
#10. Your hairdresser doesn’t wash and clean your rear end.
#9. You don’t go for four weeks or longer without washing or brushing your hair.
#8. Your hairdresser doesn’t give you a sanitary trim.
#7. Your hairdresser doesn’t clean your ears.
#6. Your hairdresser doesn’t clean boogies from your eyes.
#5. You sit still for your hairdresser.
#4. Your haircut doesn’t include a pedicure.
#3. Your hairdresser only washes and cuts the hair on your head.
#2. You don’t bite or scratch your hairdresser.
And the #1 reason your dog’s grooming costs more than your haircut? The likelihood of you pooping or peeing while having your haircut is extremely slim!
I address the challenge of finding wide open spaces where big galumphing canines can run at full tilt off leash and offer suggestions on staving off dog motion sickness. I’ll tell you what you need from your veterinarian before you hit the road, what should be included in a dog first aid kit, what you’ll need at border crossings between the United States and Canada and what resources online and in print are especially helpful in locating dog parks and dog-friendly campgrounds.


More than 30 million families take their dogs camping each year — and that’s a lot of canines out there in RVs and in the campgrounds mingling with humans, other dogs, strange plants and even creatures of the wild and unfriendly kind. My goal in this episode is to help you plan for the unplanned as you head out On the Road!