Just wanted to let all of you pet campers know about a problem we ran into last DEC.
We had bought a used 99 Tiffin (the year and make have nothing to do with this problem it could happen on almost any RV) the year before and had used it almost every week end since. We bought a used coach because we knew we were going to pull some of the interior out to carry our 8 AKC Pointers to dog shows. Seemed stupid to me to buy a new coach and tear part of it up. We had no problems all year and had loaded and unloaded the dogs for many trips. Once we get to a show sites we also have to bring the dogs in and out many times for exercise and to potty. Still no problems.
One of our pointers had done very well and was invited to go to an invitation only show(they had to be ranked in the top 10 in the US) in Long Beach Ca. We had this nice RV and my wife and I decided to take two weeks to go out to Ca and back. On our way out we stopped to see a lot of the things along the way. We stopped at the Grand Canyon and stayed at the Camper Village along the south rim. It was off season so we had very few other campers around us. On the first night while my wife was out exercising our dog Brodie he suddenly stopped. He would not move he just stared at the the woods. Then ever so quietly 5 large deer walked calmly onto the road and passed right in front of them. The first one stopped, like if it were a crossing guard and looked at my wife and Brodie, as the others passed by then it walked off and followed. It was wonderful, we have hunted a lot and seen a lot of deer before but never had they walked by so calm. After that we decided we would spend the whole next day and spend one more night before heading off to Ca. The next morning we got, up potty the dogs and then took the Samie (our toad is a Suzuki samurai) out to explore. We arived back at the RV at about noon for lunch and to exorcize the dogs again (ps for the posters that complain about dog barking in rv at camp grounds...Ours rarely do and its usually because some ones noisy kid, they should have to have kids on a leash, has screamed or spooked them. We found that the exercise and a tv work wonderful for our dogs besides pointers point they don't bark...much) When my wife was bring in the last dog, as she had for many times with all the dogs for over a year, the wind blew the screen door shut just as Abby was going up the steps. The bottom corner of the screen door(unknown to us until now) was very sharp and hit our oldest female right on her side along her ribs and split her skin open for about 10 inches. Our dogs are lucky calm and my wife even calmer. She grabbed some Maxi Pads (feminine products to us men) put Abby down on the couch and held the skin together while I went to the park office. Now the Canyon Village has a kennel that people could leave their pets at and I thought that for sure they would have a vet,may be not on sight but one on call? Nope they don't. Then the park office staff thought they would try the park rangers, they have a wild animal vet that they call if they see any wild animals needing attention. Well lucky for me the wound on Abby although it needed attention it was not life threatening because they refused also. So the park staff then called and asked the kennel were the nearest vet was...OVER 100 MILES AWAY??? So we unhooked the RV and left all the hoses and the samie behind and drove to the vet. After 200 miles and the wait at the vet it was dark when we got back, so much for our day at the canyon. Oh well now we will have to go back some day. Any way Abby is doing fine (she is back to her NO FEAR self) and the door has since been filed and rounded and padded. So please campers with pets CHECK THE BOTTOM OF YOUR DOORS it just goes to show that just because something has worked well and even for a long time their might always be some little stupid thing that we did not notice.
My two shepherds were coming in the trlr tonite and one snuck under the screen door and yelped a bit as she was excited to go into the trlr and could not wait, very good of you to post your experience warning others, advice is well taken here, and hope that your pooch heals up quick.
There is a method to the madness, disturb the method and the madness begins.
WOW! I never thought of how sharp the edge of the screen might be! Thanks for the heads up. Glad to hear Abby is doing well, it sounds like she has some great owners. You just never know when certain supplies will come in handy, good thinking on your wife's part.
Cat
(Jim just reads the forum once in a while)
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some sort of battle.... Live simply, love wholly, give generously, care deeply, speak kindly.
There was a poster a while back, rockhillmanor I think, he had a link for a product that slid right over the corner, he said it held well and didn't fall off, maybe someone else would have a recollection of that.
Chuck
Wonderful Wife
Lovely German Shepherd.
1999 Mercedes ML320 TV
2003 Wanderer 187TB Toybox (3620# UVW, 4800# loaded) Not yet camped in Hawaii, 2 Canada Provinces, & 2 Territories. I can't be lost because I don't care where this lovely road is going
I agree with james ryan, you had some very valuable information and it is important for people to know but it was lost in the travelogue about deer and kids and barking.
USN Retired
2007 Cedar Creek 30 RLSTS
2008 F350, DRW, V-10, B&W hitch,
Pressure Pro, JT Strongarms
Jasper our greyhound sliced open his back leg (above the paw about 1" long) on the corner of the screen door. He did not yelp, but he bled profusely. We were at our national finals and there was no vet nearby, so we doctored him ourselves. Applied pressure to stop the bleeding, then used super glue to close the wound, covered the wound with gauze, and wrapped with with vet wrap and tape. We checked the wrap to ensure it was not too tight and we kept an eye on the wound to make sure it didn't reopen. We travel with a well stocked first aid kit; and having treated our sheep for wounds in the past it was not outside our experience.
Mark
Mark & Renee
Jasper the Greyhound
Working Border Collies: Duncan (retired), Rae, Gyp (retired), Jody, Peg, Bette, BJ & Nell
2001 Chevy Express 2500 Cargo (rolling kennel)
2007 Nash 22M
Offline
You just never know when certain supplies will come in handy, good thinking on your wife's part.
