Road Trip for Roxie

Hardy was a wonderful companion on a road trip. He would happily jump in the car, ready for anything. So when I was summoned to Omak, Washington to help my father-in-law move out of his view lot home to a room in Seattle with other family members, I jumped at the chance to see if Roxie would enjoy a little car travel.

To say that Roxie does not like a car would be an understatement. I'm not even sure hate is a strong enough word. Because I don't know her background, I'm not sure if she's ever been in a car accident, but one would assume so from her behavior. She hides in the darkest nooks and crannies, covers her head with her paws, pants profusely, and when being held, she grips your arm as if holding on for dear life. My new dog has taught me a lot about fear. Fear of cars is only one of them.

When I was a psychology undergrad at CSU, I took a class called, "Conditioning and Learning," It was a detailed class about classical and operant conditioning. I kept reminding myself that this road trip I would take (one that would last two solid days one way) would be an excellent way to extinguish Roxie's fear of riding in a car. If I could keep wonderful things happening to her in that car, as well as at the destinations where we would get out, I could create an environment that would be conducive to reducing her fearful responses to riding in the car. Instead of a bell meaning food, I was substituting car to mean pleasant experiences (complete with soothing music). So it wasn't surprising when somewhere around Mount Shasta, Roxie began to seem less frightened of riding in the car, and by the time we were at the Rogue River in Oregon, she was even better.

O'Brien Rest Area at Shasta Lake

What I have learned is that a road trip with a dog can be really fun. It causes necessary stops in beautiful places that one would possibly pass by. Places where I may not have stopped on a road trip in the past, became a necessity so that Roxie could explore her surroundings for awhile. There became a requirement to stay long enough for her to get pleasure from the stop too. It became a habit for me to notice, and stop at, lovely places along the highway - places where I always wanted to stop, but in the past had thought to myself... someday.

I have discovered the most beautiful stops traveling north. I am now walking and gawking at mountain peaks, waterfalls, river trails, and more. I've also shopped at the cutest little gift shops and tasted the most delicious gourmet items in flavors I couldn't believe. I can't decide if the tastiest was the homemade peanut butter fudge, the homemade chocolate ice cream, or the homemade smoked salmon. In any case, I've truly learned once again... enjoying the journey is the most important aspect of any trip. But bringing along a dog on a road trip, and watching the dog experience the great outdoors (possibly even for the first time), well that's simply pure joy.

Roxie says, "Paws Here!"