This blog is about my road-camping trip with my German shepherd dogs, Leben and Erde, from 19 Sept to 13 Oct 2012, which took us 3700 miles from DC to NY (and Beech Mountain), and then onto seven different provincial and national parks circling the Great Lakes. Just before Thunder Bay, Ontario, Leben became paralyzed, so we returned by way of Minnesota and then east to DC.

Day 26, Friday, oct 12, Cleveland KOA, Ohio, camp 13

We are at the same camp at which we ended our journey last year. As far as i am concerned, the only difference between this photo and the previous onevis that the subjects and ohotographer are a year old. I know in my heart that there are other differences, but when i return home, my goal will be to normalize as much as i can.

Long rides yesterday and today, 450 miles and 280 miles. Tomorrow will be long too, 375, but then we will be home.

Yesterday, traffic got backed up on 80 south of Chicago because of a crash. Some person braked fir a dog on the highway and gor rammed from behind. The dog was killed. I mention this only because today i almost hit a dog on the same highway, a 6-lane speedway for trucks. I quickly looked behind me to see that no one was there so i braked and missed the dog. I then stopped to see if i could lure the dog over to me, but the dog got frightened and ran back into the traffic, first the east-bound lanes and then the west-bound. Thank god the dog made it to the other side safely. As good luck would have it, a cop came by and i flagged him down. I pointed out where the dog had run (up the opposite exit ramp) and the cop wentboff in pursuit. My hope is that the dog made it.

I enjoy staying at these KOAs becaus Ii know the layout and the routine for the dogs is the same. I think they think it is all one we are staying at. I took leben for a long spin in his CATV tonight. He genuinely enjoys it, as does erde who gets to stop and sniff wherever she wants and shares in all the training treats leben gets. I am beginning to think that maybe his problem came about because of all the treats he has been getting. He is going to wish he was back on the road when he see the steady flow if treats stop abruptly tomorrow.

If all goes well, we will end this trip tomorrow. It is not ending as i had hoped, but both dogs are with me. I have a lotnof learning to do about how i am going to handle my new unwanted situation, but i will manage. I will take this on as just another project, like this trip. My goal is not to return my dogs to the same lives they had before because that's impossible now. My goal is to give them and myself better lives. My second goal is to start preparing for our trip next year.

Long day tomorrow so it is time to call it a night.


Ed

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