"WHO'S Jack?"

Jack is the proverbial "Bum". However, in my particular case, Jack is no bum, but my special little Buddy...my Sheltie Pup "Mill Creeks Texas Jackpot." - Jack. It feels like I hit the Jackpot with this little dog, hence the name.

This whole blog, titled "Hit the Road, Jack!" is about Us, Bill & Linda, and our life adventures after raising 4 children. We're not Empty Nesters - we're Gypsy Nesters and love RVing, RV'ers and the RV Lifestyle. I will be discussing all these things, and our adventures so please don't think I've lost my mind while you read about Jack. But RVing and/or traveling is the main reason I got Jack, so he has to be a part of this blog.

Now Jack isn't like the other 3 Shelties I've owned. They were all wonderful in their own way, especially Zack, but Jack's different. Being an avid viewer of the National Geographic Channel and Caesar Millan's "The Dog Whisperer", I think I know why. He's a medium energy dog. Shelties are NOT known for being medium energy. They lean towards being hyper and yappy and scared of their own shadow mostly. But SMART isn't even the word for these dogs - they're beyond smart...until they're not. But that's another story.

Jack's medium energy shows itself in some of the most wonderful ways. But let's talk traveling, since the title of this Blog is called Hit the Road Jack! This little pup, currently 4 months old, weighing in at a mere 13 lbs. rides so quietly in our mini-van that we don't hear a peep out of him on long 8 hr. rides. At about 1/2 way on the last trip we stopped to get gas and to let Jack out to "do his business." He promptly took care of business and back into the crate and off we went till we arrived at our destination.

"Taking care of business" happens very quickly with Jack. Unlike my daughter's friend who's dog takes at least 20 mins. to "Go Outside." Can you imagine standing in the rain or sleet and snow with cold, freezing weather, waiting on a dog to PEE?

Yes, I can imagine that...I've done it - with our son's dog. Did I know that Maxie takes his time? Oops! No! Someone forgot to tell me that...but that's ok, I didn't mind waiting for him. Because he's not MY dog - he's my granddog.

Grandparents do things for grandchildren and grandpets that they wouldn't do for their own. Ya ever wonder why that is? Well, yeah, love has something to do with it, but it's because it comes in short spurts - it's not everyday, 3 times a day. (That's just an aside for those parents out there who never could understand why a grandparent treats the grandchildren differently than they were treated as children (including myself until I had grandkids.)

So my little Jackpot "Goes Outside", "Takes Care of Business" or whatever you'd like to call it very quickly. As one of my friends said when she dog sat for an elderly couple, "At least you don't have to YELL "GO POO-POO!" repeatedly until the dog does the deed." But Jack does his business in a hurry because I use Pavlov's dog training technique. Ring a bell, feed the dog, dog salivates. Ring a bell, feed the dog, dog salivates. Pretty soon all you have to do is ring a bell and the dog salivates. Training.

So if you have a dog and you want to hurry up, say Hurry Up! Then you can Hit the Road Jack, get this show on the road and not embarrass yourself by screaming bathroom adjectives for the general public to hear during a rainstorm. Just don't forget to praise your dog when he/she "performs!" And be sure and train yourself to Pick up the Poop! More on Jack's excellent adventures coming soon ...so tune in!