The whole trip started early one Friday morning. Dave was up already up (this is very unusual as I usually have to wake him up so he isn’t late for work……..nothing works better than a few well placed licks of his face) and was loading all sorts of stuff into his truck. I just laid sadly on the bed figuring that he was going on another one of his business trips and that I would be dropped off at his folks house for a few days (not a bad thing as Dave’s parents give me lots of treats and lots-n-lots of attention). Much to my surprise, we passed right by the exit to Dave’s parents place and I new I was in for an adventure.

It was a long car ride (four hours with a couple of stops so Dave and I could stretch our legs) and I was so excited when we finally made it to our destination that I immediately jumped out of the car and started exploring. So many new plants to smell and so much dirt to dig in. Dave said something about not sniffing the cactus but it was too late and I spent the next hour getting needles pulled out of my nose (OUCH!). Well, I was a little bit more cautious of what I stuck my nose into from then on and I watched with some interest as Dave set up the tent and camp. It was getting dark by the time Dave had finished so we ate and went to bed………well, he went to bed but I still wanted to explore (there were all sorts of sounds and smells coming from outside of the tent and I just had to see where they were coming from). I very quietly started gnawing at the back of the tent (this was my best chance of escape as there was a ventilation window in the back) and it wasn’t long before I had made a whole big enough to pass through (and Dave was still snoring away).

The evening was quite beautiful. There were some black things flying around (I later found out they were bats) and the chirping noises I had been hearing were some mighty tasty crickets (they didn’t agree with me and I later hacked them up in front of the tent). In exploring the general area I noticed that there were other tents and I wondered if there might be other dogs that would like to join in my exploration of the area. I walked over to the closest tent and began sniffing around when all of a sudden somebody from inside began yelling “BEAR! BEAR!”

Well, I had heard Dave talk about bears and I got scared and started to run back to my tent. In the process I knocked over a camp table (sending pots and stuff clanking to the ground), ran into another patch of cactus (OUCH!) and jumped back into the tent with Dave (who was already awake and getting ready to go out side to see what all of the commotion was about). Needles to say Dave wasn’t too happy when he realized I was the cause of the commotion in the camp, the hole in his tent, and the thorns which were now embedded in his sleeping bag, legs, arms and chest (I was scared and wanted to be held. I had forgotten that I had run through some of those prickly cactus). It turns out that my shadow and sniffing was mistaken for that of a bear by the cub scouts (some scouts! Mistaking a 30 pound dog for a huge black bear) and most of the scouts wanted to go home right away. David spent the entire evening pulling out thorns (both from me and him) by candle light and I don’t think any of the scouts slept a wink (they were still looking out for some hideous beast).

`We still went hiking the next morning and had a great time (even met up with the cub scouts once). All and all everything turned out fine. The scouts and I played fetch the next morning and Dave used the hole in the tent and the needles in his sleeping bag as an excuse to buy new equipment (he really needed a new tent anyway). If you ever hear a story being told around the campfire by some scouts about a huge ferocious beast bent on eating a bunch of tasty scouts, just think of me………….it was probably me in my younger years.

By the way, congratulations on your adoption being approved. Dave and I wish you all the very best! Take care -Sheena