In deciding if we wanted to have a dog with us, we made up a list of what we did and did not want. After all, if we could get ahead of the "wanting eyes" of any candidates we might stumble across, we might actually have a say in what we ended up with.
The things we were certain of were:
- No Shedding! Been there and done that with Siberians, Shelties, German Shepard, Terriers, Collies and a few others. Long hairs are easier to clean up but short hairs are less visible most of the time. I don't anticipate ever being so bored that I will need to be cleaning up dog hair just because it is there.
- No Doggy smell! Hard one to define but too frequent bathing is hard on a dog's skin and my back. Also, some just "Oil out" the moment they get hot or excited. Living in 400 sq. Ft (or less) is an odor sharing experience of gigantic proportions. If a smell is there it will permeate throughout in less than a minute… and linger… and forget thinking that opening a window or turning on the Fantastic fan is going to purge it in anything less than a half day.
- No barking, yipping, whining, digging, chewing or jumping all over the place. Calm begets calm and I don't need a constant pep rally going on all the time.
- No physical or emotional breed baggage, like genetic quirks, diet, joint problems, etc.
- Housebroken and Crate trained BEFORE we adopt. Also, self explanatory. The crate training is a hedge against the unexpected, whether it be logistical (where we are, what we are doing) or medical (sick, injured, on certain medications). You don't want to be stressing about the fight the dog is having with being crated while it is also struggling with whatever conditions put him there.
- Small enough to be reasonable to lift into/out of whatever, whenever… if necessary but large enough that it can handle itself most of the time and won't have broken bones from getting stepped on ( the 400 sq ft thing, again).
- Very companionable and warm. Likes to be in a lap but does not demand it. Loves to be fussed over but can be alone without anxiety.
I have a cousin that has been a dog groomer for many years. We gave her our criteria and she instantly said CockAPoo, hands down… and so our quest began.
Having almost always had dogs we had been playing with the idea of having one with us as we travelled. The down side was going to be the handicap it would be to spontaneity, particularly if we wanted to just do something that would take us away for many hours or some days. Research had shown that folks that were very active, did not replace dogs that they had lost during their RV lives and this was the reason.
Our choices were specific because of our experiences but we also knew that there was a sense of something missing when we didn't have a companion around.
At this time, my wife was still working full time but we were living in our RV and had been for many months, sans canine. I was there by myself all the time and began to be less resistant to the idea of an RV dog. We both had been casually looking at the shelters and sources (online, of course). We never allowed ourselves first hand contact because we knew that the "you know you want me" eyes would instantly burn our list and we would walk away with whatever it happened to be.
Eventually, we softened and looked in earnest for a CockaPoo for about 6 months before we found Katie in a rescue. Dogs, like CockaPoos are in so much demand that it is rare for one that goes to a shelter to even get publicized. They will get snapped up by shelter workers and friends.
A word about rescues, here. A dog in a rescue has a history or it would not be there. There will likely be "baggage" from this and whether it is physical, emotional or medical in nature, it will have to be dealt with and will likely, always be there so be prepared to discover it after you have become responsible.
In Katie's case, her "history" said she could not be housebroken. The fact was she had a genetic defect called an external hepatic shunt. Basically, a lot of her blood was bypassing her liver and kidneys and was not being detoxified which was causing seizures. The seizures often caused uncontrollable evacuation that left puddles and piles so it seemed that she could not be housebroken. We had her for a year before the cause was discovered. $8000 later, the problem is fixed but the seizures will continue for the rest of her life, but at a greatly reduced rate and we deal with them to some degree with medication but they still happen about once a month.
In all other regards, she is the perfect companion, fulfills all of our list, perfectly, and daily returns far more to us than we have paid to have her with us. Less spontaneity can save some money when you have to work it out to go instead of just grabbing the keys, locking the door and taking off. In 4 years, there is very little that we have wanted to do that we have not done and what we have engaged, we have really wanted to do.
Having the right companion is about fitting what is available into what will work, for you. Be prepared to spend some time working this out. It will be completely worth it if you choose well.
