It's a Team's Life

Run Away

Run Away

Recently we found ourselves in Florida after having made a delivery. We decided that we would go to our camper for the weekend. We wanted to make sure that everything was in order as well as enjoy one or both pools that the property owns. We were tired and just wanted a weekend to relax. Dave got the semi parked. He stepped outside the semi to make sure it was parked as he wanted. Before he could even close the driver’s side door our little boy Barkley jumped out of the semi. He went in the direction of the dog park. Dave got in our pickup truck to go get him; however, Barkley had already found that he could not get into the dog park and moved on. We did finally find Barkley. He was so happy to see us and seemed so proud of what he had done. He was just so happy to be at the camper property and wanted to see if any of his friends where there.

This brings me to my topic today. For those of you who have pets on the truck, specifically dogs, what things do you do to make sure that your furry friends stay in the truck until it is safe for them to exit? We thought that we had done everything possible, yet Barkley still was able to get away. 

Here are some things that we have done for both dogs. First, both dogs are chipped. Of course, there is no guarantee that anyone who finds our dogs would take them to a vet to find the chip. Second, both dogs have an Apple AirTag on their collars. Again, the collars could be removed to prevent us from being able to track the dog’s location. After this most recent escape we also learned that the app does not necessarily work in real time. There was a slight delay so it took longer than expected to find Barkley. Third, Dave built a gate so that neither dog can get out through the RV door in the sleeper. We never needed this gate when it was just Rocky; however, since adopting Barkley extra measures are required. Finally, we plan on getting a pair of those covers that cover the door and window controls on the front doors of the semi.

What other things have you done to keep your pets safe inside your truck? When Rocky was a puppy we had a kennel for him to stay in while the truck was in motion. Now that he is 75 pounds Rocky has outgrown that kennel. We do have a two foot leash attached to the handrail for the steps in the sleeper that we can hold one of the dogs if necessary. Other than that, what else could we have to make sure that neither dog decides to run off and go exploring? Thank you for your suggestions. 

Here’s to millions of safe, profitable and PET FRIENDLY miles.

Kelly Plumb