Summer of 2017
Riley’s
Adventure
My mom is helping me type out this
adventure, as I dictate this adventure to her.
My name is Riley McQuinn. I am a
red brindle/wild boar smooth haired dachshund.
That is a mouthful to say, so I call myself a short haired brown
dachshund or doxie for short. Young kids
call me a wiener dog. I just don’t
understand why. I do enjoy eating
wieners, but I would not want someone to eat me! I think I am getting forgetful like my mom
and dad do at times, and hate to admit but I do not know how old I am. I could be around 12, since I have such nasty
looking teeth, since I do not brush my pearly yellows. I still have the energy of a young dog. I love, love going on walks with my mom.
I
moved into my “fur”ever home on 8/10/2011.
I consider that my birthday. I am
a rescue dog, and lived in Fort Riley, Kansas until I was left behind by my
original family. The lady that saved me
from death brought me to Beaver Crossing, NE to learn new skills. I graduated from her program in three
months. I am very smart and a fast
learner. She brought me to Omaha to meet
my new sister Missy and my parents. We
recently stopped by to say hi and make a donation. Carla said I looked really good. When she first saw me she said I was a
terrified boy. I wandered around my old
stomping grounds sniffing in all the smells.
Before we left we got to see some of her rescues who were waiting for
their “fur”ever home. They were all
barking at once, and some were yelling “take me home”. I had to explain that my parents can only
handle us two, since they travel and camp.
Moms lap is only so big, and she has troubles walking two dogs at a
time.
On to my adventure story, this happened to
me last year in Colorado. My story is
based on fact, but does have bits and pieces of fiction. I heard a story teller talk while in CO about
how a story is based on some truth, and then some fiction. This gave me the
idea, but now I am finally finding the time to dictate to mom. Also, I love
listening to mom’s grandson Easton tell his tall tales about life. So here is my first attempt at story
telling. I heard mom talking to Katelyn
about doing the illustrations for my children’s story the other day. Her writing assignment was to write an
adventure story that was due by noon when mom was helping with homeschooling. I am sure glad I don’t have a deadline, I
need my snack and potty breaks. I still
have to do park guard duty, and bark at those going up the trail to the park
behind my house. It can be a slow job
due to the cool, rainy weather, or the heat, we have had this spring and
summer. Don’t tell mom, but sometimes I
run up to the back fence and just bark at no one, just so she thinks I am doing
my job of keeping her safe from dogs and strangers. My sister has to go out around 2:00 am or so,
so I go out with her to guard her from creatures who roam in the dark. I get mom all freaked out when I start
barking at the back gate, so she thinks someone is in the park watching her. I’m just on guard duty, nobody is watching
HER??
Can dogs have ADHD? I will start that adventure story now!
I love going on vacations with my sister
Missy and parents Pat and Rene. They
took us to Pueblo, Co last fall in late Sept.
They were attending a rally for Newmar RV owners. The fairgrounds were packed with RV’s. We were parked next to a brand new class A
that the family had just picked up for a price tag of one million dollars. That is a fact not fiction. My mom even got a tour of a million dollar
rig, she was really not that impressed but acted like she was. She has a hard time seeing, and it was way too
shiny and glossy for her. I keep
thinking that that money could have supported some of my favorite rescues like
Husker Hope in Beaver Crossing, NE.
I got to know the family’s dog Maximillon
III. He was a handsome standard black
poodle. He was really scared of me, a
little doxie, at first. On a yacht trip
in Florida while visiting their condo, Max was bit in his privates by a small
dog. I can relate to Max somewhat. No my parents have a small RV, home in Omaha,
no yacht, home in CA, and no condo in FL like Max does. I do have a fear of large dogs since I have
been attacked and have the scars to prove it.
I get in a big dog’s face and bark a bark that tells them not to mess
with me. I tried that with Max when I
first met him. He shook with fear until
I stopped. Missy still keeps barking,
and would not stop. She is like my mom
and is clueless about body language. Mom
can’t see very well, and I think Missy is losing her sight. This summer, she barked and barked at Angie,
mom’s daughter when she came to visit.
She knows Angie is the one that gives us pieces of the food she is
eating, unlike our mother. Angie loves
Little King sandwiches, so one day while visiting she picked up a
sandwich. She left it on the table
downstairs. My cousins Maggie and Zoey
were visiting along with Angie. Later we
all heard yelling coming from downstairs.
Mom came downstairs with a shoe to kill the huge spider that she thought
Angie was yelling about. Her sandwich
was all over the floor minus the meat, cheese.
One of us dogs must be on a gluten free diet, since the bread was left
behind. We blamed the youngest Zoey,
since her mom Julie is on a gluten free diet.
My ADHD just kicked in again, I better get
back to the story.
We were all up late sitting out under the
stars, when I smelled something that smelled like steak. Dad grills those up at times, and I love that
scent. Mom should buy an oil for me and
her called Steak. I get sick of that
lavender that she wears as perfume. My
dad does not put a leash on me when he sits outside. He trusts me to come when called. Mom and Missy were in bed already, they go to
bed way too early for me. Even when
home, but we are on vacation! I walked
under our camper to Max’s million dollar rig, dreaming that his dad was going
to offer me a piece of his steak. I was
surprised to see a stranger not Max’s dad waving a huge T Bone with meat still attached
in front of Max. A white cargo van with its
back door opened sat in the road. The
stranger was trying to get Max into the van.
My parents have told me and the grandkids about strangers. Mom’s stories always involved candy not
steaks, but I knew better. I ran to Max
to stop him, but I was too late. The
stranger was inside with him, Max saw me as the stranger was tying him up. He begged me in dog language to jump in and
untie him. He was my new friend, and
friends help others according to other mom stories I have heard. I jumped in and started to untie him, when I
heard the dreaded noise that I sometimes hear in my nightmares of the
past. It was the slamming of a back van
door.
This was not the van of the dog catcher in
Kansas six years ago. They had caught me
and named me Frank, and thought I was a feral dog that needed to be put to
sleep. What kind of name is Frank, it is a cat’s name. This van was not a dog catches van. Max started to whine, and was shaking
uncontrollable. Missy gets like that at
times, so I knew what to do. In a soft
voice I started singing some of my favorite songs like Jesus Love Me, Jesus
Loves the Little Children and others minus the Wheels on the Bus that mom sings
to Landon. I felt that song was
inappropriate for the setting we were in.
Max must have known about Jesus because he calmed down and stopped
whining and shaking. He thanked me for
jumping in to save him. I then promised
him that I would rescue him and get him back to his parents.
A
minor thought came into my mind that maybe, just maybe I would get a reward
that I could give to my parents as a thank you for rescuing me back in
2011. I do have a little experience in
the art of rescuing, I have had to rescue mom too many times while walking in
parks or campgrounds. She will get lost,
or turned around as she calls it. I
would guide her back home or to our campsite.
The first time this happened, we wandered and wandered. I thought she was just taking us on a long
walk. Missy was really worried and starting
to get tired. She cannot take long walks
and is so out of shape. Mom loves to
take long walks, but it was starting to get dark out, you humans call it
dusk. Mom has a hard time seeing in the
day, but at night she is really blind and refuses to use her white cane. Mom never remembers to carry a cell phone to
call dad. She also has a memory problem
from that stroke she had five years ago.
She thinks if she helps me write my story that it will help her brain
get healthy, along with healthy eating, and exercise. She even has me eating
carrots and broccoli and walking and more walking in Texas during the winter. Mom asked me to find daddy, and that it was
dinner time. I took over and got her and
Missy back to the campsite. Sure enough
dad had our food in our bowls; we both were very hungry due to the traveling in
the day, and the marching around the new park.
I
relayed this story to Max and my experiences of surviving on my own after my
first family was deployed to a new place.
They left me behind, thinking one of the neighbors on the base would
take me in. I wandered for months as my
collar grew tighter, and I was smelly and dirty. I learned to beg for food from
those in the park. I still try that at
times when walking with mom. I told Max
stories that I never told Missy, mom, dad, or my cousins Maggie and Zoey. It helped pass the time in that dark van, and
Max was a very good listener. I would
stop the story telling off and on while I chewed on the tie that the stranger
put on Max. My plan was to take a run
for it when the stranger stopped, and had the back door open. I finally had him free from the tie
down. I do have very sharp teeth and can
chew and tear up a new toy in less than an hour. I can chew up a bully stick up really fast,
and mom complains because of the high cost, but dad loves us and will buy them
when he goes into a pet store. I soon
told Max that we better get some sleep, because we may not get a chance to
sleep for awhile. If my plan works we
will have to run far and hide out, so that stranger does not find us.
I
slept for awhile and then moved up to listen to some voices from the front of
the van. Two voices were talking about
Max and how much money they could make after selling him to a new owner. They were not the smartest dog nappers, since
they sure did not know much about Max and what he is worth to his parents. They would have paid a big ransom for his
return. What I am now going to share is
based on fact just like my history was.
Max is a very smart dog. His dad
taught him many tricks, and he can follow his dad’s instructions. I watched him training with his dad at the RV
site. Max won the dog contest at the
rally and received prizes. His parents
took him to a really fancy indoor restaurant to celebrate his win. Yes, Max can go into restaurants, he even
attended the dinners, and shows at the rally.
He sat at his dad’s feet during the events. Missy and I get locked in our RV. We sit on the dash on our blankets and dog bed
and watch out the window while waiting for our parents to come home. I was really jealous of Maximillon at first
until my mom explained it to me. He is a
Service dog. Max had special training to
help his dad. Mom never did hear the
full story, but she thinks Max is there at all times like a guide dog for the
blind, but Max’s dad in not blind. He
has something else. Max saved his dad
from an RV fire in the past. When Max
wakes up, I am going to have to get him to share his past.
I dozed off dreaming about how I was a seeing
eye dog for mom and could go with her into restaurants. I would sit at her feet and wait for dad to
drop me pieces of food. Then I dreamed
that this was not possible because my parents rescued me, so I could kept Missy
company. She has separation anxiety, she
was really bad after Snoopy died and this left her alone. I woke up from my dreams and found that Max
was awake. Max said he really had to go
to the bathroom. I told him to pee but
not poop in the van since we did not know how long it would be. He asked where he should do his number
one. I was not sure what he meant but
told him to go way up front, since we were by the back door waiting for our
chance to run. I also took a pee up
front and that was so much fun. I sure
can’t do that in dad’s RV or car.
The van stopped and I heard the door open,
I jumped out and surprised the stranger and yelled for Max to run. I heard ----- words I cannot repeat, but did
hear “where did the ---- wiener dog come from”.
We both ran and ran. I told Max
to run straight for about five minutes, and then turn right for another five
minutes and then wait up. I would catch
up with him. He could run fast due to
his long legs. I was not worried about
myself and the dog nappers. It was dark,
and if they did catch me, I would not make them any money.
They would take one look at this over 10
year old dog, with a huge scar on my back, pieces gone from the tips of my
ears, yellow teeth, along with nails
missing. I wonder if dad gets a discount
from Dawn my groomer when she does my nails.
I had a tough life before Carla found me in Kansas 6 years ago. I start humming in my head the song called; I
am a Survivor, as I run as fast as my short legs will go. When I meet up with Max, I assured him that
we are safe for now, since it is still dark.
We both rested until what humans call dawn. I could see some lights off in the distance,
so we went that direction until we came to a small creek that needed to be crossed. We both took drinks from the cool water, but
crossing this body of water was going to be hard, since I hated all body of
waters, even our kitchen sink.
I
confessed up to Max about my fear of the ocean water in Texas. One day while walking along the beach, a wave
came up and pulled me in and got me wet.
Dad saved me, but now I refuse to walk too close along the beach. We all have our phobias, mine is water and
Missy’s is walking across a bridge. She
refuses to cross, so mom picks her up and carries her over. Sure wish there was a bridge here now so I
can cross. I also am missing my sister
Missy, she is probably freaking out with worry and anxiety.
Now it is Max’s turn to take control, he
starts humming some of the same songs I sang to him, as he gently pushes me
across the slow moving stream. He is so
tall that he just walks across, as I dog paddle to the other side. I remind him that we better load up with
water, since we have a hike up ahead. I
am hoping that the light I saw at dawn was from a nearby town.
The closer that we got, we could smell
bacon. Max said it was coming from what
he called a diner. He said we could stop in for a bite to eat, since it was
breakfast time and he would order me a couple of orders of bacon. I had to break the news to him, that dogs were
not allowed. He was confused since he
eats out with his folks. I hear my mom
complaining about the prices of eating out.
Dad eats out fast food when mom is not around. She caught him eating pizza while she was
staying in Grand Island with my cousins, and her grandchildren. She FaceTimed him, and there he was with me
and Missy on his lap as he was eating Mama’s Pizza. Mom wants us to eat healthy and save money. I explained to Max about the concept of money. He said maybe we can find a card. Did not understand what a card was, only knew
about the cards that the grandchildren draw for mom and dad. I never got bacon with those cards
before. I also reminded him that he was not
wearing the special vest that he wears that allows him to travel where dogs are
not allowed.
I told him I would get him some food, since
I learned many tricks while back in Kansas when I was out on my own. That Survivor song drifted through my
thoughts along with bacon. We came into
town from the back and found what I was looking for. It was a tall trash dumpster that I could
smell had some fairly recent breakfast smells.
Max was just tall enough to reach in.
Back in the day due to my short legs, I would have to tear into garbage
bags left by the road, which really left a big mess. Max reached in and pulled out a bag. I took over since Max was so discussed about
the thought of eating trash. I fished
out some food that we could share, and then left a big mess behind. Once full, we decided to look around
town. I had another plan. I knew if we could find a vet in town, he or
she could check the microchip in Max to find his owners. We passed a beauty shop, and Max turned to go
in. He explained he needed a nail polish
and a bath and style due to the long hike and dust. I reminded him that they cost money that he
did not have. I also told him that he
was a dude that did not need nail polish, only girls did polish. I searched for a vet in town, but could not
find one. We did find an old yellow lab
that sat out in the sun sunning. He
looked friendly enough, so I approached slowly.
I made chit chat before I got down to business. He gave me directions to the nearby vet
outside of town. We both thanked him,
and went on our way. It was a nice walk,
we could see mountains in the distance and cars had Colorado plates. Our parents would still be around waiting for
us to return. The vet was a kind older
lady; she listened to our story and scanned for the chip information. She made a call to Max’s dad, and explained
where we could be found. It would take
our parents a few hours to pick us up.
She gave us some food and drink while we waited. I asked Max if he wanted to sun himself. I love sitting out and soaking in the warm
sun.
We
went outside to sit, when we noticed a dog off down the road running and crying
out for help. We both ran to see if we
could help. She was a very cute little
girl, a breed I did not recognize. She
stopped crying enough to tell us her story.
She needed our help ASAP. Her
name was Sassy and her brother was dog napped by two strangers in a white
van. She had just escaped and her
brother was left behind, and his new buyer was on their way to take him to a
live with a new family. They must hurry,
because she might never see him again.
We all ran as fast as we could, until we reached a rundown cabin, that
reminded me of my mom’s brother Gary’s river cabin minus the river. We could hear many dogs crying for help. They were all out back of the cabin by a shed
with a fence around it. She cried with
joy when she spotted her brother. They
looked like twins by the same mom and dad.
My sister Missy and I look somewhat related, we are the same color but
that is it.
I came up with a plan; first all the dogs
had to stop barking. That was Max’s job. He began to sing to them and that calmed the
scared pups down. Then we looked for the
latch to the pen gate. Sassy spotted it but it was up really high. I called Max
and had him knee down while I climbed up his back. Once I had my balance, I had him stand. He moved in closer to the gate latch, I then
stood up and used my long snout to wiggle it free. Once free, Max lower down,
so I could jump off safely. Dachshunds
are not suppose to do what we love- jump.
We get bad backs. I have never
had back problems, but Missy has and her brother before me did. Snoopy
could not walk for seven years due to a big dog stepping on his back when he
was a few years old. He even had the surgery that did not work for him. Missy had a shot and medication that really
helped her. I have to get after her
daily reminding her to not jump. She
runs after squirrels and will follow them up a lower tree branch in our yard
until she is stuck and the squirrel has moved to another tree.
I told the pups to run and follow Max to
safety to the nice lady vet. They all
ran at different rates. Some could keep
up with Max, while I stayed back with the slower pups to protect them. That is my story and I am sticking with
that. We all made it back to the
vet. She made a call to the sheriff and
explained what was going on down the road.
She then started scanning the pups and making phone calls. They were all chipped since they were very
pricey pups. I still don’t get the pricy
pup thing. Shelters are so full of
common dogs just waiting for a forever home.
My parents paid $200 for me, but at times fees will be waived to the
right family due to so many pups that need homes.
I
spotted Sassy next to her brother, over in a corner. She gave me a cute little smile. We went over and the next thing I knew was
she was giving Max and me a big kiss and thank you for saving the day. Max said I was blushing, after that
kiss. I did get more kisses from other
cute girl pups, and high fives and hugs from the male dogs. Some males had nail polish on, which I will
never understand. At least they were not
wearing pink polish, or I would have had to talk with them.
I told them all to look forward to my story,
called Riley’s Adventure that would come out next summer on my mom’s blog
called justtryingtostaybusy.blogspot.com , and then the illustrations will be
done later by her grandchildren. My mom
would need to help me and she is a slow writer, so my goal would be summer
2017.
Max’s parents and my parents along with Missy
came to great and pick us up. We got
more hugs and kisses. The lady vet
shared with my parents about how the dog nappers were now in the town’s jail. We
needed to stop by and talk with the sheriff and press charges against
them. The sheriff thanked us with
treats, and explained how the nappers kept records of the ones taken and had
been sold. They were tracking down the
pups to return them to their original families.
On our way back to the fairgrounds where our
parents had left their RV’s, Max talked to his parents. I could not hear what they were talking
about. Soon his dad pulled over their
huge SUV in front of a diner. His dad
went in and then came out inviting all of us in for lunch on him. Missy and I were so excited, since we have
never been in a restaurant/diner. Mom
was also excited because it meant a free lunch and she loves the word
“free”. Max’s dad had offered a large
tip if they would let me and my sister in to eat. He also told the owner how we saved many pups
today and we were very hungry heroes. We
ate people food, in front of mom. Dad
sneaks us people food at times, and lets us lick his bowl clean. One time in TX, dad stopped at Dairy Queen
and ordered our own ice cream cone to share, since mom did not want to share
hers.
The parents were talking while we pups
enjoyed our food. I heard Max’s dad say the
word reward. My dream would be coming
true. My parents will get a reward for
me saving their precious Maximillon III.
My dad then said to just make a donation under Riley’s name to Husker
Hope Rescue in Beaver Crossing, NE. He
then explained how Carla had rescued me from death 6 years ago in Kansas.
When we got back to our RV’s we said our
goodbyes and promised to look each other up at the next Newmar Rally in Sept of
2017 in Missouri. I know how to find my
good friend Max. I will see him at the
rally dog show and surprise him. I’ll congratulate him on winning yet another
dog show. Maybe he’ll invite me out to
lunch with him and his family after his win?
I can dream, since this is my story?
Maybe I can borrow an extra service dog vest from him? Maybe I can become an official guide dog for
my mom, but I really can’t leave Missy home by herself. So the guide dog plan won’t work. If mom was not so cheap, and concerned about
our diets, she could have dad get us some fast food. Maybe I’ll just start small and ask for a
small cone to share with Missy and of course MOM.
