RV Hometown

Practical advice for the road
 from
 Miss Terrier

Miss Terrier barks her advice to her driver, cook and traveling companion, solo RVer Adrienne Kristine. Miss Terrier welcomes questions and comments. 

Watch for the best of Miss Terrier's advice each week on this page.

Back to page 1 of Miss Terrier's advice

Dear Miss Terrier: 
We’re going to the Good Sam Rally and I’m very excited because we heard there was a Rally Dog Show. We want to participate and it should be a lot of fun. 

We also heard it will be very warm on the trip and after we get there. Can you suggest any ways to keep us cool? 

Your friends Beaubeaux (the poodle) and Pam 

Dear Beaubeaux and Pam, 

Yes, there will be a Rally Dog Show and I will be watching. I look forward to seeing you and all of my friends there. 

To keep cool while you’re traveling, I suggest opening your vent or vents, and opening one small screened window. Be sure both of you hydrate when you stop. My owner has a spray bottle with cool water in it. She sprays everything but my face and then lets me shake off the excess water. She mists her face and puts a wet washcloth on her neck. 

When we stop, she opens all the windows and vents for cross-ventilation. Then she takes a wet t-shirt out of the refrigerator and puts it on. It’s cold but she calls it a “natural air conditioner.” The evaporating moisture keeps her cool. 

Try our suggestions, and I hope you have a safe and cool trip!

Dear Miss Terrier: 
I’m a sweet, gentle dog but everyone is afraid of me. I was rescued from a man who used to hit me with a strap to make me mad. I didn’t want to fight so he sold me. You see, I’m a pit bull, sometimes called an American Staffordshire terrier. And because I have some scars, strangers think I’m mean. 

My new owner takes good care of me. He gives me gentle baths. He feeds me steak and chicken when he cooks for himself. He has lots of tennis balls to throw in our yard. When we go for a walk, though, he holds on tight to my leash and doesn’t play with me. Children will walk over to me but I know I must sit and not touch them. 

When someone we meet asks my owner about me, he will tell them that I am gentle. He also tells them I was rescued from a bad man. Can you tell your readers that not all of us are dangerous? King

Dear King: 
I’m sorry you were treated so badly. You have found out that not all humans are bad and I’m happy that you have a good owner who cares about you. 

I’m also sorry that your breed is considered dangerous and unfortunately, I can’t change opinions that are based on the actions of a few. Maybe readers will ask the owner about you before condemning your entire breed. 

Again, I apologize and I hope you have a very long life with your owner.

Dear Miss Terrier: 
My parrot Artie keeps nagging me to write to you on his behalf. He thinks birds are special because they are allowed in all campgrounds and RV parks, they don’t have to be on a leash and no one has to pick up after them with a pooper scooper. Owners just have to change the newspaper (which he says he reads), provide water, food and some toys to play with. 

How do dogs feel about birds? Agnes and Artie

Dear Agnes and Artie, 
You might be right about birds being special. You don’t have to walk them or clean up after them and there is no danger to them when they travel since they don’t go outside. They warn you when they see someone new. I guess I like birds. I used to play with ducks at the pond when I was a puppy and I sometimes see a red-tailed hawk looking for food. There are seagulls here too. 

Dogs can keep you warm when you’re cold. They can protect you after they warn you. When you feel sad, they’re very absorbent. Sometimes their fur holds a lot of tears. And they’re always glad to see you whether you’ve been gone for minutes or hours. 

I’m glad I’m a dog and I hope you two are happy together.

Dear Miss Terrier: 
We were bad dogs and we’re very sorry. We came to an RV park to spend the Memorial Day weekend with our owners. He bought a brand new fifth wheel and a truck to pull it to the park. This was our first trip together as a family and I thought we were fine. 

At home, we have a yard with a fence around it and we can run and play. We know how to walk on a leash. We also have a doghouse where we sleep when it’s warm outside. However, when we came here, we were not supposed to be outside at all except when we’re on a leash. When our family went to bed on the first night here, they put our doghouse in the bed of the truck with a fence around it and left us outside to sleep. 

It was very cold and we were scared so we didn’t sleep very much. We barked at strange sounds to warn our family like we always do. There were many other dogs here and we barked at them too, just to say “hello.” In the morning when we could see the human faces, they were angry. One of the men in the park talked to the family and told him we couldn’t be outside at all without one of our family members with us. He said we couldn’t have a fence around us and we couldn’t be in the truck bed alone. 

The next night, we were left in the truck again and today, we were put on the ground under the fifth wheel with food, water and our doghouse with the fence around it when the family went out to breakfast. Well, there were more angry human faces again and when the family came home, they put us inside the fifth wheel, packed our stuff and we left. We heard the family talking and they said they could come back but we had to stay home because we barked. 

We’re sad and very, very sorry. Is there anything you can do so we can come back too? 

Your friends Buffy and Bootsie 

Dear Buffy and Bootsie, 

I’m sorry but there is nothing I can do about the manager of the park. However, please understand that you didn’t do anything wrong. We’re dogs and we act like dogs. You’re being punished because your family didn’t obey the rules. I’m sure the manager would rather have you back instead of your family but that’s impossible. 

I hope your family reads this and other families with dogs obey the park rules so everyone has a good time when they go RVing.

Dear Miss Terrier:
I’m Lucy, a greyhound, and I’m scared to travel. Every time my driver starts the engine in the motorhome, I hide under the bed. She doesn’t even move the RV. She just runs the engine to circulate the gas and oil, she says. While the engine is running, she picks me up and holds me in her lap on the couch. Then she wants me to sit in the seat next to her but I’m afraid. We’re going on a trip soon. What can I do? Lucy

Dear Lucy:
Engines are noisy and they make the RV shake when they’re running. Sometimes, I can smell our engine too. Are you still scared of the vacuum? You know that’s not scary. Neither is the engine. It has a heavy lid on it. In fact, it’s called a doghouse cover. That’s funny to me.  

If you feel safer in the bedroom and are allowed on the bed, why not go there and wait until the engine stops? You can ask your driver to read this and have her move your bed to the back. You’ll be fine.

Dear Miss Terrier:
I heard there is a sign in the campground store where you live that says “Unattended children will be given an espresso and a free puppy.” I’m in a cage with my brothers and sisters. We’re all six weeks old. Somebody found us in a box and brought us here. We miss our mother. Do you think the people in the store will take me? New and No Name Yet

Dear No Name Yet:
Welcome to the world! The sign in the campground store is meant to be a funny reminder to parents so they will take care of their kids when they visit. 

I’m sorry for the way you have been treated. You were probably scared when you were taken away from your mom and left alone. The people at the shelter will take care of you. I’ll remind our readers that if they want a dog or cat or other pet, a pound puppy or shelter animal is a great place to look for a furry, feathered or scaly companion. Maybe someone is looking for a puppy just like you. 

Good luck! Be sure to let Miss Terrier and her owner know about what happens, all right? We care.

Dear Miss Terrier:
We’re three Mastiffs who travel together with our owners. Some parks won’t let us stay because we’re too big or there are too many of us. Most parks limit visitors to two dogs or they say we make big messes. We’re good dogs. How do we let park managers know we’re kind and gentle? Mickey, Minnie and Moe (Dad, Mom and Son)

Dear Mastiff friends:
I can understand why the park manager doesn’t want three big dogs together in the park. If you’re near a small dog like me, you can be scary. And let’s be honest: if you have irresponsible owners who don’t pick up after you, you leave a big mess.

Our manager came up with a good solution because we sometimes have more than two dogs that travel with their owners. Each dog must we walked separately by an adult. That way, there’s no danger of a big dog pulling the leash while a child tries to control him or her. Also, by walking each dog separately, the owner can show that he or she is picking up after each dog. Little dogs might bark or be afraid of a big dog, but both owners can handle a dog individually to prevent problems. Maybe you can have your owner talk to the park manager and suggest this solution.

Dear Miss Terrier:
I’m a big dog and I protect my owner. I’m on alert most of the time and not too many things scare me. 

My owner was talking about Fourth of July and I remember last year. It was scary because of all the noise. I don’t want my owner to know it bothers me but it does. What can I do to be brave when the firecrackers go BOOM!? Otto and his buddy Richard

Dear Otto and Richard:
 I get scared too when firecrackers are close. Last New Year’s Eve, some people lit firecrackers in the parking lot next to the space where I’m staying. My owner held me and told me it was all right. Then she went outside and talked to the people. She told them it was illegal inside our city limits. They argued with her but then they went away.  

It’s all right to be scared because firecrackers are bright and noisy and hurt our ears. Ask Richard if you can stay inside or close to him on July 4^th. You’ll be fine.

Dear Miss Terrier:
I like to play with children. They have such fun and they laugh. I’ll bring them a ball for them to throw or sometimes a sock. My owner makes me stay on a leash most of the time and that means I can’t play. How do I let him know I’ll come back if he calls me? Your friend, Cookie

Dear Cookie:
I like to play with children sometimes too. I want to run through the woods with them and find a stick to play with. We’ll go to a pond and splash in the water. 

It’s not safe for us to do that, Cookie. <Sigh> there are big animals like bears and they have sharp teeth. Wolves are our brothers but they forget and might try to hurt us by showing their friends they can act mean. 

See if you can get your owner to take you to a dog park. There are always kids around and it would be safe for you to play with them.

Dear Miss Terrier:
I’m an 11 year-old bluepoint Siamese who looks much younger than my years. My human pampers me often, as she should. I am, after all, feline royalty. She hand feeds me tidbits and has tried every cat food she can find to please me. Sometimes, I let her tempt me to try something new. I am content. 

However, she has one very annoying habit: when we travel, she always forgets something. Once she even forgot fresh litter for my box! You can imagine the horror I felt and how I treated her with disdain for several hours. How could she not remember such an important item? What am I to do with her? Simone

Dear Simone:
I understand your problem. My owner would sometimes forget an item but it was usually found in a store nearby. Unfortunately, replacing a forgotten item would sometimes be an expensive proposition. 

Perhaps you could nudge her to the computer and have her read your letter. She could contact me and I will let her know where to find several checklists or how to create her own.

And Simone? In case you were misinformed, the sun is still the center of the universe.

Dear Miss Terrier:
I’m an 18 month-old Pomeranian and my owners brought home a sister for me. She’s a tiny four month-old Yorkshire terrier named Kady. I don’t mind her too much except when we go for a walk. I’m on a leash and I know what to do. She has a leash and walks too, but gets tired so my owner has to carry her. Then I have to wait to go home because every time she is on the ground, she doesn’t really do anything except watch me. Will she ever outgrow this? Thanks. Rocky

Dear Rocky:
You’re a good big brother and very patient. Kady probably looks up to you so she can learn what to do.

Yes, she will outgrow her need to be picked up, although she will not be as big as you are. Continue to be patient and if she gets scared, let her know you will watch out for her. My big brother took care of me too.

Dear Miss Terrier:
I’m Chico, a very small dog, and sometimes strangers scare me. They think I’m just a Chihuahua and I’m friendly. I think it’s because they want to touch me or hold me. My owner will bring me to a rally where there are many other RVers there. When they ask permission, my owner will allow them to pet me. He says, "t’s OK" and I know if he’s there, it will be all right. RVers are usually nice and some of them have dogs too. Sometimes people will put the back of their hand out for me to sniff, but if I can’t see the inside of their hand, I don't know what they’re holding. It could be something bad. What should I do?

Dear Chico:
I understand your concern. First, let me say that RVers are the best people. You’re right: many of them have dogs of all sizes and breeds. There is a man who comes to the park where my owner works and he wears a red jacket with the Good Sam smiling man on it. In fact, he looks like the smiling man. The best part is he has two pockets in his jacket: one has small dog biscuits and one has bigger ones. He gives them to all the dogs he meets with permission from their owners, of course.

I’m small too and must be careful. Maybe if strangers extended an open hand where we could see that it was empty, it would make us feel better. My owner seems to know whom to trust and allows them to pet me if I’m willing. Most of the time, I am. They might give me a treat!

Dear Miss Terrier:
I heard that truck drivers don’t like RVers because they don’t know how to drive or they drive too slow. They also don’t like it when they have to share a truck stop with RVers. Is that true? I like trucks because the drivers bring my dog food or steaks to the store, or they deliver packages to my human that makes him smile. Brutus

Dear Brutus:
My driver’s brother-in-law is a long-haul trucker and he doesn’t mind RVs. He and the other truckers call them “marshmallows” and said the other truckers especially like looking at the female RVers because they’re pretty. I don’t know about that but my driver talks to them on the CB when we travel. It’s fun to listen to the other voices even though I don’t understand most of the words.

My driver likes truckers and I like truckers because they bring us things we need—especially food! 

Dear Miss Terrier:
I hate it when it rains. My human doesn’t like to take me out for a walk and when he does, he takes a long time to get ready. He puts on galoshes (they’re rubber and they smell strange), a raincoat, a hat, and carries a flashlight. By the time we get outside, it’s almost too late, if you know what I mean. What do you do when it’s raining? McNealy

Dear McNealy,
You have my sympathy. My driver sighs sometimes too when I let her know I need to go. But then she smiles. She puts on a poncho and carries a flashlight too. If it’s really raining hard, I will sometimes go under the RV to take care of my needs.

Then the best part happens. We step inside and I wait for her. She takes a towel and dries my paws, then my ears and then rubs my fur until I’m warm. Then we get comfy on the seat and snuggle together to listen to the rain. Sometimes we take a nap. Mostly, I think I like rain.

Dear Miss Terrier:
My name is Zelda and I’m a Jack Russell terrier. I’m very lucky because my human is a chef. She makes many treats for me and I think it would be a good idea to have her make some dog biscuits for me. Do you have a recipe you can share? Thank you. 

Dear Zelda,
Thank you for asking. Here is the recipe my cook uses. She found it in the Storey’s Country Wisdom calendar. The biscuits are yummy. It’s hard to wait for them because I can smell them cooking in the oven. I hope you like them as much as I do:

Dear Miss Terrier:
My driver likes to wake up late and leave in the afternoon. Then he drives and drives until I have to bark and tell him I need to go out. I think he forgets. After he stops, then he drives until it’s dark outside. Then he sighs a lot because he doesn’t know where to go and wants to stop. What can I do to help him?

Buster

Dear Buster,
That must be frustrating for you. We are dependent on our drivers to take us to new places to explore. I think you’re right and he might have forgotten that you need to stop. If he drives until it’s dark outside, he might be forced to park anywhere he can. Sometimes it’s a parking lot and it doesn’t have any grass or trees or places to sniff for previous visitors. You’ll only get a short walk and then you’ll have to go inside again.

My driver leaves early in the morning after I’ve had a chance to explore a little bit. Then we drive when it’s light outside and I can see everything. When she stops, it’s still light outside and we have time for another long walk. She makes sure there are trees or grass nearby. Then she finds a place to spend the night and I have a walk before we go to bed.

Miss Terrier thinks you could find some way to remind your driver to read this and maybe he’ll change his mind. I hope so.

Dear Miss Terrier:
I'm a cat, 8 years old, and my human has been with me all of my life (except for my first weeks in kittenhood). 3 years ago, my human decided to buy this huge contraption called an RV. And worse yet, she insisted that I had to ride in it. Our first trip was traumatic for me.

I kept trying to crawl into her lap and she kept pushing me away because of some silly excuse about "running off the road." But once my human assured me that she wasn't trying to get rid of me, and buying the RV was about having me with her instead of leaving me home by myself in an empty house where some strange human called a pet sitter stops by once a day to feed me, we were fine. However, I am having problems during the driving part. When my human drives, I bury myself under the covers in the bed and hang on for dear life until we get there. Sometimes I wet my pants. My human is puzzled by this, and has tried withholding water and food until we get there but this isn't working. My human has tried to give me many potty breaks during the trip, but I still have problems. My human does not believe in drugs unless it's absolutely necessary. I only have this problem on the outbound trip, when we are going back home, I have no problem. I really don't want to wet my pants. Is there something we can try? Or should I convince my human to take RV driving lessons to solve this problem?

Dear Creampuff and JJ,
First, I thank both of you for trusting a member of a different species to advise you on a proper and mutually beneficial course of action. Second, may I suggest that you, Creampuff, immediately stop being wicked and harassing your human at 3:00 AM? We are, after all, domesticated animals, not barbarians. Do not make your human cranky and frustrated. JJ depends on you for companionship, affection and keeping the occasional mouse from setting up housekeeping inside your RV. You depend on her for food, drink, a clean litter box, companionship and adventure. You don’t want to be left at home with one of those dreadful pet sitters, do you?

Dear Miss Terrier:
Your cook is a vegetarian, right? What does she do about feeding you? Do you eat meat or only vegetables? Does she give you treats?

Yes, my cook is a vegetarian but she takes very good care of me. She cooks a chicken, takes all the meat off the bones and puts some in my dish. She also makes scrambled eggs and adds them to my dry food. Sometimes I get food from a can and it’s yummy. For treats, I get dog biscuits or a small rawhide chewy.

She always gives me bottled water too. When we’re on the road, there is no chance that I will get sick from drinking water from a strange place. I hope you treat your dog as well as my cook does.

Dear Miss Terrier:
When my children were younger, they used to love to go camping. We would take a tent trailer, put in a box of food, a cooler with ice in it, and they would each pack a storage container with their clothes and toys. Now that we have an RV and the oldest is a teenager, she doesn’t want to be anywhere near her family, especially her parents. She sulks and rolls her eyes when I suggest going to a campground or RV park. The younger children still think camping is fun. What can I do to make everyone happy?

A. You have quite a dilemma. Your oldest is at the stage when she thinks her parents don’t know anything and don’t understand. When my chauffeur’s stepdaughter was a teenager, she was the same way. So she was given two important responsibilities: navigator and meal planner. She would read the map and give directions. After we arrived at the site, the others would set up camp while she started preparing the meal. Her favorite (and mine) was beef stew in a big cast iron pot over the campfire. Somehow, no matter how careful she was, she would always drop some small pieces of beef. I would help with clean-up, of course. Yum!

Miss Terrier recommends making a list of items that need to be done on any camping trip. Let your oldest choose a task or two first. If she chooses to cook, she will feel much better when everyone tells her how much they like the tasty meal. Everyone smiles when their tummy is full. Me too!

Dear Miss Terrier,
Who designed RV kitchens? I've looked at all sizes of RVs from 18-foot van conversions to 45-foot motorhomes. It's frustrating. None of them have enough counter space and if you cover the sink to create more working space, you can't use your sink. If you were to design the perfect RV kitchen, what would it look like?

A. Well, I guess those designers don't cook. If they did, they would know how hard it is to prepare a meal with a small preparation area. Miss Terrier recommends that you only cover half the sink. That way, you have room to prepare a meal and you can still scrape the scraps into the sink. I can help if the food falls on the floor, of course. A better idea would be to make more counter space. My owner wanted a lot of space so she took out the couch and put in a long counter. That's kind of drastic so maybe you could use the top of the table. 

If I could design the perfect RV kitchen, it would have its own cook! And I would be fed first.

Dear Miss Terrier, 
Why do people buy such big RVs? They don't know how to drive them very well. They're scary to watch when they try to back up too.

A. I understand and sympathize. They don't see me when they back up. Sometimes they don't see me when they're going forward either. I watch them. When there are two people inside, one will drive and the other will get outside and yell at the one who is backing. "This way! No, not that way! The other right!" It's funny but it's also sad because those people are frustrated. That's not the way to have a good RV experience. 

Miss Terrier recommends taking a course at an RV driving school. If there isn't a class nearby, the new RVers should take their RV to a big parking lot and practice, practice, practice like my driver did. That way, the other kids won't laugh at them when they go to an RV park or campground.

Dear Miss Terrier, 
When you are on the road, do you keep your propane turned on?  Somebody told me it wasn’t safe to do that and it has to be shut off when you’re at the gas pump.

A. My driver turns off the propane at the tank before we leave. It’s on her checklist and she never forgets. The refrigerator only works on propane and the water heater doesn’t need to be on. If the pilots for the refrigerator and water heater are lit, the wind would blow them out. She doesn’t cook when she’s driving so the stove and oven don’t need to be on. 

When my driver stops for gas, she doesn’t have to worry about remembering to turn off the propane.  Miss Terrier thinks you should shut off the propane when you leave. Better safe than sorry!