Comet's Blog
January to June, 2007

June 15, 2007
Well here we are in the mountains working at a campground next to a river. I'm the campground watchdog and have acquired a new nickname, Sir Barksalot. There are a lot of things to bark at: fishermen, hikers, campers, chipmunks, other dogs, deer, coyotes and even a bear.

What sucks is that I have to stay on a leash or chain unless the Two Leggers take me out of the campground. They tell me it's for my own good so the coyotes and bears don't eat me, and also that I have to be an example for other dogs that come through.

I sometimes go around with my human mama when she takes care of things, but it gets boring. Other times I get to ride in the car when the Two Leggers go to town or to do work at another campground. I can run around off leash there so that's more fun.

Then we traveled downhill into the desert and stayed at a campground next to a creek for a few days. We took a hike into the mountains one day, with the humans pushing their bicycles up then riding them down. I was able to get water from the creek periodically so that made it a good hike for me.

A couple of days later, we all got up very early and drove in the dark to a place called Mt. Whitney Portal. We started hiking on a long trail that kept going up. It went past lakes and trees, meadows and little waterfalls. One lake was frozen.

At one point my human papa said goodbye and went on ahead of me and my human mama. I had to be put on a leash so I couldn't follow him. The two of us kept on along the trail among mountain peaks with snow all around. She had to rest a lot. We finally made it to a high ridge where we could see over the other side. There was a sign saying dogs were not allowed to go any further on the trail, so that's where we waited for my human papa.

A big furry critter like a giant guinea pig kept popping out from under some rocks and scolding us sharply. My mama said it was a marmot.

We waited about two hours, then saw the other Two Legger coming our way. I was so happy to be off leash on the way down that I chased every squirrel I saw. For the next day or two I hardly moved and the Two Leggers groaned every time they stood up!

Our next campground was in a town called Bishop. There were nice big trees, which was a good thing because it was very hot. We were all glad to move on the next day to our summer campground in the Mammoth Lakes area, since it is quite a bit cooler.

In fact, just a couple of days after we arrived here, the human's daughters and their friend came for a visit. We hiked to a waterfall the first day. The second day while we were hiking to a different falls, the clouds started racing along. There were reports it was going to snow, and the road out of the campground area is very steep, so they cut their stay short. It snowed over an inch and was cold for a few days, but it's nice and warm now.

That's about all from me this time. Happy tails to you!
Comet

May 15, 2007
Another month gone already! It’s been one of changes with it’s own excitement. We stayed in the Salton Sea area for about a week after my last blog. It was getting hotter and several people told my Two Leggers to be careful where and when they walked me because rattlesnakes were starting to appear. We never saw or heard any but I could tell my humans were scared I’d get bitten.

The Two Leggers packed up the trailer to go to a place called San Diego. We left at night because the wind over the pass was supposed to get worse the next morning. After we made it most of the way, the Bipeds decided they were too tired to continue so we spent the night off a side road. It was funny to wake up in a different place than we’d been the day before but still be in our house.

The county park we finally arrived at had some nice open areas where I could run off leash. Our first two mornings there we encountered a grey fox. It followed us around for a while but stayed a certain distance away. However, it let me come fairly close.

There was a small lake there called Sweetwater Reservoir. The Two Leggers said dogs weren’t allowed near it. I would have loved to take a swim.

That afternoon we went to Balboa, a very big park. We stopped in at a dog park first. There were more dogs than people! A lot of the dogs were zipping around. I hadn’t been to a dog park in a long time so I found it bewildering. So my humans took me out of there and we wandered around looking at plants, people and buildings. Some of the trees were very big.

After a couple of days the Bipeds packed things up again and we drove a long way. There was some kind of problem with the pickup. A guy from an auto parts store came out with a machine and said the battery and alternator were okay. We kept driving. We ended up on a dark, winding road. As we were going downhill, my human papa suddenly pulled over to one side. The battery had died and we almost died with it because the trailer brakes stopped working. We were parked at a downhill angle all night. In the morning the Two Leggers used the generator to get the other battery going and we were able to get to our new camping spot.

Unfortunately that place didn’t last. The Two Leggers drove to the place we’re at now, called Bakersfield. I had an upset tummy the first few days because the first day I was given too many treats and not enough exercise. We are in an RV park next to some railroad tracks and lots of traffic. The cats around here drive me crazy because I’m tied up or have to stay inside but they can go where and when they please.

I have to wait for the Bipeds to take me places. There are a few areas they take me where I go off leash, but they’re not what I’m used to. My human mama is gone every afternoon and evening to something called a temp job. The first day she went I was depressed and very grouchy. But now I know that she’ll come back so I’ve adjusted.

The guy on the other side likes me too but I don’t trust him. I growl at him every time he comes over to try and make friends. The Two Leggers think he’s okay but I'm not convinced. I heard him say he's driven trucks for 45 years and races lawnmowers. I wonder how they race lawnmowers? The one he has doesn't have a handle on it so maybe they're remote controlled...

Well, that’s this month’s saga. I don’t think we're going to stay in Bakersfield that long. The Bipeds have talked about a campground host job in the mountains that starts in June. Will let you know! - Comet

April 15, 2007
Only a few hours after my last blog was posted, things got really exciting!

I was riding along in the back of our small SUV watching the trailer we used to live in being towed behind us. The Two Leggers had offered to deliver it to the person buying it.

We’d just gone through the first small town, when people in a car next to us started pointing like crazy at the trailer. My papa stopped the car on the highway shoulder and both the humans jumped out. I watched them running back and forth to the trailer.

First there was smoke, then the trailer was in flames, then my mama was in the front seat yelling at me. I thought I’d done something wrong! She spoke more quietly, grabbed me by the collar and pulled me out of the car. We went a distance away and she ordered me to stay. I stayed, not sure what was going on. My mama ran back to the car and both Two Leggers started bringing stuff to me from the car. Then a policeman pulled up and told them to stay next to where I was standing. He asked if they had a leash for me. My leash was being cremated. My papa dug up a rope from his backpack and put it through my collar. He was very upset.

Then my mama started taking pictures with the camera she'd rescued and my papa started calling people on the cell. Some firemen showed up and put out the last of the flames. The concerned policeman gave me and my mama a ride in his car back to the town after we tried hitchiking and no one picked us up. Guess I looked too scary!

I was in the back – there was no seat, just a hard plastic space - and it smelled like dog. The policeman went back to get my papa. We waited a while, then a nice lady we knew from the RV park came and picked us up in her car. Her dog, Buddy, doesn’t like me so she didn’t bring him.

The next day I got to ride in a little rental car that didn’t work too well, so then we got a real fancy one that had much more room for me. We drove a long way to look at a pickup truck. The Two Leggers didn’t trust the guy selling it so we traveled on. I got to run on a very long beach, then we stayed in a motel while it rained. I don’t mind motels, although the floor gets rather hard after a while if the humans don’t bring my dog pad. I’m glad they remembered my dog food…

We explored a piece of open land, then went to a park. After I'd waited in the car while the humans were in a library, we went to meet another guy. He was selling his truck because he was sailing from Mexico to Australia. After the Two Leggers paid him for his pickup, my mama dropped him off at the border. Then I got to ride in the new truck. It has a back seat just for me and I like it because it puts me very close to my favorite people...

After we’d been back at the RV park for a week, we made an even longer drive to the Two Legger’s daughters and stayed with them in their apartment for several days. There were so many cats around there it drove me crazy. I was very good with their cats when I was indoors though. I even sniffed noses with Reggie a few times. Onyx, the black female, is more scared of me. She almost jumped out of her skin when I surprised her outside one day. So did a lady who was coming out of her apartment and didn’t expect to see me. I was just as startled to see her!

I also met a huge puppy in the local park - a black and white Great Dane named Oreo. He freaked me out so I charged at him to keep him away from my people, but he just ran rings around me and laughed. That made me even madder! Finally his handler called him away or I don't know what I would've done.

The biggest excitement has been the wind, which whips up every other day and blows pretty hard. However I think the Two Leggers are planning something big. I’ll let you know what they’ve cooked up in my next blog.

Keeping on truckin’ one pawprint at a time…Comet

March 15, 2007
Well, here we are again. This past month has been pretty routine. Two trips to town a week. Walking in green, grassy places or parking lots. Three walks or bike rides around here a day, usually with a rabbit or two to chase; sometimes even a CAT. Here’s a picture of me, the big game hunter, taking a nap.

We took another hike into the canyons. I managed to slide down the face of a long rock and land on another one. The humans had been hollering at me to try their way but I thought I had a better route. Fortunately I only felt sore for a couple of minutes.

When the wind blows in the wrong direction, the air smells like a sewer because of all the rotting fish and algae blooms in the Salton Sea, or so I’ve heard. I don’t mind the smell but the humans have complained. They won’t let me eat any of the dried out fish that are lying all over the beaches.

I went with the humans to a barbecue here and got to taste a variety of yummy foods and watch lots of people eating and playing bocce ball. I don’t know why they don’t chase the balls like us dogs. Seems silly to just keep rolling them away and not run after them.

Since the humans have so many nicknames for me, I decided I’m going to start calling them Two Leggers. Why do they only have two legs? It’s so inefficient for running – I’m always waiting for them to catch up to me. I’m also amazed they don’t fall over!

I was just thinking about how many hats I wear around here. I can be The Watchdog, where I bark every time another dog comes anywhere near the trailer or a cat meows. Of course I’m a good Chaser. Somebody has to keep those jackrabbits and cats on their toes. At night or on cold evenings I get to be a Couch Potato. When I get grumpy about being asked to get down, I’m labeled the Couch Grouch.

Sometimes I feel I’m a member of a Chain Gang. Sure don’t like that chain but there’s some lady named the Leash Nazi that the Two Leggers are afraid of.

Every once in a while I’m the Great Exasperator. I’m sure I don’t know what I do to get the Two Leggers so excited! I mean a dog has a right not to hear perfectly all the time, don’t you think? Especially a middle aged dog like me. Of course I also play the part of Loyal Companion. I think the Two Leggers like me best in that role.

There has been a little excitement the last few days. We moved to a bigger trailer right in the middle of a heat wave. I just stayed in the shade and watched the Two Leggers sweating it out. The new trailer has a lot more room for me and a nice cool floor so I like it as much as they do. Well, time for me to sign off till next month - spring's a coming for you northerners! - Comet

February 15, 2007

Well, we're still parked in the same place. I've pretty much learned where all the good rabbit spots are.

The cats around here seem to have gone away. So I mostly just bark at dogs that pass by or crawl under the canoe for shade.

The humans have started letting me in the trailer more, especially when I start getting antsy on the chain. Then I hang around on the couch or on the floor while they look at those non-furry things they call computers and do strange things to them with their fingers.

Sometimes instead of walking me, the humans ride their bicycles. While we're in areas where there's traffic, I have to stay on the leash. A while back my human mama fixed a loop on her bicycle stem so I can stay attached to her bicycle without me being able to pull her over when I see a cat or a rabbit - shucks!

She can be fun too, though. When I'm off leash. we sometimes race each other. She has to pedal really fast to keep up with me. However, sometimes she's sneaky about it and I don't realize she's already zooming in a different direction. Then it can be hard for me to catch her...

I've also found a dog to play "run along the fence" with. Every time we pass by there, me and this dog race each other along the fence back and forth, until I get tired of the game and decide to resume my walk. The poor dog hates to be left behind.

Our best hike this month was going up a pretty high mountain. Since I like to pick my own trail, I had to use my head to figure out a way up or down a few times.

We also explored a couple of other areas two days ago. At the end of the first hike, I let the humans follow a ridge upward while I took a shortcut downhill to the car. I think they were afraid I'd gotten lost or something since they were calling for me on their way down. So I dragged myself out of the shade and showed them where I was...

Most of the places I go now are either sandy or rocky. But when we go into town, I sometimes have the luxury of walking or playing on real grass. It sure feels good!

Well, nothing much else to report except that instead of going in the daytime, we sometimes go to town in the evenings so the humans can do something they call square dancing. I overheard my human mama speculate whether there's square dancing for dogs. Sounds alarming. I'll keep you posted - until then, have a ripping good time! - Comet.

January 15, 2007
Happy New Year! Glad I'm a dog and not a human since I have no resolutions to live up to...

Trailer life continues to be interesting. One minute I'm chasing a rabbit, the next I'm on a chain. Sure don't like the latter. For a break I get lots of walks in sandy areas or can hang out inside the trailer or car, but it's not quite as much freedom as I had when we lived in a house.

We've had three interesting days: another hike in the canyon area, then one in the mountains above Palm Springs and finally a day trip where we went to a place with lots of birds (which I wasn't allowed to chase), climbed a hill made of shiny black rocks called obsidian and then found a strange pool that had hot, smelly water in it. The humans really liked that one for soaking their feet in.

The humans have made me a pair of socks and also fixed up my dinner bowl so it doesn't slide away from me anymore. They also made me a new thing to put around my neck called a bandana and put something new on my dog tag. Don't tell them, but I don't care much for clothes - I think my fur coat is all I need.

The worst thing about being on the chain is that there are a couple of cats that wander around and meow and just drive me crazy! They've learned just how much they can get away with.

What can I tell you? It's a dog's life. Hope yours is better than that! Till next time - Comet