Guest Author - Dennise Ziaja

One of the joys of traveling is meeting new people while exploring the roads of North America and beyond. Many folks do this as couples, and many singles also choose to travel…if only to find where it is they would like to eventually settle when it is time to hang up the keys. Since Paul and I have been fulltimimg, we have noticed that many RVer’s both the singles and the couples share their rig with a beloved pet and companion. We didn’t have a dog when we started…just an aging kitty of 16 who was content to sleep away her remaining days. We’ve always had a dog in a stix and bricks house, usually of the large variety; Paul loves Labrador retrievers so we have had several over the years. After putting down our last Lab, Oscar, I was so upset over losing him I swore I would never give my heart away like that again. For quite a while, I was content with not having to worry about leaving the rig for an extended day of sightseeing. Our old kitty could be on her own, using her litter box and eating and drinking whenever she liked while watching the campground activity out the window from the safety of the top of the couch. If we were gone from early morning until very late, she was fine, although she would make her displeasure with our absence well known with a very long vocal scolding. Paul could get her to stop her complaining by holding her for awhile and telling her how sorry he was. I am serious…I am not making this up!

After meeting so many folks and getting my puppy fix from visiting and playing with quite a few traveling fur kids, I started to yearn for a companion of my own. Paul was dead set against this, and flatly said no on several occasions. Did this deter me from finding a little fur kid of my own? Certainly not! While workamping in Branson Missouri this past summer, I stumbled upon an ad on the local internet site. I found a gal who had four little Yorkipoos for sale. She was not a breeder; she had purchased the toy poodle female that had already been bred with a Yorkshire terrier. They both weighed under five pounds, so she was certain that the puppies would be five pounds or under. Perfect. A little fur kid that would always stay puppy sized. So after years of being puppy-less, Mack came to live with us in our motorhome. At six weeks old he weighed 13 ounces. He was immediately the hit of the campground…everyone just went gaga over this little puff of black and white fur. I had purchased a crate, some puppy training pads, food and other stuffies that puppies need. We were all set. We even purchased little baggies to “pick up” the outdoor droppings. We were going to have a well trained and obedient puppy. Right. Stay tuned.

Next week, I’ll talk about finding a vet while on the road, pet emergencies, “pet peeves” of campground owners, and how to get your campground neighbors to really hate you and your dog or cat.

Just one simple new recipe to share...I know, this is for PUPPY treats, but boy, this are a big hit with all Mack's playmates!

Puppy Treats

1 lb beef liver
2 eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon garlic powder

Set oven at 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 8 X 8 square pan. Set aside.

In food processor, add liver and process until liquid. Add garlic powder, and eggs, pulse to mix. Add flour and pulse to just mixed. Pour mix into pan and bake at 350 degress for about 30 minutes or until firm to the touch. Cool and then slice into squares. Keep in the freezer in ziplock bags.

OK, I don't own a food processor, so I liquified the liver(I know...ick) in my magic bullet blender...worked fine. Added the other stuff and the dough was kinda thick so I added some milk...you could add water. The stuff "should" be pourable into the pan somewhat. I over baked mine but that was fine...rig ovens are less than easy to work with...and the dog in this rig LOVES these...I cut them into very, very small pieces and I had two quart sized baggies of lil' treats. My Mack is only a shrimpy 3.5 pounds at 5 months old so I wanted to use these as training treats and kept them very small. I have to admit that I detest liver...and it took everything I had in me not to have the dry heaves making this after I smelled the liver...BUT like any mom out there, I would do anything for my furbaby!