Driving Home With the Three Amigos

Gingersnap

Vincent

Rugelach

We left Mission, Texas, and drove up to San Antonio to have some maintenance work completed on the rig. That gave us a week to prepare for the journey home with the pups we decided to bring back to South Carolina nicknamed, "The Three Amigos".     

Gingersnap and Rugelach (Roo-gu-lah) are part of the Cookie Litter that was surrendered to Cinderella Pet Rescue when they were barely eight weeks old.  In 2017, we brought back two of their litter mates, Snickerdoodle and Macaroon, and placed them in our rescue program in South Carolina called Dog4U.  They were transported to Massachusetts and both adopted into forever homes.  A third puppy was adopted in Mission leaving Gingersnap and Rugelach at the shelter.  Since they had not been adopted the Captain and I decided it was time to bring them back home.  

We were looking to bring back a third pup on the trip and Suzanne, the director of Cinderella Pet Rescue, asked if we would choose a black dog since they are the hardest to adopt out in that area. Twice a week we would go over to Cinderella with a bunch of other Winter Texans to walk and interact with all the pups and the Captain had walked Vincent several times.  He was enamored with the dog and its gentle nature so Vincent became our third choice for the trip.  Vincent was only four weeks old when he arrived at Cinderella so all three of the dogs knew no other home.  

The pups playing in an exercise pen at Cinderella Pet Rescue

The Captain having a quiet moment with Rugelach, the shy one. 

The two litter mates.  Gingersnap is the alpha girl.

We purchased some crates for the rig knowing it was going to be a four day trip from Texas to South Carolina. 

Desi checking out the set up in the rig.  Looks real roomy with the slides open.

Since Vincent was taller and longer than the other two pups we got a larger crate for him and had to place it in the back section of the rig.

After a week in San Antonio we drove back to Mission on a Friday night to be ready to leave Saturday morning.  We knew we had to drive through Houston so we wanted to get close by that night so we could go through the city on Sunday morning.  We have found that is the best time to drive through the town.

Once everyone was on board and the slides were pulled in the area became much smaller.  We had to put our table chairs on top of the bed to fit the crates into the front section while we were driving. 

Are we there yet?

We drove close to 400 miles each day for the first two days and only stopped to give the pups potty breaks during the drive.  We wanted to get to our destination for the night so the dogs could spend some time out of the crates.

Happiness was exploring and being able to play each afternoon and early morning.  And going to the dog park allowed the pups to be off leash and run and play for awhile.

Mealtime was also an adventure.  We folded up the crate that Vincent slept in so that we could move from the front to the back of the rig.  This gave us a section in the back where the Captain took our two dogs, Desi and Lucy, so they could eat their food.  We have a sliding door there so we could keep the dogs apart.  I kept the Three Amigos in front and fed them there.  They were very good and left each other's bowls alone with a little supervision. 

Different days they ate in different places but everyone got fed and was happy. 

Then it was play time or nap time on a comfy couch.

We made it home safely and the pups were wonderful on the whole trip.  They were patient with the drive and never complained.  You couldn't have asked for better riders.

Arriving home, we placed them in our fenced in side yard while we unloaded part of the rig.  This gave them a great time exploring the yard and the deck. 

Then it was dinner time for the pups and a well earned drink for the Captain.

Inside the house there were more new noises and adventures for them.  The sound of a washing machine and dryer was new to them.  The television set was intimidating but also fascinating.  A microwave or dishwasher brought a reaction from them.  They were fun to watch as each new sound surprised or frightened them the first time and after that they recognized and ignored it.  

Eventually they settled in and became good house guests. 

The Three Amigos stayed with us for the rest of the week and on Friday evening they began their overnight journey to Massachusetts.  We were sad to see them leave but knew they would get good homes up north.   I wrote a bio on the three pups and an extended update on each pup's personality and social interactions which went with them on their journey.  They arrived safely in Massachusetts early Saturday afternoon and their bios were released through the no-kill shelter announcing their arrival. We are happy to say that by Monday both Gingersnap and Rugelach had families that put in a request for them.  Each family has to go through several meetings with the dog, including any children or other pets in the family, and the shelter checks the home to make sure the pup will have a good living environment.  If all works out they will go into their forever homes.

Vincent, our "surfer dude" laid-back boy, needs a little more interaction with the shelter since his personality can be quieter and he needs time to get to know his surroundings and new people.  But he is a lover boy, as we found out working with him, and I'm sure he will find a wonderful family, too.    

It was quite a journey home but also fun.  They were wonderful dogs and we are sure their new owners will love them as much as we do.

One other thing I wanted to share with you.  We took the rig into a Cummins Authorized Dealer in Mission to have an oil leak checked.  While we were waiting to have the work completed this bus pulled up outside for maintenance, too.  

The bus was originally owned and used for touring by the Eagles and ZZ Top.  It is still in use today by a local Texas band and they brought it in for some upgrading.  The bus has been on the road for many, many years but it still looks really good. I would have loved to see the inside but didn't want to be accused of being a groupie :)  Actually, make that an old groupie! 

Back home we are enjoying spring and starting to get work done around the yard.  In June we will be back on the road again heading up towards New York to meet up with good friends from Australia.  They spend three months here each year in their 5th wheeler tooling around between the U.S. and Canada.  Peace!