March 23, 2026

Paws, Claws & Life on the Road: Traveling Full-Time with Pets in Your RV

Paws, Claws & Life on the Road: Traveling Full-Time with Pets in Your RV

Send us Fan Mail Paws Claws & Life on the Road is Sponsored by RV Roofing Solutions Nomad life doesn’t have to mean leaving your pets behind. Jennifer and Tasha are joined by four special guests — Ashley and Steve from Campfires & Motors, Teal from Towed You So, and a very secret surprise guest host — for a laugh-filled, real-talk conversation about what it actually takes to travel full-time with your animals. From reactive dogs and emergency vet visits to ferret math and speedy anima...

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Season 2

Send us Fan Mail

Paws Claws & Life on the Road is Sponsored by RV Roofing Solutions

Nomad life doesn’t have to mean leaving your pets behind. Jennifer and Tasha are joined by four special guests — Ashley and Steve from Campfires & Motors, Teal from Towed You So, and a very secret surprise guest host — for a laugh-filled, real-talk conversation about what it actually takes to travel full-time with your animals. From reactive dogs and emergency vet visits to ferret math and speedy animals with built-in racing stripes, this one’s for every RVer who refuses to leave their furry, spikey, or slimey family member behind.

Learn How:

•        To source pet food on the road, even for large breeds or special diets

•        To handle emergency vet care far from home and why digital records are super important

•        Exotic pets can work on the road

•        To help pets adjust to a new rig and frequent moves

•        To avoid impulse adoptions (and what can happen when you don’t)

Links & Resources:

🚐 RV Roofing Solutions (sponsor): rvroofingsolutions.com

🐾 RVing with Pets (blog): learntorv.com/traveling-with-pets

🐕 Ashley & Steve — Campfires & Motors: campfiresandmotors.com

🦔 Teal — Towed You So: towedyouso.com

🐶 Westley the Frug

🏪 Tractor Supply (pet food + in-store vet clinics): tractorsupply.com

👥 Join Our Free Facebook Community: Learn to RV: The Community

📸 Follow Our Adventures: @LearnToRV

👉 More RV Life Resources: learntorv.com

📺 Watch on YouTube: Learn To RV Channel

🎙️ Podcast Website: learntorvthepodcast.com

💛 Support the Podcast:

Patreon (Join the Campfire Crew for bonus and exclusive content, early access, + swag)

Buy Me a Coffee (drop us a tip☕)

💬 Do you travel with pets? Share your best tips and funniest road stories in our Facebook community!

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WEBVTT

00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:08.480
We're here back at the Learn to RV podcast, and we're so excited you're here.

00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:12.320
Tonight's a really special episode because we don't have one guest co-host.

00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:14.560
We have three guest co-hosts.

00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:15.759
So that's gonna be fun.

00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:17.920
The first one, you might have known them before.

00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:19.920
They've been on our community spotlight series.

00:00:20.079 --> 00:00:22.160
You want to tell us who you are so we can go from there?

00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:22.719
Good.

00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:27.280
Awesome.

00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:32.079
We have two teenage kids that are gonna hopefully be quiet during this episode.

00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:35.359
And and of course you have a pet on the road too, right?

00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:36.479
Because that's why you're here.

00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:38.320
You can probably hear him, but yeah.

00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:40.079
He's wanted in the background.

00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:40.479
Okay.

00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:44.719
And then we have Teal here, and Teal is kind of a unique situation because she has.

00:00:44.880 --> 00:00:51.600
I want to keep it kind of under wraps what you have, like in your house, but you have an exotic pet in your house, correct?

00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:52.159
I I do.

00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:58.159
Um, so I have an exotic, as well as we also have a very weird breed of dog that nobody ever knows what she is.

00:00:58.399 --> 00:00:58.960
That's awesome.

00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:00.320
We like to keep it weird.

00:01:00.479 --> 00:01:00.799
All right.

00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:02.880
Well, that's it's gonna be a fun episode.

00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:07.920
So tonight we're gonna talk about all the things that you may or may not have thought of on the road with your pets.

00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:19.120
So starting from the top, I kind of like to start with, you know, kind of what I have had over the years, and I have had so many, but we actually launched with just two cats on the road and uh watching.

00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:22.159
I wore something in honor of you.

00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:24.799
Oh like I do, like I do.

00:01:24.879 --> 00:01:26.400
I dressed for the occasion.

00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:31.680
I wore a shirt with birds because when I met you, you had pet birds.

00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:32.640
I did, I did.

00:01:32.719 --> 00:01:35.439
I've had several pet birds over the years in the RV.

00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:44.239
But we we only launched originally with cats and a 30-foot toy hauler with no slides, six kids and two cats, and that was plenty, but it was it was a thing, right?

00:01:44.319 --> 00:01:46.959
So it was just a different situation back then.

00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:56.400
But I think there's so many things that people that go camping, most of us we bring our dogs, but going camping full-time, bringing our pets or our kids when they want a different kind of pet.

00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:57.760
We've been through all of those.

00:01:57.920 --> 00:01:59.120
So we're gonna get into that.

00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:02.000
But you travel with pets as well, right, Tasha?

00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:02.879
I do.

00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:11.520
We brought, and I've mentioned him before, he is our very beloved, very curmudgeon 17-year-old cat Edward.

00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:20.080
Um, he may or may not be named from or for a very sparkly vampire.

00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:27.520
And um we also have he used to have a sister named Alice, but she is no longer with us.

00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:34.560
And then we have Stella, our now five-year-old little white shitsu.

00:02:34.719 --> 00:02:38.080
We think she might be a blend.

00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:39.680
That doesn't feel like the right word.

00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:40.960
What is the word?

00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:42.800
Not a blend.

00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:44.800
She's not like a cocktail.

00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:47.680
She's a designer dog.

00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:48.639
That's what mine are.

00:02:48.960 --> 00:02:50.159
Mine are designer braids.

00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:50.639
Yes.

00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:53.919
But we had a designer dog for 17 years.

00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:55.199
Designer dog.

00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:58.639
We got her, we got her second hand, if you will.

00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:08.479
Um, my brother gave her to us uh in 2020, and he was told that she was full bred, but she just doesn't quite look like it.

00:03:08.639 --> 00:03:12.000
We have no papers for her or anything, so I can't guarantee it.

00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:15.360
But we were told she's a shisuo, so that's what I say.

00:03:15.599 --> 00:03:17.120
But she's she's cute.

00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:22.000
So I want to hop into, you know, especially with pet food on the road.

00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:24.319
So my dogs eat a pretty high-end brand.

00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:32.159
I can only get that at like Petco and a couple other more exotic pet shops across the country, or I have to mail order it.

00:03:32.319 --> 00:03:34.719
How do you guys handle pet food on the road?

00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:38.960
Because with a special diet of any kind, you have to think outside the box.

00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:42.240
You know, we have to know how long it's gonna last us, that sort of thing.

00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:45.439
Do you have some kind of plan if you run out of food?

00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:52.479
I guess I should tell you that I was gonna say, I guess I should tell you that when we run out of food, my husband just cooks my dogs turkey and an egg.

00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:53.280
So there's that.

00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:54.960
He does do that.

00:03:55.680 --> 00:03:56.400
So we what do you use?

00:03:56.560 --> 00:03:58.879
We use uh Ukonuba for our dog.

00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:01.680
I mean, you we can get that uh pretty much anywhere.

00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:03.919
You know, Walmart usually is where we get it from.

00:04:04.159 --> 00:04:07.919
We usually buy a 40 pound 40 pound bag a month that we go through at least.

00:04:08.159 --> 00:04:08.719
Oh wow.

00:04:08.879 --> 00:04:09.840
Where do you store that?

00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:15.439
We've never how much already a 40-pound bag at a time from Walmart.

00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:24.079
We have a separate uh, you know, like a big tote with a screw lid on the top that is weather sealed, so we just keep that outside under underneath the camper.

00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:27.199
And then we'll just stick it in the back of the truck when we're traveling.

00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:28.000
Oh, that's smart.

00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:30.240
Can I ask what type of dog you have?

00:04:30.399 --> 00:04:34.959
Oh, yeah, we have a uh a Belgian Malinois, but a larger breed, so the he eats a lot of food.

00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:38.079
He's probably about what 80 pounds, 85, 85 pounds.

00:04:38.399 --> 00:04:39.439
Oh, he's so pretty though.

00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:41.279
That makes more sense to me.

00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:46.800
My dog is 10 pounds soaking wet, so it's like that's a lot of food.

00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:48.959
No, that makes more sense to me.

00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:51.360
Teal, what do you guys do for food?

00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:58.079
So Sassy, our Vishla, she is a sporting breed, so she's very high energy.

00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:00.000
She needs a high protein food year-round.

00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:06.480
Lucky for us, the food that she took to the best as a puppy is available at tractor supply.

00:05:06.879 --> 00:05:09.279
So we just plan out tractor supply trips.

00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:15.839
We do know when we get into colder climates as well as just kind of that kind of colder period.

00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:20.079
If we're under 50 degrees, sassy has to take an extra like fat supplement, basically.

00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:23.839
If only we all had that problem because she has a hard time holding weight.

00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:30.000
So come winter time, we know sassy needs, we also do like the 50-pound bag of food.

00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:37.279
And but for sassy, now originally when we took off, we had two dogs that were the same breed that were both very high energy.

00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:38.720
We always needed high protein.

00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:42.319
We got used to buying like the 50-pound bag, so that's what we still do.

00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:46.480
Now I have to do it like every other month versus once a month the way that I did before.

00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:51.279
But yeah, so everything that we need for Sassy, we can get at Tractor Supply, which makes it really easy.

00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:55.439
I know, Jennifer, probably one of your questions is gonna be also about like vet care.

00:05:55.680 --> 00:06:04.879
Tractor supply is another resource that we use because they're nationwide, and but there's a very large chunk of them that actually have an on-staff veterinarian.

00:06:05.120 --> 00:06:09.360
So that's the way that we've done Sassy's records for the last four years.

00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:11.759
The tractor supply in our hometown had one.

00:06:11.839 --> 00:06:13.759
So we were like, cool, can we do this everywhere?

00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:15.360
And they were like, Yeah, absolutely.

00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:20.079
So, how do you find out where the tractor supply are that has that for you?

00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:20.560
Yeah.

00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:23.360
Um, in the tractor supply app is kind of our go-to.

00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:33.680
Sassy is one of those cool ones that she hangs out right on that 50-55 pound mark, which for all of your flea and tick preventative, your heartworm, everything else, 55 pounds is your cutoff.

00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:39.920
So, in order to do any of her medications, she has to go in and get weighed every time.

00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:42.560
We had her dad, and her he was the same way.

00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:44.240
He hung out right in that little gap.

00:06:44.399 --> 00:06:47.759
And so every time we needed to refill, he had to go in.

00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:49.279
It was just part of it for us.

00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:52.480
So that's we use the Tractor Supply app to find out what locations.

00:06:52.560 --> 00:07:01.199
And then if it's a location that doesn't have a veterinarian on staff, a lot of them will still do low-cost clinics and they'll go in because I have all of her records.

00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:06.720
She just has to go in and jump on the scale in order for her to get approval for her next dose, basically.

00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:07.920
What about you, Tasha?

00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:10.639
Where where do you get your food for your dogs?

00:07:10.879 --> 00:07:12.240
We get our food.

00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:18.480
Our our pets are also on, they're on Hill Science.

00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:29.279
And so we go to Pet Smart, Pet Co, Pet Enter Otherword here, whatever store that we can find that has it near us.

00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:32.720
But sometimes we can't find those locations.

00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:34.800
We know that it can be difficult to find.

00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:39.360
So we will buy like we try to buy a month at a time.

00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:51.279
And the other thing is that Stella, I don't know if it's her teeth or that she's just so precious, she can't handle it, but she refuses to eat dry food.

00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:59.040
So from like right out the gate, she as soon as we got her, she's been eating wet, like canned food.

00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:01.519
So we have that issue as well.

00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:09.519
Is like, and she has a very sensitive stomach, so we have to get the sensitive wet food for small breed.

00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:19.199
So it's like, you know, if we can't find it at one store, then we have to go find the other high-end pet food store so that we can see if they've got it in stock.

00:08:19.360 --> 00:08:25.920
And so when we find it, it's like get as much as we need for a month because it's gonna be hard to find.

00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:28.720
See, I feel that, but my situation is so different.

00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:32.639
So, like our Frenchies, the reason so they're half Frenchie, half pug.

00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:35.440
So they're frogs, and so yes, designer breed.

00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:39.279
But and they were they're from California, so they're legitimately a designer breed.

00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:43.039
I actually picked them up from underneath the Cabazon Dinosaurs.

00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:44.639
I met the breeder there.

00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:48.799
I was expecting you to say that you got them in the fashion district, like at the wedding.

00:08:49.200 --> 00:08:51.840
No, no, we got them the Cabazon Dinosaurs.

00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:57.600
We've joked for years when whenever we drive there, hey, let's go visit your mom and dad, because that's where I picked them up.

00:08:57.759 --> 00:08:59.840
We have Wesley with with the dogs.

00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:03.600
When we got them, it was they're they're four and a half years old.

00:09:03.759 --> 00:09:07.600
So we got them on the road, and that's one of the things that you know is hard.

00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:10.720
Has any one of us here adopted on the road?

00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:11.120
No.

00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:13.759
Okay, so we're gonna get into that, but I'm gonna be the only one.

00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:15.039
So I've done it twice now.

00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:23.519
But the only way you can do it, really, a lot of times, because rescues won't even touch you, is a private breeder or Craigslist, which is where these guys came from.

00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:28.240
I didn't have enough money for both of them because we were in California and it was a designer breed.

00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:34.639
And I had no intention of coming home with two of them, but my daughter fell in love with one and she fell in love with Millie.

00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:36.000
Millie came home with us.

00:09:36.159 --> 00:09:41.279
I gave the breeder that money and I gave her the deposit for Wesley because I was coming home with Wesley.

00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:45.039
So she agreed to meet me back there the next week and bring me back my dog.

00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:47.679
And so I had to move some money and get him.

00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:52.399
But his poor little face going back with the breeder, and I just I couldn't.

00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:58.480
And so we have a brother and sister, which I don't recommend, but that's a whole nother topic entirely.

00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:06.159
But then this past fall, we Gus actually adopted my daughter actually adopted a cat, and she did it from a pet co.

00:10:06.240 --> 00:10:16.159
And I'm sure they would have never adopted to us had the rescue been there because we're full-time and we weren't anywhere in Texas when this happened.

00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:25.120
We walked in and I had just bought our other cat some food, and I'm walking out with it, and my daughter texts me and she says, Hey, mom, there's a kitten here.

00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:25.919
I want to look at it.

00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:27.039
And I was like, Oh no.

00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:35.440
They had broken up with their significant other, and so when I say this was an emotional purchase, it was 100% an emotional purchase.

00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:39.759
The guy behind the counter looks at the food that I'm buying and goes, Oh, you're approved.

00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:41.039
I was like, Excuse me.

00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:45.360
And they're like, Well, the cat's gonna have a really good life because you buy really good cat food.

00:10:46.399 --> 00:10:50.639
I feel bad for honey lemon though, because honey lemon's a rebound.

00:10:51.120 --> 00:10:53.120
She is, but she's a cute rebound.

00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:54.159
She's sleeping.

00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:55.840
But yeah, she's a cute rebound.

00:10:55.919 --> 00:10:57.919
So, but she's a a sweet little girl.

00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:01.840
So hopefully she moves out with my kids when they move out.

00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:04.720
But you know, that hasn't worked in my favor in the past.

00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:09.600
So let's get into other vet care because there's some other vet care that I know some of us have dealt with on the road.

00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:12.320
How many of you guys have dealt with emergency vet care on them?

00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:12.639
I did.

00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:14.399
So okay, all of this.

00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:14.879
Great.

00:11:15.120 --> 00:11:23.519
So I mean, I'd love for you know, Ashley and Steve to kick off because we did do actually a whole like blog about your dog's experience.

00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:27.279
If you could give us a first line kind of conversation about what that looked like.

00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:32.159
Okay, so it ours happened when I was at the dog park with him that morning.

00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:40.159
He's not the type of dog that other dogs can be around, which is we haven't figured out how to get him to play nice, so to speak.

00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:53.519
But he was in the dog park and he was running around playing, and there was a camper across, like directly across from where the uh dog park is, and he opened his door, and when he opened the door, his dog got out.

00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:59.519
So his dog got out, ran like straight toward the dog park and caught our dog off guard.

00:11:59.679 --> 00:12:08.080
And then they started running along the fence, and his um metal collar that we put on him when we walked with him got tangled up in the fence.

00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:16.960
It wasn't until I was getting ready to leave the dog park after I got him untangled, got him calmed down, made sure that the owner had his dog.

00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:20.159
It wasn't until then that I realized that he was actually bleeding.

00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:23.840
Um I don't really know exactly how he got hurt.

00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:27.759
I don't my only thought was that it was the fence.

00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:34.320
Um, so I got him back on his leash and I walked to the camper and we went from there.

00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:36.480
We ended up having to take him to the vet.

00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:40.080
Um, he got what, 24 stitches and 10 staples?

00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:43.120
Yeah, they did two layers of of uh staples.

00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:45.360
He had a tear, like basically a skin tear.

00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:52.320
It wasn't very deep, but it was like this fur and skin was pulled back right behind his right, you know, front leg or fall, his shoulder there.

00:12:52.480 --> 00:13:00.000
So you ended up getting like 10 staple or stitches underneath, and then they put more stitches on top and then 10 staples to close it up.

00:13:00.159 --> 00:13:03.759
So I think it was like twenty staples and ten stitches or something like that.

00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:04.159
Yeah.

00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:11.679
Now, did you have to extend your stay where you were in order to make sure that he got back to that vet to get the staples out, or were they dissolving stitches?

00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:20.639
Uh well they were the s they were dissolving stitches, but we had to plan ahead to be able to take him back to have them take the stables the staples out.

00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:21.759
Gotcha.

00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:35.039
So we we actually did that during the Friday of the Yeah, the Friday of the super show that morning we ended up taking him in, dealing with all that, taking him back, making sure he was settled with the kids and then driving to the super show.

00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:38.080
But he didn't even know he was never phased him.

00:13:39.039 --> 00:13:46.320
So, I mean, you know, having a reactive dog, actually, my daughter's dog, Millie, is very reactive and everybody thinks she's approachable.

00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:49.440
And so we have a little thing that says do not pet on her leash.

00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:55.200
Millie is part pug, and she looks part pug, but she has the embodiment of a bulldog female.

00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:58.320
When people approach you, you know, we ask them not to approach us.

00:13:58.399 --> 00:14:04.879
I never thought I'd have a reactive dog, but it's it's hard because people don't think that they think their presence is no big deal.

00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:08.559
So, what do you do to fix that for your situation?

00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:10.879
Our dog is fine around people.

00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:13.039
He loves people and people can pat him all that.

00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:15.279
It's just other dogs that he's uh not fond of.

00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:16.000
Yeah, yeah.

00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:21.279
So for walking, we usually steer clear of other dogs as we're walking around the campground and stuff like that.

00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:23.200
But people-wise, he's perfectly fine.

00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:24.080
He loves people.

00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:25.200
Yeah.

00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:26.240
That makes sense.

00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:28.480
Back to the injury, real quick.

00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:33.440
I mean, the big key takeaway from that is you know, knowing basically kind of like what vets are in the area.

00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:36.240
Luckily we were in an area we're familiar with, and that's okay.

00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:42.080
It was the place where we're domiciled at, so we go there a couple times a year and and stay for a little while.

00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:45.120
But we called his vet and they weren't able to handle that day.

00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:48.320
They didn't have the staff, so then we had to call around and find another vet.

00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:53.600
Luckily we were to find one close by because our vet recommended one that was like 45 minutes away.

00:14:53.759 --> 00:14:53.919
Yeah.

00:14:54.080 --> 00:15:00.480
So luckily we were to find one within the same town and they were able to, you know, take him right away and you know, get them taken care of.

00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:01.600
That's awesome.

00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:03.360
That's that's the big key takeaway.

00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:15.360
It's kind of whenever every time we go to a new area now, it kinda oh, at least I'll look up on Google Maps, you know, like emergency vets or vets that are close by just in case something happens again, at least we're kind of somewhat prepared.

00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:16.159
Yeah, for sure.

00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:23.519
I think with having the the the term reactive always kind of gets me, because like with Sassy, Sassy looks very friendly.

00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:36.720
She's a sporting dog, she looks very similar to a Ymariner, and she loves people, she loves children, but if another dog comes at her very quickly, she's been attacked not once but twice.

00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:39.039
So she's like, how about no?

00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:48.559
So John actually likes to make the joke that sassy is the reason that when people are like passing me on a walk, I can just be like not friendly.

00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:51.519
And I'm talking about me, but I'm also talking about the dog.

00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:57.519
And so he makes that joke every time when I'm like, she's not friendly, and he's like, the dog or you?

00:15:57.679 --> 00:15:59.440
I'm like, well, that's not very nice.

00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:00.480
I'm very friendly.

00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:05.679
But because for Sassy, she's not reactive, she's not going to be the one that initiates.

00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:14.000
However, if you come at her, she's had two other dogs jump out of nowhere and attack her, one leading to stitches and one just leading to an open wound.

00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:16.080
So she's like, not about it.

00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:17.840
You bit her twice, she's done.

00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:25.600
She also is one that is very reactive or responsive to small dogs because both of them were dogs that were smaller than her.

00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:27.519
Because she is very sweet.

00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:29.919
She's very, like, she's not a barker.

00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:31.759
Most people are like, wait, you have a dog?

00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:32.879
Like, I do.

00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:36.080
You don't know it because she thinks she's a cat, but it's fine.

00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:39.519
She like, because she does.

00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:41.120
She doesn't, she's not a barker.

00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:43.120
She takes her two to three walks every day.

00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:47.840
So if you don't see us on a walk, you won't know that we have a dog because that's just she's 11.

00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:48.879
She's she's good with it.

00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:55.440
But yeah, but back to being that that kind of responsive knowing your dog and knowing what's around, I think is important.

00:16:55.840 --> 00:17:03.440
And then Steve also said about like records and about knowing where the vets are, keeping your records easily accessible, I think is super important.

00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:06.960
We had an incident where we did have to take Sassy in.

00:17:07.119 --> 00:17:08.799
This was the second time that she got attacked.

00:17:09.039 --> 00:17:17.519
Dog ran out from between two campers, was supposedly attached to a tether that nobody really seemed to know where it was after the fact, of course.

00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:20.880
Um, so and I had two dogs at the time.

00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:22.799
And so I went to reach for both of them.

00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:26.960
I picked up one, but I could not get a grip on Sassy to be able to lift her up.

00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:30.559
So luckily, that one we didn't have to get stitches or do anything with.

00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:36.880
It was just an open wound, but we still had to go in, verify our records, their records, and all that for vaccination purposes.

00:17:37.119 --> 00:17:41.039
But knowing where those records are, like I said, that's something that is it's a quick grab.

00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:44.640
I've actually I started after that one, I kept screenshots on my phone.

00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:48.880
So all of her vaccination records and everything, all I have to do is pull out my phone.

00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:49.839
It's like, look, here it is.

00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:54.960
So that if we do go into another vet and they're asking questions, I travel full time.

00:17:55.119 --> 00:18:00.079
You can look at this dog and know that she's like treated like a queen, and here's all of her records.

00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:02.880
Um, and so we never really got questioned about it.

00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:16.400
Um, and the other thing that we dealt with that I'm sure Ashley and Steve, you guys have dealt with too, with having a breed that people can kind of recognize, and especially vets recognize, as it's like, this is for lack of a better term, this is an expensive dog.

00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:22.240
And so people look at it and they're like, oh, okay, but you have this dog, why and how?

00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:27.279
And like for me, I'm like, I was a breeder that I have 27 puppies nationwide.

00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:30.400
Like, I know this breed more than most.

00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:31.920
So go ahead, question me.

00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:32.319
Let's go.

00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:32.960
What do you got?

00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:39.599
Um, so so knowing your dog and being prepared for good, we did have a little bit of judgment when we walked into that vet.

00:18:39.920 --> 00:18:42.480
And it was like, well, what do you mean you travel full time?

00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:45.599
I'm like, my dog has been to more states than some people.

00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:49.680
Like, yeah, she's hiking places some people only see pictures of.

00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:51.839
Trust me, don't don't worry about the dog's well-being.

00:18:51.920 --> 00:18:54.079
Right now, I need you to look at the open wound on her leg.

00:18:54.160 --> 00:18:55.440
Like, that's what's important here.

00:18:55.680 --> 00:19:04.640
So, so when you're taking a dog into the vet, I feel like be prepared for those, but no different than I mean, as nomads, I feel like we deal with that all the time though.

00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:09.200
So just mentally prepare yourself as you're walking into that one, that that's a possibility.

00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:11.039
And we ran into that last winter.

00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:14.160
We were down here in Florida, and Millie likes to sniff.

00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:18.720
You know, she I there's an old book called The Pokey Little Puppy, and that is totally Millie.

00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:21.839
Nose to the ground, she's gonna wander, she's gonna sniff.

00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:24.480
She got bit by something, stung, we think.

00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:31.440
Her face started swelling, and within an hour, like I'm taking pictures the whole time because I I did go to vet tech school.

00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:39.039
It was, and but so the the place we went to from Thousand Trails Orlando wasn't 50, it was 50 minutes away with traffic.

00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:42.000
But by the time you got there, it was almost an hour and 10 minutes.

00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:45.839
And by the time we got there, she was just and so it was scary, you know.

00:19:45.920 --> 00:20:03.759
She was going into anaphylactic shock, and you know, I was thankful that we had the money to do it because she had to spend the night, and then you know, the next day she had to stay half a day, but it was scary, and now every time she gets stung, now we carry Benadryl on us on a regular just in case, because you never know when that's gonna happen again.

00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:11.680
But I mean, it's just a scary feeling that you're gonna lose your pet on the road to something that's outside of your control, it's just more than that.

00:20:11.839 --> 00:20:19.680
And I mean, we've had aging cats, we've lost pets on the road, but Tasha, you did an emergency event visit for Edward not that long ago, didn't you?

00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:21.200
Uh not for Edward.

00:20:21.359 --> 00:20:22.880
We did one for Stella.

00:20:23.039 --> 00:20:25.839
I thought I was gonna have to do one for Edward.

00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:33.039
Keep thinking that I'm gonna have to do one for Edward, but I that poor little guy, he keeps hanging on.

00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:36.640
He really is the epitome of a cat with nine lives.

00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:50.160
But no, Stella, there's been two instances in the last year where we've had to do an emergency vet trip with her, and it's because she's gotten into something on a walk or something.

00:20:50.319 --> 00:20:59.519
She likes to chew on grass when you're walking, or she starts sniffing around and then she starts chewing on grass and then she makes herself sick.

00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:06.960
And when we were in the keys, she did this last year, and there is a veterinary clinic, marathon veterinary clinic.

00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:14.000
If you ever have an emergency and you were in the keys, marathon veterinary clinic is 10 out of 10, would go again.

00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:24.880
They are amazing, but she just very quickly went from active little pup to would not get up, wasn't doing anything, wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink.

00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:28.079
Um, she she was just not moving.

00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:33.200
And so we took her in and they had her back to normal in just a few days.

00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:35.599
Uh, just really took care of her.

00:21:35.759 --> 00:21:43.920
Uh, and then she did it again in Kentucky, maybe, uh, just a couple months ago.

00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:45.680
And she got into something.

00:21:45.839 --> 00:21:50.000
I don't know what she gets into, but I'm also n you know, the kids' walker.

00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:52.000
So they just need to keep a better eye on her.

00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:55.440
But yeah, she so that's actually where I'm going next.

00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:57.119
Who is the walker in your household?

00:21:57.359 --> 00:21:58.319
It's the kids.

00:21:58.960 --> 00:21:59.440
Both of us.

00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:00.880
We both do it.

00:22:01.039 --> 00:22:01.440
And Matt.

00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:04.480
Matt's sitting next to me going like this.

00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:07.920
He he wants his uh his dues.

00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:10.960
And Teal, are you the walker in your household for the most part?

00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:11.759
We all are.

00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:18.720
Um, I walk in the morning and in the evening with Sassy, and then the kids normally take her out, like each kid takes turn, basically.

00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:22.720
And so she goes, but she also is super active.

00:22:23.119 --> 00:22:30.960
So as she's gotten older now, she's like, yeah, okay, not really about these longer walks, but she she still goes, sometimes begrudgingly.

00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:33.839
So on that note, I do not have active dogs.

00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:34.559
I have frogs.

00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:36.799
That means they're half Frenchie, half pug.

00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:43.119
The reason we have frogs is because my son Micah has a puggle and she's seven and a half.

00:22:43.359 --> 00:22:48.000
He couldn't afford a bike, and there's a bike named a Chinelli, so he named the dog Chinelli.

00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:50.799
But she attached herself to my husband.

00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:55.119
We were preparing for Micah to move out because he was old enough, well old enough to move out.

00:22:55.279 --> 00:22:59.519
And um, we had a VA guy go, you know, you need to get your husband a dog.

00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:01.680
And so I'm like, great idea.

00:23:01.839 --> 00:23:03.119
I'm gonna get him a dog.

00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:04.960
And so it looks kind of like Chinelli.

00:23:05.119 --> 00:23:06.559
It's half Frenchie, that's what I want.

00:23:06.640 --> 00:23:07.279
It's half pug.

00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:08.880
Chinelli's half a pug.

00:23:08.960 --> 00:23:10.400
We're missing the half a beagle.

00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:12.799
So I have what I call running potatoes.

00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:16.400
They have bursts of energy that are 32 seconds long, and then they stop.

00:23:16.559 --> 00:23:27.440
And and Wesley, when he was a puppy, I don't know if any of you have ever had your dogs get out, but we were in Palm Springs Thousand Trails, and the lady across the street was cooking, and the dog smelled it.

00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:30.240
And we did not carry like a little fence back then.

00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:34.559
We now carry a little fence because catching a running potato is a nightmare.

00:23:34.799 --> 00:23:36.480
But she fed him rabbit.

00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:45.440
Oh, and so for the next six months to a year, he would go bolting out the front door, thinking if he got outside, he was gonna go find the lady cooking rabbit again.

00:23:45.599 --> 00:23:51.440
And so so, yes, I I I have all the all the things that I never said I would have.

00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:52.640
You know, I have them.

00:23:52.799 --> 00:23:57.279
I have a dog that will eat you if you come too close, and we have to say, please don't touch her.

00:23:57.440 --> 00:23:59.599
We have to put her in back when you're coming over.

00:23:59.759 --> 00:24:02.319
And once she gets to know you, it's pretty okay.

00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:04.400
Right, she's she gets to know you pretty well.

00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:06.400
Yeah, so let Tasha in now.

00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:09.359
But you know, six months from now, that may not be true anymore.

00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:13.440
I know, I but then you have Wesley Millie, friend, not food.

00:24:13.680 --> 00:24:16.160
And then she's like, Oh yeah, I remember you.

00:24:16.640 --> 00:24:18.720
Now Wesley does have his own Instagram.

00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:21.039
Do any of your pets have their own channel?

00:24:21.200 --> 00:24:21.519
Oh, yes.

00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:25.839
So Wesley Wesley is Wesley the frog, so you can go find him and follow him.

00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:27.119
He he is adventures.

00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:32.480
So we got Frank a dog he has to backpack versus a dog that he can go hiking with.

00:24:33.599 --> 00:24:34.000
Yep.

00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:41.119
So I'm gonna switch gears just a little bit and we're gonna go into something that I know a couple of us have some experience with, and that's exotics.

00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:45.200
So it's kind of a different dynamic when you have exotics on the road.

00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:51.200
For us, we had the two cats, and my son wanted a ferret, which seemed like a great idea.

00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:55.440
But if you've never done ferret math, there is the problem in itself.

00:24:55.599 --> 00:25:03.599
So we got Jarrett the ferret, and Jarrett the Ferret was two years old when we decided that he was losing weight.

00:25:03.759 --> 00:25:16.000
But Jarrett was very deaf, and so Jarrett and the next ferret didn't get along, and so now we needed another ferret so that the deaf ferret could have another ferret to talk to.

00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:18.480
And so one in three got along great.

00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:26.319
So D'Artagnan was wonderful with Jarrett, but Joji was like a jerk, he would bite people, he was everything that we didn't want in a ferret.

00:25:26.400 --> 00:25:32.880
But anyway, then of course Joji got sad, and so now Joji needs to get another one.

00:25:33.680 --> 00:25:40.240
So for a time, we were traveling with four ferrets, and then we actually lost Jarrett very unexpectedly.

00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:44.559
He went into pancreatic failure, and we were in California at the time.

00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:51.920
If you don't know, it's not legal to have a ferret in every state, and so we had to go to ferret underground and find out where to go.

00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:58.000
We went from Palm Springs to Vegas, and he did not make it because he was already too deep in failure to do anything.

00:25:58.160 --> 00:26:01.680
Then we were back to three, and then we added one more, and that was the end of the ferrets.

00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:27.759
We actually just lost our last ferret in 2025, and so we are ferretless, but um, it was a crazy run, and I don't know that I'd recommend it, but they were containable, they were in, you know, their cage when they weren't out, and you know, you they they weren't ever out all the time, so for us it was a contained pet, which was great, and they would only come out for like two hours, and then they would go back and sleep for 22 hours.

00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:30.319
So I mean, like in that way, they were a great pet.

00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:35.039
The thing we had to worry about was they overheated, so just like a Frenchie.

00:26:35.200 --> 00:26:43.119
Um, and then we were we were at a park in uh Florida one year, and some guy comes knocking on our door and he's like, Do you have ferrets?

00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:44.400
And I'm like, Yeah, why?

00:26:44.559 --> 00:26:45.839
He's like, They're in the fire pit.

00:26:46.079 --> 00:26:46.880
I'm like, what?

00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:47.200
What?

00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:51.599
And so we go running outside and they're in the ashes, jumping around, thinking it's great.

00:26:51.759 --> 00:26:52.799
They're like covered in soot.

00:26:52.880 --> 00:26:54.400
Thank God it was cold.

00:26:56.880 --> 00:27:03.759
Yes, but ferret math is a problem, and ferret problems are a problem, but exotics have their own set of issues.

00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:12.880
We've also had a beer a bird or two or three on the road, and so that that has dust and all sorts of extra things.

00:27:13.039 --> 00:27:17.599
And then we were at a show in Texas, I think.

00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:36.880
Yeah, a big big exotic pet show, and my son decided a sandboa would be fun, and so we traveled with a sandboa for a little bit, and um, he moved out with Hezekiah, which is great because I don't have to fight him food because sandboas, what they don't tell you is they don't like to eat frozen food at all.

00:27:37.200 --> 00:27:43.920
So you were hunting pinkies everywhere across the country, and not all states can you get pinkies, so that is now not my problem.

00:27:44.160 --> 00:27:54.079
Exotics have their own set of challenges, but teal has an exotic that's kind of different, and I you're actually the first person I've known that's actually had this animal on the road.

00:27:54.319 --> 00:27:54.559
Yeah.

00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:58.960
So so the the backstory here, so growing up, my mom was a science teacher.

00:27:59.119 --> 00:28:13.279
So as a kid, we had everything from we had a boa at one point, we've had lizards, bearded dragons, ferrets, chinchillas, guinea pigs, multiple rats, and we've had animals that needed live food.

00:28:13.440 --> 00:28:16.720
We had animals that would eat frozen food, we've we've had everything in the middle.

00:28:16.880 --> 00:28:26.480
Um, so we were actually, we had kind of discussed this previously, and I was like, I just I don't know, like I feel like on the road, this could be a lot.

00:28:26.640 --> 00:28:30.079
And believe it or not, you guys have all met my husband.

00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:33.039
Listeners, if you haven't, go find him on Facebook.

00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:34.160
He's weird, it's fine.

00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:39.759
And he actually agreed and was like, I think this is a great idea.

00:28:39.839 --> 00:28:41.599
Like, I think the kids are gonna love it.

00:28:41.759 --> 00:28:46.640
And I'm like, you didn't even want another dog, and you're okay, okay, okay, this is fine.

00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:51.440
So then we were actually we discussed it, gone back and forth.

00:28:51.599 --> 00:28:53.839
Him and I had kind of agreed, but we didn't tell the children.

00:28:54.000 --> 00:28:57.119
So we're on a hike in Bryce Canyon in August.

00:28:57.279 --> 00:29:03.039
It's like a billion degrees outside, and I really there was a hike that I really wanted to do.

00:29:03.119 --> 00:29:09.119
It was like seven miles long, and so I was like, we're gonna go, and everybody's fighting me on this hike.

00:29:09.200 --> 00:29:10.000
And I'm like, it's fine.

00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:20.160
So then we got the kids talking about all kinds of things and what kind of pets they wanted, what kind of travel plans we were looking at for the next few years, like just tossing ideas around.

00:29:20.400 --> 00:29:29.599
And so then my son is like, I really, really want to do this, and I want it to be like white with brown spots, and we're gonna call it s'mores.

00:29:30.079 --> 00:29:33.279
Or we can get one that's all white and we could call it marshmallow.

00:29:33.440 --> 00:29:34.480
And I'm like, all right.

00:29:34.799 --> 00:29:44.240
And I was like, Well, if we get first of all, all white ones tend to have more health problems, so I don't know that I'm okay with that, but like white with brown spots would be cool.

00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:46.480
And I like s'mores, I can get behind this.

00:29:46.640 --> 00:29:48.559
And so he was like, Really?

00:29:48.720 --> 00:29:51.119
And I was like, Yeah, like I think we could do this.

00:29:51.279 --> 00:29:53.200
So this was like mile three.

00:29:53.359 --> 00:30:05.119
By the time we got to the end of the hike, he had named it, he knew where the cage was going, he knew where we were picking it up, he was ready to get back in the truck and get Wi-Fi so that he could start Googling breeders and where we were gonna find one.

00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:12.799
Now, the really fun part is we were headed from Bryce Canyon up to Montana, over to Minnesota, and then back down to Texas.

00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:16.960
So, quite literally, he has the entire country to find breeders, okay?

00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:23.519
Um, he ends up actually finding a breeder that was probably 30 minutes away from our house back in Texas.

00:30:23.599 --> 00:30:27.039
And so he was like, all right, when we get back to Texas, we're gonna go get one.

00:30:27.119 --> 00:30:28.160
I was like, cool.

00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:31.039
He gets a hold of the breeder, he does all the stuff himself.

00:30:31.200 --> 00:30:42.720
And so then we get to Texas and don't worry, we made it a whole like 48 hours from the time we got to our house before we had to go to the breeder and pick up S'mores, the African pygmy hedgehog.

00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:47.519
Uh's has now been on the road with us since probably the first of November.

00:30:47.680 --> 00:30:49.279
She loves travel life.

00:30:49.519 --> 00:30:51.519
She's also like the highlight of every campground.

00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:53.599
As soon as people are like, wait, you have a what?

00:30:53.759 --> 00:30:55.359
And I'm like, I have a hedgehog.

00:30:55.920 --> 00:30:56.880
She's she's pretty cool.

00:30:56.960 --> 00:30:57.759
She's pretty chill.

00:30:57.920 --> 00:31:01.279
Things you don't know about hedgehogs, they're primarily nocturnal.

00:31:01.440 --> 00:31:02.640
So they're basically blind.

00:31:02.799 --> 00:31:04.240
She can see when the lights are off.

00:31:04.400 --> 00:31:05.039
That's about it.

00:31:05.200 --> 00:31:10.000
But because of that, she has a really good sense of smell and she hears absolutely everything.

00:31:10.160 --> 00:31:15.119
She also only stays awake for about an hour and a half every day during our regular day.

00:31:15.359 --> 00:31:20.480
And then during the nighttime, she plays and runs around in her cage and is happy as a clam.

00:31:20.720 --> 00:31:25.359
You can play with her all day, or you could not play with her at all, and she doesn't care.

00:31:26.480 --> 00:31:30.319
They also tend to be very particular about their people.

00:31:30.640 --> 00:31:34.079
So they tend to find their couple of people, and those are their people.

00:31:34.319 --> 00:31:44.160
We joke that S'mores has zero survival instinct because she quite literally sleeps on her side, belly exposed, like whatever.

00:31:44.319 --> 00:31:46.480
Hedgehogs are not supposed to do that, by the way.

00:31:46.640 --> 00:31:49.119
They're supposed to sleep in a bowl in a defensive position.

00:31:49.279 --> 00:31:50.240
She doesn't.

00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:56.799
I can, she's actually she's in her cage about two feet away from me right now, and she hears me saying her name.

00:31:56.960 --> 00:31:58.720
And so she's starting to move around a little bit.

00:31:58.799 --> 00:31:59.680
Like, wait, hold up.

00:31:59.759 --> 00:32:00.400
What are we doing?

00:32:00.559 --> 00:32:01.759
They identify voices.

00:32:02.000 --> 00:32:06.319
So if I'm talking, she knows, like, mom's here, it's school.

00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:10.559
Like, I don't have to worry about anything, but there could potentially be food or treats involved.

00:32:10.640 --> 00:32:12.240
So maybe I'm gonna attention.

00:32:12.559 --> 00:32:13.599
That's where she's at right now.

00:32:13.680 --> 00:32:14.960
It's like she said my name.

00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:15.519
That's awesome.

00:32:16.319 --> 00:32:16.960
That there's something here.

00:32:17.119 --> 00:32:21.279
Yeah, so I know, Jennifer, you probably had some questions about a hedgehog on the road.

00:32:21.599 --> 00:32:22.160
So go ahead.

00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:26.319
So hedgehogs are so I I think it's you know very interesting to have a hedgehog on the road.

00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:27.759
And it's such a different dynamic.

00:32:27.839 --> 00:32:28.720
It's kind of like ferrets.

00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:30.160
Everybody wanted to see our ferrets.

00:32:30.240 --> 00:32:31.440
You know, what do they eat?

00:32:31.759 --> 00:32:36.720
I feel like the most important question is can we see the hedgehog?

00:32:38.799 --> 00:32:44.160
Listeners and viewers on YouTube at home want to see the hedgehog.

00:32:44.480 --> 00:32:48.079
We I'm gonna answer the question and then I'll let y'all talk for a second and I'll pick her up.

00:32:48.240 --> 00:32:48.880
Yeah, okay.

00:32:49.119 --> 00:32:49.839
What does she eat?

00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:57.839
So she is technically they are insectivores, so she eats mule worms and bugs, and then she has a specialty food.

00:32:58.000 --> 00:33:00.880
They eat a lot of like vegetables and greens in the wild.

00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:03.440
So she has a specialty food that we pick up from her breeder.

00:33:03.759 --> 00:33:09.200
You can purchase it in like a 10-pound bag that lasts herb six to nine months, basically.

00:33:09.440 --> 00:33:18.319
So she has an airtight container up by her cage that has some in it, and then we've got another sealed airtight bag underneath the bed that we can pull out whenever we need more.

00:33:18.559 --> 00:33:23.519
Um then, as well as her breeder also will ship food to us if we need it.

00:33:23.680 --> 00:33:24.880
So that's awesome.

00:33:25.119 --> 00:33:27.119
Yeah, that that makes it really easy.

00:33:27.599 --> 00:33:28.480
Yeah, that's fantastic.

00:33:28.960 --> 00:33:29.279
Awesome.

00:33:29.519 --> 00:33:30.000
It's fun.

00:33:30.160 --> 00:33:31.599
All right, I'm gonna disappear for a second.

00:33:31.759 --> 00:33:33.839
Y'all can talk about the weirdness of having a hedgehog.

00:33:33.920 --> 00:33:38.880
Well, actually, I'm actually gonna so that's not the weirdest thing that I've heard of having on the road.

00:33:38.960 --> 00:33:41.279
So, and you're all gonna die when I tell you this story.

00:33:41.440 --> 00:34:00.480
So we were at River years ago, and it was egg season at Tractor Supply, and so Hezekiah decided he wanted a bird, so he got two ducks, and so we actually traveled with two ducks, learned how to make duck diapers and all the things, and you know, so we were at one campground.

00:34:00.559 --> 00:34:01.759
We finally rehomed them.

00:34:01.839 --> 00:34:15.280
They went to showcase of citrus up the street from here years ago because they just got too big because when we'd open the door, they'd go hawk quack qua and we'd have to tell the dogs to stop barking, and we knew we were gonna be in trouble at some point.

00:34:15.519 --> 00:34:17.519
So, like little tiny things.

00:34:17.679 --> 00:34:20.800
I do not recommend ducks on the road, they get big.

00:34:21.039 --> 00:34:23.039
We've met a family that has chickens.

00:34:23.199 --> 00:34:25.599
We saw a lady walking a pig the other day.

00:34:25.679 --> 00:34:26.719
That was that was cool.

00:34:27.039 --> 00:34:28.639
We've seen that, but we've seen a horse.

00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:30.400
Like cute little potbelly pig.

00:34:30.480 --> 00:34:33.440
This was like big, like 150-pound pig walking to the campground.

00:34:33.519 --> 00:34:34.159
It was very strange.

00:34:34.559 --> 00:34:37.360
Oh my god, okay, don't put my hedgehog on a leaf.

00:34:37.679 --> 00:34:38.159
All kinds of stuff.

00:34:38.320 --> 00:34:39.280
Much to John's dismay.

00:34:39.679 --> 00:34:40.000
Sorry.

00:34:40.239 --> 00:34:51.760
Again, the most important thing that needs to be said right now, if you are not watching on YouTube, you are missing out because S'mores has made its entrance.

00:34:52.079 --> 00:34:53.679
And this is so cute.

00:34:58.239 --> 00:35:03.280
So she's closing because if you look, she has racing stripes.

00:35:03.440 --> 00:35:05.599
She has a white stripe that goes down both sides.

00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:10.079
And then if you look, let me see if she'll cooperate to be able to.

00:35:10.320 --> 00:35:12.559
She has one pink ear and one black ear.

00:35:12.800 --> 00:35:13.840
My gosh, you're so cute.

00:35:14.079 --> 00:35:16.800
She also is like, no, I don't want to be on the camera.

00:35:17.280 --> 00:35:20.320
The light is also bright, so she's like, I don't like the light.

00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:21.360
I'm gonna hide over.

00:35:22.960 --> 00:35:23.760
I feel that.

00:35:25.599 --> 00:35:26.159
You're an animal.

00:35:26.400 --> 00:35:27.280
Here's the fun one.

00:35:27.440 --> 00:35:31.360
Who do you think takes complete ownership over the hedgehog?

00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:32.559
It's not the children.

00:35:33.119 --> 00:35:34.639
I think it's your husband.

00:35:34.880 --> 00:35:37.039
This is this is John's pet, guys.

00:35:37.360 --> 00:35:37.840
100%.

00:35:39.679 --> 00:35:42.239
He calls it his emotional support hedgehog.

00:35:42.400 --> 00:35:45.920
She will sit on his shoulder while he watches TV.

00:35:46.159 --> 00:35:47.760
Like happy as can be.

00:35:47.920 --> 00:35:49.599
He got a haircut about a week ago.

00:35:49.760 --> 00:35:57.119
She was not very happy about it because now she can't have anything into his neck and hide in his hair.

00:35:57.199 --> 00:35:57.519
Yep.

00:35:57.760 --> 00:36:00.400
They are burrowers, but they are also climbers.

00:36:00.559 --> 00:36:02.639
Fun S'more's story the other day.

00:36:02.960 --> 00:36:04.480
We had gone on a cruise.

00:36:04.639 --> 00:36:06.719
Her cage was down in the living room.

00:36:06.880 --> 00:36:14.320
Normally it's up in the loft with Callan, but she was down in the living room, and apparently nobody put her lid on completely.

00:36:14.559 --> 00:36:20.400
So S'mores got potentially an entire night of adventuring through the house.

00:36:20.880 --> 00:36:22.159
She had free rain.

00:36:22.639 --> 00:36:25.519
It could have been a couple hours, it could have been all night.

00:36:25.599 --> 00:36:26.559
I don't really know.

00:36:26.719 --> 00:36:32.480
I know that when I got up at 5:30, this little thing darted from one side of the living room to the other.

00:36:32.559 --> 00:36:34.079
And I was like, what is this?

00:36:34.320 --> 00:36:38.960
Definitely freaked out a little bit, thought it was sleep deprivation, and then I was like, hold on.

00:36:39.280 --> 00:36:40.800
That that is a headshot.

00:36:40.960 --> 00:36:43.280
So yeah, she's had complete free reign.

00:36:43.440 --> 00:36:46.400
She just wanted to live up to her racing stripes, you know.

00:36:46.880 --> 00:36:47.280
There you go.

00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:48.960
Watch me on speedy.

00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:52.159
They are incredibly fast.

00:36:52.719 --> 00:36:55.280
Um, how did you catch her?

00:36:56.480 --> 00:36:58.639
She lets me pick her up like it's nothing.

00:36:58.880 --> 00:37:03.199
She'll actually, like, if she's on the floor, I can call her name and she'll come to me.

00:37:03.280 --> 00:37:07.199
So what you're saying is she has much better recall than my frog.

00:37:08.079 --> 00:37:09.920
Um, than my dog, personally.

00:37:10.320 --> 00:37:12.960
She she is very like, oh, this is my mom.

00:37:13.440 --> 00:37:14.800
She'll she'll sit here.

00:37:14.960 --> 00:37:20.239
She's curious because she sees my water bottle and she knows identifies the smell.

00:37:20.320 --> 00:37:21.679
So she's like, oh, there's water over there.

00:37:21.760 --> 00:37:22.719
I kind of want to go over there.

00:37:22.880 --> 00:37:27.840
She also knows that she is in front of the TV screen, which she's like, wait, hold on.

00:37:28.000 --> 00:37:28.880
Do I have to do this?

00:37:29.039 --> 00:37:30.320
When we first got her, that was a little bit more.

00:37:30.559 --> 00:37:31.519
Am I getting paid?

00:37:31.760 --> 00:37:33.199
Do I get paid for this?

00:37:33.519 --> 00:37:35.440
Wait, she's so cute.

00:37:35.840 --> 00:37:38.320
S'mores, you are the cutest.

00:37:38.480 --> 00:37:40.079
I am just in love.

00:37:40.960 --> 00:37:43.119
I think Tasha's buying a uh hedgehog.

00:37:43.599 --> 00:37:49.280
One of the questions we get asked a lot is about travel days and what do you do with the hedgehog on travel days?

00:37:49.440 --> 00:37:51.840
Think like a cat carrier backpack.

00:37:51.920 --> 00:37:52.960
That's what S'mores has.

00:37:53.039 --> 00:37:55.760
S'mores has been into Buckies a couple times.

00:37:55.920 --> 00:38:00.639
She's been into a couple different loves because she can't stay in the truck and backpack.

00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:03.519
So people just go crazy.

00:38:04.079 --> 00:38:11.360
Most of the time I carry her and like I have it kind of covered and she's like burrowed in there, so you can't necessarily see what it is.

00:38:11.599 --> 00:38:12.159
That's smart.

00:38:12.239 --> 00:38:15.360
Um, but yeah, um, she's she's she's been on some adventures.

00:38:15.679 --> 00:38:23.280
The other fun thing is kind of like your bearded dragons or any of your lizards, she can't get cold.

00:38:23.519 --> 00:38:33.760
So that's something that you don't really think about until you're boondocking and you're like, we can wake up and have it be 60 in here, but we can't let her do that.

00:38:33.840 --> 00:38:38.400
Um, she actually goes into like a borderline hibernation state, which is not good for her.

00:38:38.639 --> 00:38:43.920
So she has her own little, it's almost like a heat lamp, like you would use like in a chicken coop.

00:38:44.079 --> 00:38:51.920
And so if we know we're gonna be boondocking and it's gonna get cold overnight, she gets a heat lamp and she doesn't really seem to mind.

00:38:52.000 --> 00:38:54.239
She does not like to be cold though, and she will let you know.

00:38:54.480 --> 00:39:15.199
Well, and we had the opposite problem with the ferrets, they couldn't get over 80 degrees, and so we couldn't boondock in a lot of places because of that, but at the same time, then we had a snake, and so now we had the problem of we had to keep something warm, so we just didn't boondock most of the time at that point because there was just no way to successfully do that and you know still function.

00:39:15.440 --> 00:39:17.280
So there was there was that problem.

00:39:17.840 --> 00:39:19.119
All right, well, awesome.

00:39:19.280 --> 00:39:24.400
So, what would you say is your number one tip for going on the road with your pets?

00:39:24.480 --> 00:39:26.639
Ashley and Steve, let's go let you guys go first.

00:39:26.880 --> 00:39:28.880
Like Teal said, just know your pet.

00:39:29.039 --> 00:39:36.960
Know what you need to bring with you, know what you need to have inside your camper as well as what you need to have as far as travel day.

00:39:37.039 --> 00:39:40.480
Like our dog, he just sleeps in between the kids in the back seat.

00:39:40.559 --> 00:39:43.920
But we have to make sure that we have his shot collar with him at all times.

00:39:44.000 --> 00:39:46.079
We gotta make sure we have his metal prone collar with him.

00:39:46.159 --> 00:39:50.079
We gotta make sure we have two different leashes just depending on where we're at.

00:39:50.239 --> 00:39:56.320
We used when we first got him, we used to have to have the kennel, but we don't use that anymore, so we don't we don't bring it with us.

00:39:56.480 --> 00:39:59.599
Um, always knowing where your a vet is gonna be.

00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:00.880
Where does he sleep?

00:40:02.079 --> 00:40:17.920
Uh he sleeps uh mainly on the couch or on the floor in our room about I don't know, like four or five o'clock in the morning, he'll jump up on our bed and then it's a it's a struggle with blankets once he gets up on the bed because he doesn't like to move and he takes the blanket with him.

00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:22.719
So it'll be like taking a boulder and placing it on your bed, and that's uh what you're sleeping with is a boulder.

00:40:22.880 --> 00:40:23.119
Yeah.

00:40:23.360 --> 00:40:26.000
We try to get him to sleep with the kids, but he won't go back there.

00:40:26.480 --> 00:40:35.440
Yeah, so I have a 29-pound little French bulldog mix, trust me, boulders and little rocks in the bed, and he can't get on the bed by himself.

00:40:35.599 --> 00:40:38.800
So, you know, we have to actually pick him up and put him in the bed.

00:40:38.880 --> 00:40:41.119
So it's our own fault that they sleep with us.

00:40:41.199 --> 00:40:42.159
That's the worst part.

00:40:42.480 --> 00:40:53.199
Millie actually used to sleep when she was little with Gus, and she had the loft in the toy hauler, but as soon as the two boys moved out, Gus moved to the back room and Millie refused to sleep with her.

00:40:53.360 --> 00:41:03.840
So we used to say she was like Rapunzel in the tower, and she because she would literally not jump out of that loft, and I don't know how it worked out, but you know, now she'll she'll climb to get to Frank.

00:41:03.920 --> 00:41:08.000
She has decided that Frank is her project, and so Millie will come out.

00:41:08.079 --> 00:41:11.440
She does yoga with Frank, she thinks Shivasna is the best thing ever.

00:41:11.519 --> 00:41:20.239
She calls it lickvasna because she's he's laying on the ground and she's just got the opportunity to lick his face, and he can't do anything about it at that point.

00:41:20.480 --> 00:41:21.280
So, yeah.

00:41:21.599 --> 00:41:22.719
Where are you, Tasha?

00:41:22.800 --> 00:41:26.559
Any any pointers and tips other than you know, make the kids walk the dogs?

00:41:26.800 --> 00:41:28.400
I do like that tip.

00:41:28.639 --> 00:41:34.000
I think it's important to give them time to get used to the new space.

00:41:34.239 --> 00:41:39.440
So, like we just moved into our new rig this last week.

00:41:39.599 --> 00:41:42.719
It has been chaos in a handbasket.

00:41:42.960 --> 00:41:50.159
And we moved Stella in first and we kind of let her get herself situated.

00:41:50.320 --> 00:41:54.000
She's still not quite there, but she's starting to get used to things.

00:41:54.159 --> 00:41:56.320
And we brought Edward over last.

00:41:56.719 --> 00:42:09.199
So that gave that actually I think helped him because it gave him time to de-stress from the hyperness of having Stella in his face all the time before bringing him to a new space.

00:42:09.360 --> 00:42:22.880
And then we brought him over and just been in the garage for these first few days that he's been in here, just letting him get used to the toy hauler and kind of learn the space and where his litter box is.

00:42:22.960 --> 00:42:32.880
And so just not over stressing them out, I think, is really important because you are moving every few weeks or whatever, and so it is a lot of change.

00:42:33.039 --> 00:42:37.119
So just giving them points of familiarity is really important.

00:42:37.360 --> 00:42:37.599
Yeah.

00:42:37.840 --> 00:42:44.239
Well, and I think it's important to say right now, you know, he's not just in a garage, the garage has an air conditioner and it's actually the kids' room.

00:42:44.320 --> 00:42:46.719
So yes, and two people that he knows.

00:42:46.880 --> 00:42:53.360
It's you know, it's not just in a big empty box, he has, you know, lots of comfortable things in there.

00:42:53.440 --> 00:43:01.360
He's actually David gets so frustrated because by the time David wakes up, Edward has already claimed David's recliner for his own.

00:43:01.679 --> 00:43:06.800
And so Eddie has like kicked the cat out of the recliner so that he can sit in it.

00:43:06.880 --> 00:43:08.239
And I'm like, good luck with that.

00:43:08.400 --> 00:43:09.360
But it is what it is.

00:43:09.599 --> 00:43:10.719
You got the cat a throne.

00:43:10.800 --> 00:43:12.800
It's always good when you get a cat of throne.

00:43:13.039 --> 00:43:13.440
Exactly.

00:43:13.760 --> 00:43:14.800
How about you, Chile?

00:43:14.960 --> 00:43:16.639
Do you have any words of wisdom?

00:43:16.880 --> 00:43:22.639
Like in terms of research, especially, because you know, when you're getting into exotics, it's a whole new level.

00:43:23.360 --> 00:43:24.800
Know what you're getting into.

00:43:25.039 --> 00:43:26.239
Make sure you do your research.

00:43:26.480 --> 00:43:34.239
Like I said, we knew what we were doing as far as food, we knew temperatures, we knew some of kind of the hiccups that we could potentially have.

00:43:34.320 --> 00:43:39.119
And so we were able to prepare for them better, no difference than maintenance on your rig.

00:43:39.360 --> 00:43:41.039
You you gotta know what you're getting into.

00:43:41.199 --> 00:43:41.920
Do your homework.

00:43:42.079 --> 00:43:48.000
If you can prepare, you can plan for the potential contingencies of things that are not gonna work and then go from there.

00:43:48.079 --> 00:43:52.639
And well, and knowing how to pivot, you know, is is a big part of that, you know.

00:43:52.800 --> 00:43:59.760
So the one thing I would tell you is never do something um like a vacation style, like adoption.

00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:06.880
Option, just don't do it because you might end up with two hermit crabs that come across through multiple climates.

00:44:06.960 --> 00:44:08.639
And we traveled with hermit crabs.

00:44:08.719 --> 00:44:22.159
So our first year in Florida, we were out at John's Pass, and you know they've got oodles of hermit crabs out at like different beach locations, and so they're climbing this edge of the thing, and they're just it's gonna be so fun to have hermit crabs, right?

00:44:22.400 --> 00:44:28.639
Well, it was until one got out, and then we would see him occasionally wandering through the camper as we traveled.

00:44:28.880 --> 00:44:43.760
The only advantage we had in that camper is it had no slides, so there was nothing to crush him, and so I don't know how long he lived in there because he lived for quite some time on his own, because we never found him until we were moving out of that camper.

00:44:44.159 --> 00:44:48.639
His brother, on the other hand, went to the desert and we didn't keep him moist enough.

00:44:48.719 --> 00:44:57.760
And that's the unknown factor of like hermit crabs is once you take it's like an airplant, once you take it out of its climate, it may not do so well if you don't have the humidity.

00:44:57.920 --> 00:45:00.159
And so we didn't know that, didn't do the research.

00:45:00.239 --> 00:45:01.440
So I'm right there with Teal.

00:45:01.679 --> 00:45:05.519
If you're going to adopt something, don't do it spur of the moment, is what I would tell you.

00:45:05.920 --> 00:45:08.239
Because you know, those and we keep doing that.

00:45:08.320 --> 00:45:11.760
So you know, we might not be able to edify that statement.

00:45:11.920 --> 00:45:14.880
But yeah, so there's lots of information about pets on the road.

00:45:15.039 --> 00:45:18.000
We've got a blog coming out the same day this episode drops.

00:45:18.159 --> 00:45:28.960
But if you have questions about the hedgehog, about taking your dog to a vet because they had an issue on the road, or your cat, or whatever, we also had a ranch before we hit the road.

00:45:29.039 --> 00:45:36.639
So it's not surprising that I've had a whole slew of critters that have joined us in our adventures because the kids were used to having horses before we hit the road.

00:45:36.800 --> 00:45:38.880
So definitely a different dynamic.

00:45:39.119 --> 00:45:41.679
But anyway, don't forget to like and subscribe.

00:45:41.840 --> 00:45:47.519
You know, if you're on all of the socials, you've got Steven Ashley, they're at Camp Fires and Motors.

00:45:47.599 --> 00:45:50.000
You can find them on YouTube and they have a full webpage.

00:45:50.159 --> 00:45:56.239
Teal is at Toad You So, T-O-W-E-D, you so, and we'll have all that in the show notes.

00:45:56.400 --> 00:45:59.840
And Tasha just started a page called Martin Mayhem.

00:46:00.159 --> 00:46:02.239
It is so new that I can't tell you.

00:46:02.320 --> 00:46:09.199
I think that it's Martin Arbein Mayhem, but it literally just has like a picture of my family.

00:46:09.519 --> 00:46:16.639
So, you know, but also you can just come back here and find me every week, unless you're kicking me to the curb, which I have the channel.

00:46:18.159 --> 00:46:21.039
And if you want to go meet Wesley, you can go to Instagram.

00:46:21.199 --> 00:46:26.719
He has his own Instagram hashtag Wesley B-E-S-T-L-E-Y the Frog.

00:46:26.960 --> 00:46:28.880
F-R-U-G, not frog.

00:46:29.119 --> 00:46:31.280
Um, but thanks for tuning in this week.

00:46:31.360 --> 00:46:32.079
We appreciate you.

00:46:32.159 --> 00:46:36.880
We appreciate our appreciate our guest co hosts, and uh, we'll see you next week.

00:46:37.599 --> 00:46:38.159
Wow.