The idea of sitting around the campfire roasting some marshmallows and singing some Willie Nelson songs while your dog is curled up next to you sounds amazing. But how likely is this going to happen when you bring your urban dog on a camping trip?
Now, you know your dog better than I, so perhaps your dog is the exception to the rule, but let’s see how your dog does on the following camping readiness test.
| Stimuli | Your Dog’s Reaction – Let’s Go Camping | Your Dog’s Reaction – Better Stay Home |
| Recology truck drives by at 5:00 am | Nothing – you and your dog continue to snooze away for another 2 hours before you gently awake, make coffee and then quietly awaken your dog for breakfast. | What the hell, someone is stealing our garbage! |
| A cat walks along the fence between your backyard and your neighbor. | Nothing – your dog is happy to share the fence with other four-legged friends & wonders what value is the top of the fence anyway? | WTF! There is a cat in our yard. Getting the fence replaced is well worth it if chewing through it is the cost of keeping a cat off it. |
| Another dog walks by your house while your dog is napping. | Nothing – why would a dog walking by be worth interrupting a nap? | Are you kidding me? There is another dog on our street. Who allowed this to happen? If I bark loud enough to shatter the front pain window, maybe they’ll move. |
| A log in your fireplace crackles as it ignites into a beautiful fire. | Nothing – ok, maybe a nice yawn and stretch as your dog snuggles up while you finish off your last sip of whiskey and close the amazing book you’ve been reading on the sofa. | Holy crap – call 911. |
Ok, grade your dog with 1 point for every “Let’s Go Camping” answer and a minus 1 for every “Better Stay Home” answer. If your dog scored 2 or more – have fun camping; if your dog scored less than 2, all we have to say is “squirrel.”
Thanks for reading.