TEN FOUR MAGAZINE - TRUCKING ON-LINE MAGAZINE FOR TRUCKERS

FEBRUARY 2004 TRUCKER TALK

A TRUCKER'S
BEST FRIEND
By Owner Operators Rod & Kim Grimm

As our furry sweethearts look up at us with those big brown eyes I often wonder who really owns who? Lizzie, our very own very furry sweetheart, has her people pretty well trained. We got her when she was eight weeks old and she just turned five (years) on January 27th (extra doggie treat day)! Oh, how time flies.

After losing Jasmine, our first Cocker Spaniel, I just couldn’t come back to an empty truck. And now, after having her and our latest, Lizzie, we will never truck without the company of a dog again. I’d like to dedicate this story to Jasmine, and to all the drivers who have lost their beloved trucking companions.

Lizzie got in the truck the first night as if she’d been in a truck all her life. She added so much to our lives on the road, as well as at home. Lizzie was named Elizabeth by the breeder, because she was the “Queen of the litter”. We left the name because it took her about two seconds to become the “Queen of the truck”! With Lizzie, we got to experience puppyhood – and what a cute little five pound baby she was. I remember her playing in her first snow and trying to snap at snowflakes up near Binghamton, NY. She’s got our hearts pretty well wrapped around those big old doggie paws.

Being on the road with a pet, if allowed by your company, is worth the extra effort. Always be sure to carry a few gallons of water so they aren’t drinking from different places all over the country. Lizzie takes Sentinel all year long for heartworms and fleas. The vet recommends that we give her these pills all year because of the warm to cold climates we travel through. We’ve found that vets everywhere are very accommodating when you have an emergency with your pet while on the road. Sometimes you may have to drop your trailer to get to a vet, but it’s not any different than the time I had to drop the trailer to get Rod to an emergency room.

Lots of PetsMarts and Petco’s are accessible by truck if they are in a mall. As well as getting food and toys, you can get Rover a bath and haircut too. And they now sell leashes that have a place for bags, so you can pick up doggie business at shippers and receivers. Or they also have little plastic fire-hydrant-shaped holders for these same little bags that you can attach to the leash you already have. We’ve met a lot of neat pets out on the road over the years, so we thought it would be nice to introduce some of them to you.

We met Lucky and William Free of Abbeville, AL in Ripon CA. Lucky really was a very appropriate name for this dog! At a picnic area outside of Van Horn, TX another driver told William to be sure not to forget his dog. A really sick Lucky had been tied to one of William’s trailer dolly legs with a broken purse strap. Had the other driver not told him he was there, he might very well have driven off, not knowing.

But, thankfully, that didn’t happen. Instead, this story has a very happy ending for this little Cocker Spaniel/Beagle mix. After going to the vet and getting the medical care he needed, he found a very nice home with William in a Kenworth T2000. He’s made this man say, “I haven’t found a woman I’d fight for, but I’d fight for my dog!” What a truly “lucky” dog to have captured the heart of such a great guy.

William pulls a flatbed and told me that one day, after Lucky had got better, he had a delivery to the Children’s Pediatric Cancer Center in Salt Lake City. The nurse’s saw the special little dog hanging out the window and fell in love. How could they not? The nurses came out, got him and took him inside for the kids to see and hold (dad had to stay outside). A nice story was later published in a Salt Lake City newspaper about this impromptu visit. Talk about a positive trucker image story!!

Lucky loves hanging out the truck’s window. The “Wonder Mutt” also likes to sleep on his back in William’s arms. The vet deduced that he was about two and a half years old, so hopefully he’ll be out here touching lives for many years to come.

Making a pickup in Windsor, CA we met Ron “Pete” Peterson in the parking lot where he was playing with his dog. After researching which breed would be good for their family, they decided on an Australian Shepherd and have not been disappointed. Pete’s boys named the six week old puppy Cyrus, after a skateboard.

Now, at three years old, he’s been riding on the truck since he became a family member. Riding in a 1992 Volvo, Pete and Cyrus run local and get to go home to Sonoma, CA every night. Everyone at Pete’s stops knows Cyrus and keeps doggie treats on hand. At home, Cyrus likes to go to soccer games and watch and, when he gets the chance, he likes to herd the kids on the soccer field. He hates being left home alone and waits by the door for his people to return.

Pete says Cyrus is a fast learner when it comes to doggie tricks. He knows sit up, bow, wave, and roll over, play dead, give ya 10, and fetch the paper. A nudge from his nose translated means, “I’m hungry dad.”

Cyrus’ favorite thing to do is go to the dog park – a fenced area where dogs can run together. He likes being around other dogs. He’s also a girl lover. Once at a soccer game, he crawled up to a woman on a blanket with a baby, rolled over and put his head in her lap. What a flirt!

Rich and Eileen Klink of Hartford, WI have two babies in their 2000 Kenworth. Thirteen-year-old Maxie has cataracts and they think she is losing her sight. Rich picked up the Bassett Hound/Golden Retriever mix at a milk farm when he was hauling milk. She rode with him in the milk trucks until Rich and Eileen got on the road together.

Freeway came on board when they were making a delivery at a grocery warehouse that was being built in Memphis, TN. She was one of six puppies and one male dog at the construction sight. No one knows what happened to the mama dog. But before they left, all the puppies had found trucking homes and the male dog was going home with a construction worker. Freeway is a cute Corgi/Mutt mix.

Maxie was like a mama dog to Freeway. She helped Freeway learn her way around the truck and around the farm. As much as they like being on the truck, they both enjoy being home too. Living just a short run from “grandma and grandpa’s” house, they visit them often when home. And when needed, grandma and grandpa are great “dog sitters” for the grandpuppies. At grandma and grandpa’s they get their own dinner plate with half on each side of the plate – they have to share.

Maxie is a mama’s girl. If Eileen is driving, she’s in the passenger seat and if she’s sleeping, it’s back to the bunk. Freeway has her spot between the passenger seat and door when
the truck is moving. Now that Maxie’s sight is failing, Freeway is taking the lead and they stay together. Lucky Rich – three girls in the truck!!

If you own a dog, you know how we feel about these furry balls of love that ride with us, making the trips seem a little shorter. Except the few times we have to have a sniff-fest at potty time or when Lizzie thinks she’s a duck that loves rain, it’s all good. If you’re thinking about getting a dog to ride along, congratulations!

Be safe out there! Look out for those prickly stickers – particularly in the south. If your pup stops and holds a paw in the air, guess what? Now you get to get stuck too while pulling them out. Be sure to say “Hi” if you see us. And guys, remember, most girls love dogs (especially an adorable puppy) but they do grow up. Make sure you’re ready for all the responsibilities that having a dog entails (no pun intended).