Mark and I love dogs. It’s hard to believe that it’s almost been ten years since we last had one of our own, on Irie. Kali passed away in Puerto Rico in December 2008 and we lost Darwin on a trip to the US in December 2010.
Kali (white) and Darwin (grey)
From the moment we sailed west from the Eastern Caribbean and then into the South Pacific, we rarely saw boat dogs anymore and sometimes enjoyed the company of strays. They’d follow us on hikes or walks in town.
Once we left the sailing life and “semi-settled” in the US, we experienced a lot of dog love during three years of house and pet sitting assignments. When we moved in our camper van Zesty, we worried about missing out. But, we’ve managed to pet multiple camping dogs and even had one over for a morning of dog sitting! We’ve made many furry friends along the way this year.
Benton in Borrego Springs, CA
Pal at Five Palm Oasis, CA
Bella and Benton (again) at Senator Wash Reservoir, CA
Cody (Bob Wells‘ dog) in Quartzsite, AZ
Indy at Lake Mohave, NV
Miley in the Vermilion Cliffs, AZ
Stray dog in Navajo Nation (We almost took him home!)
Strays in Canyon de Chelly National Monument, AZ waiting for dog treats
The “best” is being kept for last. Mark and I are currently walking, cuddling, and socializing with dozens of dogs a day at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah!
May 19, 2019 at 22:57
Wonderful fun “doggy” photos Liesbet. Love the one with Benton, Mark and the view from the window. Plus, you with Benton and Bella 🙂
May 20, 2019 at 19:01
I guess it’s the angles of the photos that did it. Or, the subjects. 🙂 The one with Benton and Mark at our table in the van is my all-time favorite doggy/human interaction photo. I’d like the one with me and Benton as well, if only it was obvious we were looking in an atlas together. Benton is the sweetest, cutest dog. He’s an Australian Shepherd, which is our favorite breed (as a mixed rescue anyway, which our two dogs were). Yeah, I know. Lots of “favorites” here.
May 19, 2019 at 23:40
That’s a great thing to be able to do, Liesbet. I have a couple of walking friends who do similar. Happy days! 🙂 🙂
May 20, 2019 at 19:03
We are in dog heaven these days, Jo. Although, we have been “upgraded” to the more challenging “problem” dogs, which means less actual interaction with the animals. Learning a lot, for sure!
May 20, 2019 at 00:40
We love and miss Benton so it was great to see some photos of him with you guys. We house/dog sat with him for a month a few years ago. Looks like you are getting your fill of doggy love now…enjoy!
May 20, 2019 at 19:07
Fran told us about you two taking care of Benton on Whidbey. That must have been a blast – the location and the furry company! We miss Benton as well and we barely spent time with him compared to you. Such a great dog and companion. And, beautiful as well.
Buckets full of doggy love these days, Leslie. We spent an afternoon with puppies yesterday, at Puppy Preschool and walked “single” dogs today, who can’t be near other dogs. A learning experience we enjoy. Even cleaning out the runs. 🙂
May 20, 2019 at 00:46
Lovely pics. I miss dogs so much when we’re not housesitting. We’ve got three border collies to share the sofa with at the moment.
May 20, 2019 at 19:10
Three border collies!! Wow. Is there room left on the couch for you guys? 🙂 What ages are they? These guys usually require a lot of exercise, so I’m sure you’re keeping busy. Enjoy the cuddles and love! Plus, I hear you about missing dogs in between house sits. We’ve been known to have withdrawal and “bug” strangers walking their dogs. 🙂
May 20, 2019 at 02:34
So many lovely dogs you’ve met on your travels and house-sits already Liesbet and so happy you’re now at Best Friends! Wishing you both a fabulous stay and we are quietly keeping our fingers and paws crossed for a wonderful new chapter in your story 🤗🐾💖🐾 xxx
May 20, 2019 at 19:26
Haha about that new chapter, Xenia! We are trying to do our best not getting too attached to a dog while we’re here. But, who knows? 🙂
By the way, you would LOVE it here! Best Friends is amazing – the location, the care, the expertise, the professionalism. Mark and I – who are very critical people – are in awe. I hope a future post will give a good idea of how this place works and is set up.
Every dog is an individual and is handled/trained/taken care of as such. It’s incredible. And, the staff is so committed and involved. I could go on. The only negative I’ve found so far is that each kennel/run has a big metal bucket (probably donated) filled to the brim with water. This gets refilled (old water deposited) at least once a day – for 450 dogs – what a waste of water. 🙂
May 20, 2019 at 03:36
It would be hard to resist taking home some of the strays. I’m happy you and Mark are getting your doggie fix! Safe travels!
May 20, 2019 at 21:56
Thanks, Jill. Having years of experience traveling with dogs and without dogs, we now know a decision like picking up a stray dog or adopting one requires some heavy thinking and considering. 🙂 Luckily, there are alternatives to owning a dog when it comes to loving and caring for them.
May 20, 2019 at 05:46
Animals are smart – they know dog lovers and gravitate to you. I think you will always be surrounded by furry friends.
May 20, 2019 at 22:01
What a nice and sweet thing to say, Alex! I hope you’re right in that we will always be surrounded by furry friends. It makes me smile.
May 20, 2019 at 10:04
I ❤️ these photos! I greatly anticipate your upcoming post on ‘Best Friends!’
May 20, 2019 at 22:03
Four days gone and about eight more to go, Donna! Not so easy to take photos during our shifts, though! 🙂 Do you think you’ll ever be back? Do you remember the name of the dog you took for the sleepover? I’ll have to check your blog post about Best Friends again.
May 20, 2019 at 12:28
Dogs on the road are kind of like grandchildren, I imagine. Lots of cuddles and love without the ongoing care. Have fun at Best Friends!
May 21, 2019 at 16:38
Nicely said, Janis! We are enjoying all the benefits of being with dogs, without having to deal with the responsibilities or costs. 🙂
Best Friends is amazing! Such dedicated employees and so much work for them every single day. They couldn’t do it without all the volunteers, so we are very happy to make a difference… and enjoy doggy time.
May 20, 2019 at 15:33
Very cute, all of them!
May 21, 2019 at 16:38
🙂
May 20, 2019 at 17:58
I like the photos of your furry friends. They are likely talking about the friendly humans they met:)
May 21, 2019 at 16:41
What a nice thought, Erica! We do love it when dogs recognize us after an absence, especially when it has been several months or even a year. 🙂
May 22, 2019 at 04:58
Loved your “Doggie” post, Liesbet! We take our little Cali with us nearly everywhere. She’s a great boat dog because, at 10 lbs, she really takes up very little room. But, I will admit, she has us wrapped around her little paw!
They add so much to our lives, don’t they?
May 23, 2019 at 22:01
Dogs are the best, Nancy! Our two “boat dogs” were a tad bigger than Cali, at 55 and 65 pounds. 🙂 And, I’m not sure if you noticed, but our girl was called Kali as well, with a “K”. Great name. There’s actually a cute dog – mixed cattle dog – at Best Friends (where we are volunteering) right now called Cali as well. We both walked her a few days ago, but I can’t remember whether I took her photo.
May 22, 2019 at 08:14
Ok – I’m going to use that word again – but in a different way! You guys are dog charmers! I know this because I was witness to you charming shy Indy at Lake Mohave.
Sometimes a dog really takes to me but that is usually after I spend some time with them (this is how it works with me and people too, I think) but dogs seem to immediately take to you and Mark. I know the dogs must be loving you at Best Friends.
May 23, 2019 at 22:05
Best Friends has been a fantastic experience so far, Duwan. And, there’s even a dog called Indy here as well (we saw on the adoption tab), which we haven’t met yet. We won’t get to see them all – there are over 400 currently – but a big chunk of the adoptable ones have been walked a cuddled by at least one of us. 🙂
You do sound like a shy dog… needing to get some trust, before becoming buddies. I mean that in the most endearing way, of course. And your treats would be cheese. 🙂
Thank you for your charming words about us and dogs. We do have a “thing” for them!
May 22, 2019 at 10:56
Aw, what adorable faces! I’m glad you’re still getting regular “dog fixes” in your travels. Do you think you might get another dog of your own someday?
May 23, 2019 at 22:09
We will definitely get dogs again, Diane. The big question is… when? The “fear” of being enamored by a rescue dog at Best Friends is what kept us from checking it out in person any earlier. So far so “good”: no adoption plans yet. 🙂 Knowing that we can get our doggie fixes in different ways helps me – so far – from desiring my own again. And, I LOVE to travel more than I love dogs. If I really had to pick one.
May 24, 2019 at 19:01
Very tough choice, though! 🙂
May 27, 2019 at 19:54
🙂
May 22, 2019 at 18:03
Aww, dogs love you guys! Because you are doing what you are doing now, by walking dogs in a shelter, Liesbet! They can smell your love for them miles away (supposed to be a compliment). Lovely photo essay of all your pet pals! I’d wag my tail if I had one, but I will just smile instead!
May 23, 2019 at 22:11
You are so sweet and kind and funny, Terri. We are probably quite smelly these days, fitting in our every other day shower after walks in the red mud and having pups climb all over us. 🙂 But, we are in our happy place at the sanctuary. It’s an amazing valley in every way! If only the weather would improve. Enough hail and snow already the end of May, in Southern Utah!!
May 23, 2019 at 05:27
It’s nice to see you enjoying the doggies in your care. It’s true that the love you give a dog is returned to you tenfold! No wonder they remember you both! ❤️
May 23, 2019 at 22:14
Hey Holly! It’s so nice to see you here as well. Thank you for reading and commenting. How’s Ginger doing? I bet you and the family would love a visit to Best Friends as well. This morning, I volunteered with the cats in Cat World by the way… 🙂
May 24, 2019 at 07:22
After Me-Too died before our kids left home, we never got another dog – too busy traveling and too sad to risk the loss of another pet.
You’re maxed out on demands on your time, I know, But you may enjoy a photographer’s blog by a British ex-pat living in Sweden. Her blog is mostly photos, and the text usually under 50 words about her dogs Simmie and Ruby: https://ladyfi.wordpress.com/2019/05/23/the-velvet/
I’m glad you post “Where are we now.” Otherwise, it would be hard to keep track of you guys!
May 27, 2019 at 19:54
Hi Marian! I hear you about not getting another dog for travel and “loss” reasons. It took us many years to get over the deaths of our two dear dogs and the only reason we haven’t adopted or rescued another one is because we haven’t figured out where and how we will travel next year.
I think you’re the only one actually checking our location once in a while. Most people don’t realize I keep track of that in the right column. 🙂
Thank you for the dog-friendly link. I’ll check it out one of these days. I can’t say “I’ll check it out whenever I have extra time,” since that just never happens.
May 25, 2019 at 03:52
cool
May 27, 2019 at 19:56
Thanks!
May 26, 2019 at 21:01
Oh how incredibly lucky the strays and workers at Best Friends are to have you! I will be interested to see if you come away with a new Zesty room mate. Your genuine love of dogs shines through. My guess is pups can sense you from a great distance. What a heart warming post.
May 27, 2019 at 19:58
Thank you for your kind words, Sue. I do believe we are making a difference for the dogs and care takers at Best Friends these two weeks. And the weather has been awful to be outside walking dogs and camping at night, unfortunately. The coordinators have praised us for our determination and commitment. Most dogs have showered us with kisses and wagging tails. 🙂 We have one favorite dog so far, but won’t be bringing her with us.
May 28, 2019 at 06:58
I can’t image my life without dogs. The love and loyalty they bring is one of the best feelings in the world. I’m so glad that Mark and you continue to fill your lives with dogs since your own dogs walked over the rainbow bridge, Liesbet. This is such a happy post.
June 1, 2019 at 09:36
Hi Hugh!
Our dogs were quite special (don’t we all think that?), so it took us years of mourning and missing them, before we even considered adopting one again. Then, we let our minds rule over our feelings and decided to not adopt one or save one from the streets, since it would affect our lifestyle too much.
Luckily, we discovered other ways to keep loving and being with dogs, like house and pet sitting, meeting people with dogs, and, recently, volunteering at the biggest no kill animal shelter in the world. But… being with dogs and realizing how they affect us and give us pleasure makes it hard again to not adopt one. 🙂
June 2, 2019 at 02:52
I completely understand that, Liesbet. But at least your lives are surrounded by dogs. We should always surround ourselves with things that make us happy, and it seems to me that’s exactly what you’re doing. 😀
June 3, 2019 at 17:57
What a beautiful motto to live by, Hugh, surrounding ourselves with or by the things (or experiences) that make us happy. Yes, we attempt to do that daily. And, I’m pleased to see and read that this seems to be on your agenda as well. 🙂
March 28, 2021 at 00:37
but isn’t hard to leave a stray to maybe die of starvation? I just know if a dog was in a bad situation I couldn’t leave it.
March 29, 2021 at 14:53
Meeting stray dogs is really tough, Donna, especially when they are in bad shape. But, since we now have our own (rescued) dog and we meet tons of new dogs – some healthy and in good shape, others not so much – we just can’t take more as full-time nomads living in a 19ft van… We try to give them love and food whenever appropriate and hope this makes them happy for a short while and maybe sets the example for locals observing us.
June 5, 2019 at 11:16
It sounds like you’re having a wonderful time at Best Friends. So many good organizations depend on the work of volunteers.
Jude
June 6, 2019 at 14:31
I had no idea just how much Best Friends needs their volunteers! And, they appreciate them loads as well. We had a fantastic time there and I can’t wait to start sharing some of our experiences and observations…
June 9, 2019 at 03:20
Aw, your two doggies were so cute. Such sweet faces. I’m sorry for your loss.
The stray one has a sweet face too. It must have been hard to leave him behind.
June 10, 2019 at 12:06
JH, we actually jokingly talked about returning to that campsite in Navajo Nation to pick up that stray dog. But, we knew we’d have ample opportunity to adopt another one at the Best Friends Sancturay…