I used to be a feral dog, but now I live like a queen.  This is my story.  (Click on the photos for blow-ups.)

Way back in October of '99 I was living in the piney woods of east-central Georgia, in Jenkins County.  As a puppy I'd run away from home after somebody beat me and broke my jaw.

I'd reached an understanding with Howard Norris, a local gentleman, who found me hiding in a pea patch, and he let me hang out on the farm he watches over for another man named Collins.

Several months went by like this.  Then one day a new guy pulled up in a shiny Airstream Land Yacht.  I barked all night at him and that silver trailer, but when Howard came by the next day he didn't chase the guy off.  Huh!

Well, before you could say 'possum grease, he'd loaded me up in a kennel in that 4 wheel drive of his, hooked up that Big Silver Twinkie of a trailer, and off we roared, heading South. 

We drove for 2 days.  Oh, we stopped almost every hour and The Guy took me for a walk, and he even let me sleep in that silver trailer of his at night.  I really didn't sleep that well, though.  It was too strange.  I slept a lot during the day.  All that food!  Bow-wow!

After two days we got to a place he called "Key West."  All I know is, there's LOTS of water, and there's LOTS OF OTHER DOGS to play with!  I mean, this is DOGGIE HEAVEN!  That's me in the middle of that action shot at the right.

Well, a month went by.  I didn't enjoy the vet much - those shots HURT, but  as the days passed I quit scratching, my red skin turned its normal color again, and my belly quit hurting.  I sure do feel a lot better now!

And then The Guy loaded me up again, hauled me back to Georgia (I think he called it Ft. Valley.  I could smell that Macon was pretty close), and he bought this BIG thing you see on the right!  He said that the Airstream wasn't big enough for the two of us!  

And I moved right into that back bedroom, where I can lie on the bed and look out the windows as we travel.

Well, the rest of November, all of December, and the beginning of January were something else, let me tell you.

He took me off to "visit the family."  We went through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and Michigan, and then back the same way, dropping off packages wherever we went.  He kept referring to us as "the sleigh full of goodies."  Humph!  Those dern "goodies" took up a whole lot of my lounging room.

Here I am sitting by Stony Creek just outside of Love Valley, NC.  This is The Guy's sister's ranch.  She has 10 horses! Let me give you a word of advice - don't try to chase horses.  They kick!  One almost got me, then I learned to sit on the other side of the creek and watch.