This is my 17th year as a professional driver. I’ve been most everywhere and seen most everything. Some recurring themes such as the weather, road construction, crazy drivers and so forth I think will always be a part of the scene out here on the road. One of the oft repeated stories we see involves the transport of bed mattresses. Now I realize that this seems like an innocent enough endeavor but believe me, it’s more work than it looks. I’ve lost track of the number of cars and pickups on the side of the freeway attempting to retrieve a fly-away mattress or just trying to tie it down more securely so that the front of it doesn’t act like a 12-inch thick canvas-and-spring sailing mast. What a wonderful effect that has on one’s fuel mileage. I hear a few of you snickering already… I think most of us have attempted to haul our own mattress at some point in our lives. This particular day finds us in Denver Colorado. A nice afternoon under sunny skies. What could possibly go wrong? The location is a Sears off-site facility. It’s an old warehouse in the industrial part of town with narrow roads and difficult turns for the big rigs. A place where customers go to pick up over-size orders such as appliances, electronics and furniture. It’s also where the 18-wheelers bring their trailers full of Sears merchandise to be unloaded. We park out in the front lot and go inside with our order form. About 25 minutes is the expected wait time so we chose to sit out in the van. When your order comes out on the dock, you back your vehicle up and the stockperson helps load your item. It’s up to you to secure it. The next order out was a rather large mattress – most likely a king-sized. They are heavy and awkward but the two gentleman in the car along with the help from the dock get the mattress squared away on the top of their 2-door sedan. I notice the vehicle because of the happy dog in the back seat. A medium-sized generic variety canine, he’s just thrilled to be a part of the adventure. He jumps into the front seat whenever his people get out, barks non-stop while they are gone and then hops into the back seat when they return. The driver, whom I shall call Mr. Bigg and his buddy Slim, get to work right away on securing the mattress to the roof of the car. They have plenty of rope which they wrap around the top of the mattress and through the window several times until they are sure the mattress is secure. The dog is delirious. Each time the rope is passed through the car, he is there, barking and chasing. What a grand game! Okay, all tied down and ready to go. Uh oh. One problem. The doors are now tied shut. Practical Slim slides his legs in through the passenger window and onto the seat and he’s ready to go. His buddy Mr. Bigg doesn’t think that’s funny. There is no chance that he’s able to do the same thing. The dog is just sitting in the back seat now looking from one to the other. So, Slim slips out of the car window and they untie the whole thing. This time they repeat the process with the doors open. Goes much faster and Rover decides to just observe. He got enough exercise, thank you, on the first round. There! All done and ready to go. Uh oh. One problem. The doors won’t close with the rope around the frame. Rover’s eyes are about to pop out of his head, “I wish I could talk! Mr. Bigg, you get in the car and have Slim tie the mattress down then he can slip back in the window and we’ll be on our way!” But the humans did not think of this. Both of them are clearly unhappy as they untie their handiwork once again. Only the top of Rover’s head is visible now as he slinks down into the back seat undoubtedly blushing red under his fine tan coat. Mr. Bigg and Slim stand on opposite sides of the car and discuss what to do next. Well, the only thing left, they suppose, is to just drive careful and they’ll each stick one arm out the window and hold the mattress in place that way. They position themselves and start across the parking lot in the old sedan. Rover sinks completely out of view. Even the dog knows this is not going to work. The exit driveway is a little steep at the end and due to some overpass pillars it’s hard to see what’s coming down the street from the right. Which is where the big trucks turn to get into the dock area behind the warehouse. Uh oh – I know you see this one coming. Yup, just as the sedan gets to the bottom of the driveway, Mr. Bigg stands on the accelerator to pull out then has to slam on the brakes as a semi appears around the corner. The trucker jams on his brakes and comes to a stop – on top of the mattress which shot off the roof of the car like a 10-ton flying carpet. I’m pretty sure the dog hitch-hiked home.
Ferrets, Parrots, Tigers and Bears – Oh My!
August 10th, 2011
A tame type of tiger!
The ferrets were another fun adventure. The first ones had cages with small slats so I didn’t worry about anyone’s paws or nose going where they shouldn’t. The last one, a very friendly little gal named Eve had a larger cage with big spaces between the bars. I opened the side door to the van one afternoon to find Barnum sitting next to the cage with one little arm stuck all the way into Eve’s cage. He was sitting very still like this while Eve, on the inside was snuffling her nose all the way up and down Barnum’s leg. I held my breath. A ferret bite can be very nasty. When she was done, she walked closer to the bars and she and Barnum sniffed noses. A few times for the rest of the trip I would see Barnum asleep on the floor by the cage with Eve sleeping ‘next’ to him on the on the inside.
For the most part we have enjoyed all the various pawsengers that have traveled with us. Some like the singing parrot and a ferret named Eve will always be favorite memories. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
My Pet Pet Peeve
July 17th, 2011
Dogs should be social enough to be good traveling companions.
We haul ‘em all – big or small, cute or ugly, nice or not. Most of the dogs that we ship on the pet transport van are happy, well-adjusted and easy enough to handle. But then there are those that are dog, cat, or even people aggressive. How does this happen? The biggest cause of anti-social behavior in dogs is a lack of an alpha-figure in the household. The dog doesn’t have a leader to follow and so takes it upon himself to defend and protect ‘his’ pack and his territory. The other leading cause of this unacceptable behavior is purely a lack of socialization. When dogs do not have other dogs, cats or pets with which to interact, they become self-centered and greedy. MY food, MY bed and so on. When we must handle a dog who is aggressive in any way, even if it’s only over the food bowl, the risk of bite to ourselves or attempted attack on another pet is greatly increased. We’ve shipped several dogs who were fine with family members but outwardly aggressive towards us. Think about it! When you got that cute little puppy, did it occur to you that since you didn’t bother to take the time to socialize or train him, he’d turn out to be a risk for someone handling your dog for shipment at a later date? No, of course not. This is something, unfortunately, that happens over time. No time for training, no time to correct the pup for inappropriate behavior and just a couple years later, when you’re relocating unexpectedly, you also have a dangerous dog to ship. We ship at least a dozen dogs a year that require ‘special handling’. Maybe out of the couple hundred we ship yearly that doesn’t seem like many but what if just one of those dogs managed a serious bite on the driver? That could interupt service for the other pawsengers and cause a serious loss of income besides all the medical and financial problems related to a dog-bite. I recently received an e-mail from a lady on the west coast who was having to relocate for her job 2,000 miles away. She stated in her message that she would have to ride along with us due to the fact that her dog would bite anytime she wasn’t around to control him. What? I politely declined her request for a quote. There are two endorsements I don’t have on my CDL, and passenger is one of them. Not to mention that taking on an admittedly aggressive dog just increases the potential for disaster. I talk with many owners that start out by saying, “He’s really a nice dog except…” That’s obviously not a good sign. I suppose the good news is that most dogs adjust to the drivers rapidly and almost every dog that rides with us becomes bonded to some extent.
So, is there a cure? You bet! When you get that new pup or even older dog, make sure you can set aside enough time each day for some basic training. It doesn’t have to be long, just consistant. Those of you who knew my Kixx enjoyed him and his ambassador-class manners. All that Kixx knew and did he learned in 4 or 5 five minute training sessions a day. That’s it! Also take the time to learn a bit about dog behaviors and make sure he’s well socialized with other pets and people. And NO! they don’t have to be mean or be kept isolated to be effective guard dogs. The best K-9′s are those that love kittens, seniors and biting bad guys. Please, for the sake of your pet and your transporter, take the initiative to work with your dog a little each day.
Tornado!
May 28th, 2011This is an experience from Memorial Day weekend a few years ago when I was driving my 18-wheeler and it’s too long to be a blog, it’s more of a short story. Read it through and perhaps you will forgive me for being so wordy!
Late spring out on the plains can often produce unsettled weather. But not today, it was the most perfect morning I had ever seen. Up and out of my 18-wheeler at daybreak, I was walking around my trailer as the sun finally yawned and stretched, pushing golden fingers of brilliant sunshine across the sky. It scattered the last hint of nighttime, revealing a crisp, blue sky completely void of clouds. The air was still with not even enough of a breath of wind to transport a hitchhiking dandelion puff. I fired up my rig and headed west. In Amarillo, Texas I stopped for a quick break then I turned south on I-27. I now noticed that my perfectly blue sky had begun to manufacture clouds that sat lazily on the southern horizon like huge balls of cotton candy and a breeze had started up. Arriving in Lubbock by late morning, I dropped my loaded trailer at a customer’s warehouse and drove a couple more miles to pick up a set of trailers that needed to be shuttled to El Paso. Doubles or “pups” as drivers like to call them, are not too bad to haul but they can sure get squirrelly in the wind or on slick roads. By the time I had switched my trailers, fueled my tractor and filled out my logs those fluffy clouds had turned a nasty shade of grey with sheets of heat lightning, although I was too far from the storm to hear the thunder. The breeze was now a light wind. I left town just before noon, picking up US 87, still heading south. Not 10 miles south of Lubbock, I realized that I was headed into a summer thunderstorm. These are quite frequent out here. The wind was getting a little stronger so I shut off the cruise control and dropped a gear. There is nothing out in this part of Texas other than pastures, a handful of trees that are more like bushes, herds of cattle and their barbed wire boundaries. I noticed the cattle this day because they were all standing around with their heads (and horns) stuck in these bushes. How strange, I thought. As it turned out though, those cows were smarter than me. The raindrops started, at first just huge scattered drops, the wind came in gusts – I dropped another gear – and I was now close enough to hear the thunder that quickly followed each lightning strike. I knew without looking that both cats had disappeared into one of the closets. They do not like thunder. I would not, in fact, see either of them again until the next day. Another 10 miles and I hit it. A severe storm cell. It was like driving through a wall and coming out in a different world. Instead of the cloudburst I knew was coming, it was more like the clouds had bumped into the earth and were skidding along the ground. The rain was instant and hard, the water collecting so fast on the road that I worried about hydroplaning. At high noon in Texas, it was pitch black. The thunder and lightning came together. Deafening loud, even the trailer walls would suck in with each roll; the lightning turned the landscape into photo negatives in need of processing. My C.B. radio screeched and howled but I was afraid to touch the metal switch to turn it off. The lightning struck the treetops, becoming St. Elmo’s Fire and rolled along down the line of trees and I suddenly understood what those cows were all about. I slowed down as quickly as possible, fighting the steering wheel against the driving winds. I had to get off the freeway. There was no way that I would be able to keep those trailers upright in this situation. In the next flash, I saw a blue sign indicating a rest area coming up. I was doing about 30 mph by now and touched the brakes to try and slow enough for the exit ramp. My rear pup went out of control and started skidding into the next lane. I could see the company logo on the side of the trailer in my mirror. My brain was screaming at me to do something – jackknife… skidding wheel leads… can’t stop it… gotta outrun it… I stood on the accelerator. For a sickening second I thought that my drive tires would lose their traction in the standing water on the road surface but the 470 diesel-fed horses responded and the tractor jumped forward, yanking the errant pup back into line as I shot past the rest area. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to stop there. The only good news I could manage at that moment was that I knew I was heading through the storm. I was going south and it was traveling northwest. A couple hundred more yards and I popped out of the menacing cloud. The visibility was more clear and the thunder and lightning behind me. But I could still hear the thunder roar. No, wait, that’s all wrong. Thunder rolls and crashes but it doesn’t roar. Tornadoes do. I looked to my left. Oh dear Lord, here it comes. My only chance was to get out of it’s path before it actually touched down. I picked up a gear and held on to the steering wheel for all I was worth. I could see the marker lights of two semis coming north. I grabbed the C.B. mic, hoping I wouldn’t get zapped, and yelled, “Break northbound!” I didn’t wait for a response, I just kept shouting, “Back it down, back it down, you’ve got a twister coming up on your blind side!” Both trucks’ hazard lights came on and they began to pull off to the side of the road. Another gust of wind, my trailers shuddered but kept moving. The first northbound truck was not as lucky. I yelled into the mic again, “STOP, northbound, STOP! Your trailer is breaking up.” The angry wind had managed to get a tendril into an unseen hole in a seam between the trailer sides and the roof and it peeled the roof right off, just as easy as you or I pulling the lid off a tin of sardines. The metal roof and bits of his cargo went crashing off into the pasture, dancing in the wind like a child’s kite. Now the second driver was yelling at me, “Southbound, keep going, go on! Get out of here!” As much as I wanted to try to help, I could see the logic of this and kept driving. Another 20 minutes and the whole storm was just a surreal memory. The sky was bright and sunny in front of me, but the view in my mirrors was engulfed by black clouds and distant lightning. At Big Spring, I pulled into the truck stop parking lot, choosing a space off to one side. I moved from behind the wheel to sit on the bunk. I was hungry but speaking in the general direction of the closet I said, “I think I’ll just take a nap before I go inside for some dinner.” When I awoke, the sky was introducing another day, Barnum was sleeping in my arms and Wyatt was curled up behind my knees. I lay there for a minute, greeting the kitties and I told them, “Boy, I had an awful nightmare.” Getting up and out of the truck, I headed for the truck stop to get some breakfast. I was really hungry. Walking up to the entrance, I passed the usual newspaper racks and as I glanced down at them, I stopped in my tracks, my blood nearly froze. The headline of a local paper read “TORNADO DESTROYS REST AREA ON US 87″ …
Puppy Dog Scams
May 19th, 2011
Buy or adopt from reputable breeders and rescue groups. This sweet French Bulldog pup comes from breeder Laurie Potter of Caledonia, MI.
So, now, the scary thing is that these scammers are beginning to infiltrate rescue efforts as well. People who are supposedly interested in adopting from Rescue Groups are unfortunately getting away with stolen money and who knows what becomes of the poor pet caught in the middle. The M.O. is bascially the same. A check for more than the amount due is offered as tender with instructions to the payee to cash and return the extra funds. These checks are either from stolen accounts or are fraudulent checks drawn on non-existing accounts. We checked with our bank and were shown some amazing reproductions of the real thing. So, breeders and all you wonderful rescue folks out there – be careful!!! Things are not always what they seem. And if you’re in the market to purchase or rescue a pet, check the breeder or organization out carefully. Buy or adopt from someone that has been recommended to you or that you know of personally or can get someone to check out for you. We often do home-checks for Shelters across the country. A little time and effort can make a big difference here.
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Toll Bridges, Tunnels and Lifestyles
April 29th, 2011
Wyatt Earp Kitty going for a drive.
Look for us on the road, on Twitter, Facebook and our website too. Hope to see you soon!
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Spring?! Please?
April 9th, 2011
Flowers and buds on a spring day in OR.
“Wait another two weeks”, is the official word from Hollywood. We interviewed four weeks ago for one of five featured slots in a possible new TV reality show about animal transporters. My Wyatt Earp Kitty took an active interest and participated in the whole thing whether the camera crew wanted his help or not. I think he’d make a great star! So, stay tuned and we’ll post updates as we hear them.
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Hollywood? Are you kidding me?
March 21st, 2011
Wyatt Earp Kitty is too cool for words
It’ll be another week before we find out if we’re still in the running. There will be 5 companies featured and about 50 have agreed to interview. I feel like that proverbial snowball. Keep your fingers crossed for us and perhaps next year you’ll be able to follow along on our adventures! Check us out at website and Twitter too.
Winter Winter! Be Kind to Me!
January 10th, 2011
I-90 somewhere in Montana
Even folks in Florida this season are noticing that winter is here. Comes around every year folks but still there are those who are not prepared. Mostly for driving is what concerns me. You can’t drive like it was 80 degrees and sunny with perfectly dry road surfaces. I see so many wrecks out here on the road and many of them could have been prevented by using a little more caution. I had someone ask me the other day about what I thought about him driving from Minnesota to California this time of year. Nuts! I replied but the one thing I wanted him to know was DON’T use cruise control. We all get lazy or bored and don’t want to have to watch that ol’ speedometer while we’re singing along to our favorites tunes or doing other things which you probably shouldn’t be doing while you are driving. But here’s the biggest thing about cruise control. When you vehicle hits an icy patch or even standing water and your vehicle’s tires lose traction with the road surface you are in a skid, even if it only lasts a fraction of a second. Traction is actually what? It’s resistance and if there is no resistance that cruise control will shoot you into another lane, the median, another vehicle or worse. If your foot is on the accelerator, you will feel the instant difference and you can let off the gas. Steer straight – your wheels aren’t in contact with the ground so they’re not going to respond and if your wheels are turned sharply when they do connect again, guess what? You’re going to flip. A word about hauling trailers in the bad weather too – if your trailer starts to sway allow the vehicle to slow down naturally, don’t slam on your brakes. Remember the skidding wheel leads so if your trailer is skidding it’s going to want to pass you. If you go into a jack knife your only hope is to outrun the trailer. Slim chance of that in reality. Ah – a disaster monger; I hear you thinking! Not really. I want you (and me) to be safe out there and get where we are all going without any incidents. Happy 2011!
A Sweet Rescue
December 21st, 2010
A dog named Boone remembers his transporter.
When I opened the pet transport division of my trucking company I figured we would do family relocations and ship pups and kittens for breeders, maybe a few dogs for trainers but I never really thought I’d be transporting so many rescues. One of these dogs in particular – a Weim named Boone – I picked up from a shelter in San Antonio, TX a couple months ago. This was a young adult male who had cigarette burns on his hindquarters and a very serious heartworm infestation. He was scheduled for euthanasia the afternoon of the day I arrived. He could not be adopted out so I took him to a foster farm in Springfield, MO. All of his treatment and shipping costs were paid by volunteers. A few days ago I went back to the same foster facility and Boone saw the van coming up the drive. He about burst through the door and came racing up to me. He offered play bows, ran around the yard several times then returned to my side, took my hand gently in his mouth and just stood there staring at me. I was moved to tears. Did this beautiful dog actually know from what I rescued him and did he really remember me? I wrote him a poem and wish to dedicate it to all the great-hearted fuzzy friends I have made in this job so far.
Will You Love Me?
You saw my pic, read my ad,
Called the number, made me glad.
Won’t you come to my place?
I will dance and kiss your face.
I’ll even let you take me home.
I’ll stay with you, never roam.
Oh please don’t pass me by?
I don’t drink, cheat or lie.
I can sleep in your bed or on the floor.
I’m just a dog but I’ll love you forever more.
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