Felix was up front in our trek back to camp. I took up the rear position with Bear just in front of me. I wanted to be able to keep an eye on the new pups, Tito and Floppy Joe. I didn’t want them wandering off since it was getting late. Young pups can get so distracted very easily, much like little children. Since there were eight of us pups this year it was a lot to manage and keep together. It was getting a little dark and we didn’t seem to be getting close to camp. That was a bit worrisome for me as I certainly didn’t want to spend the night in the woods. I didn’t see much that looked familiar and I have been all over these parts in my seven years coming to camp. I signaled to Felix for our group to circle up and reconsider our position. As we all huddled in a group I noticed Tito and Floppy Joe were nowhere to be seen. How in the world could they be missing? My greatest nightmare had happened right before our eyes. They were right in front of me the last time I checked but now they were gone. We started howling our camp howl in hopes they would hear and come running. Nothing! Now it was almost completely dark. We couldn’t go on because we could hardly see anything before us. And if Tito and Floppy Joe were lost nearby we didn’t need to leave the area. Felix and I decided there was nothing to do but stop and make camp. Felix, Bear, Coco, Willow, Hank and myself would all huddle together and make the best of a horrible situation. No food, no way to start a campfire, and two of our youngest pups lost! We continued to howl every now and again to see if they would hear and find us. Poor little Tito and Floppy Joe I’m sure are scared out of their minds. They must have scampered off chasing an animal when I wasn’t paying close enough attention. I feel so responsible for them getting lost. I won’t sleep a wink tonight worrying about those two. The night sounds are beginning to get louder and louder. When we are in the safety of our camp it’s pretty cool to hear all these sounds unfold. The crickets start first and get louder and louder. The cicadas join in and almost drown out the sounds of the crickets. In a bit the hoot owls start. First one owl and then another owl maybe a little ways away. It’s as if they are talking to each other, maybe they are. Are they discussing the lost dogs in these woods? Do they know where the lost pups are? As the night gets later, I hear a mountain cat screaming in the distance. Geez, those things can sound just like a woman screaming sometimes. Really, really spooky! I don’t like being lost in the woods at night. It’s actually the first time I’ve been lost in the woods at night. We’ve always managed to get back to camp before dark. I’m talking to God about now. Praying big prayers for our lost pups and for all six of us pups huddled up here. Talking to God is just like talking to your parents. You just say everything that’s on your heart and mind. Just let it all spill out. “Dear God, please keep us safe out in these woods tonight and keep little Tito and Floppy Joe safe and help us find them in the morning?” Oh dear, was that a coyote I just heard? Surely we’re not back in their territory. We promised them to never venture into their woods again back a few years ago. It’s gonna be a long night with lots of prayers offered up to God. The other pups were awakened at the sound of that coyote howling. Now there are several more coyotes howling. We all get really close together. At least I am with the biggest pups. I am so worried about little Tito. Floppy Joe has long legs and can really run fast but little Tito had a hard time keeping up earlier today. I circle the six of us, Felix, Bear, Coco, Willow, Hank and tell them we all need to pray. So one by one they offer a prayer to God for His protection this night for our cousin pups, Tito and Floppy Joe and us. “God please watch over and protect Floppy Joe and Tito.  Hide them in the darkness of your woods until morning and help us to find them at first light.” The hours are creeping by. We hear noises in the woods. Many animals come out at night looking for food, like armadillos and opossums. They make a lot of noise. Wild hogs come out at night when it’s cool as well. If you don’t bother them sometimes they are harmless but they can be pretty mean at times. I won’t soon forget a few years back when we had to run for our lives from a big team of hogs. So as we lay there waiting for the minutes to tick off the clock until daylight we try to guess what animals are in those dark woods surrounding us. We pray it’s harmless armadillos scratching for insects to eat. Every sound of a limb breaking gives us cause to think the worst! What’s that I hear in the distance? Is that thunder? Great, as if things couldn’t get any worse we’re about to have a big summer thunderstorm. Mercy! I remembered seeing a few large rocks near where we had settled in for the night so I told the others we had better move over towards those large rocks for a little protection from tree limbs that could come crashing down. “Please Lord let this night end soon. I am terrified!”

The campfire was burning down to just a few embers. All the pups were settling in for the night under the porch of the old place Felix had chosen for their campsite. Little Tito had nervously asked Floppy Joe if he could please bunk up with him. Floppy Joe was actually glad to have someone close by. All this talk of rats, hogs and rabbits, although the rabbits didn’t sound too bad, had made Flop a little anxious. Floppy had heard all the fun stuff that happens at camp, like eating smores, peanut butter and pig ears. He wasn’t prepared for an actual encounter with a wild hog! Or certainly not a rat! Egads! As Flop was saying his prayers, Tito whispered, “can you say a few prayers for me too Floppy?” Flop was happy to include little Tito. It’s always a privilege to pray for friends.

A new day brings sunlight and promise of great things ahead. Tito was the first one up and nudging all the others to get going. Tito ran to Felix and asked, “Felix, where are we going today? What’s for breakfast?” About that time 3 tiny rabbits went racing between Felix and Tito from the tunnels. Tito gave chase and almost caught one of those tiny rabbits before they disappeared back into their little tunnel. Felix cautioned Tito about chasing those rabbits because he knew those adult rabbits could get very mean while protecting their babies. Felix told Tito; those rabbits will box your ears and may even bite you. Tito thought, geez and I just thought there were Easter bunnies out here. Felix told Tito to go and call all the pups together so they could get the day started.

With all the pups now assembled Felix laid out the plan for today. Thank goodness there was enough left over pizza crusts for all the pups to have breakfast. Dallas made certain to pack lots of pig ears in her trunk so they could munch on those along the way today. In the old days we might have had lots of left over rat meatloaf for sandwiches but since Lacy the cat doesn’t come with us any more we don’t exactly have a good rat catcher. We were all shocked to learn that Lacy doesn’t even have a taste for rat. She just liked to catch them and bring them for our favorite rat meatloaf. Ah, the good ole days. Tito is looking a little green at the mention of rat meatloaf and is thanking his lucky stars he wasn’t on that summer campout!

So it appears the kids at camp today will be busing over to nearby Indian Springs so Felix thought it would be a perfect day to swim and jump on the world-famous-blob! We only had one opportunity to do that before since the kids are rarely gone from camp for a little while. I can’t wait to see the new pups reaction to that huge rubber blow-up. You jump on the blob then the next guy jumps and propels you high into the water. We’ll send Tito and Floppy Joe first since they’ve never seen the blob and don’t know how it works. Off we go. Looks like we’ll get to experience much of the camp today since it’s pretty empty for a few hours. So Tito jumps out onto the blob first at my urging. I agree to jump out with him. Then Bear plunges onto the blob. Geez, poor little Tito is so high into the air I hope he comes back down.  Tito finally lands in the water so I jump in next to him and tell him where we swim to get out. Tito loved it!!! Next up on the blob is Floppy Joe with Felix to follow to bounce him off. All the pups have their turn. It’s one of the most fun things at camp. Next we decided to try that water sock. It’s my first time to do that because the camp is rarely empty of kids. Floppy loved this one since he’s virtually a water bug. Meanwhile I look over to see where Willow and Hank have ventured off to. After looking everywhere I see them climbing the tower where the kids rappel out over the water. I should have known those climbing dogs would find that big tower. Merciful sakes alive. How in the world will we get them back down? They can’t rappel and it’s too high for them to jump. I think it will be best to send both Felix and Bear to guide them down. Bear leads the way. It takes them a little while to catch up with Hank and Willow who by now have reached the high platform. They are terrified when they look down. Willow is so nervous she just wants to jump but Hank, Bear and Felix stand in front of her so she won’t jump off. Bear tells Willow he will slowly start down the stairs and that she is to follow him. Hank will follow Willow and Felix will be at the back of their slow procession down the stairs. When they finally get to the bottom poor Willow is literally sick. She feels terrible she has caused so much commotion and trouble. Felix assures Willow that we have all made mistakes and the best thing we can do is learn from those mistakes and try to make good choices next time. At camp everybody is somebody. And we all take care of one another. Think before you act! What looks like fun might actually be very dangerous. That tower is for kids, not dogs. So off they go to join the other pups that are still enjoying all the water activity. It’s hot and water is the place to be. Let’s all swim across to the little place on the other side of the lake. Thankfully they are all good swimmers.

It’s been such a fun day so far. We find a shady place to all lay down for a nap. Dogs like to sleep a lot you know. Soon all the snoring is rattling the leaves in the trees it seems. Or maybe that’s just all the circadias making that noise. Nothing like a summer day when all is quiet and just listening to all the sounds nature provides. It’s like music to my ears.

Whelp it’s been a busy day but we need to find our way back to camp before dark because we swam across and don’t exactly know the way home. And we have no food with us either. We slept a little longer that we planned to sleep.

Felix decided we should follow a trail along the waters edge, which I totally agreed would be a good choice. Come on pups, let’s hit the trail.

Felix found us a great spot to camp this year. He has been coming out to Camp Longhorn so many years he knows all the sweet spots to set up camp. This year we’re back to the old place we stayed on one of our first trips to camp. It’s not too far from the kid’s mess hall where they eat all their meals. Sweet indeed! There’s always lots of scraps in those garbage bins. Felix sent Hank and Willow to search for enough food for all of the cousins while we are setting things up for the night.

Tito and Floppy Joe are hitting it off really well. They are both still young pups. But they do need to do a little work. Felix told those two to stay close and go find a bunch of sticks so we can have a big bonfire for our first night at camp. They are busy as little beavers dragging those sticks to the circle of rocks we found near the old place we are staying. Coco and I discovered a few rabbits had burrowed under the old building where we plan to stay. This could be a problem. They might be difficult to scare away since they like to make little tunnels where they can hide. They can go as much as 10 feet underground and create a space of almost 150 feet. Geez an underground room! My Mama told me as many as 30 rabbits can live in those underground tunnels.  This could get really interesting. Since Felix is busy setting up other things Coco and I will see what we can do to run those rabbits out of here. Maybe they haven’t established the entire tunnel yet. Come on Coco. Let go chase us some rabbits.

It’s getting late and Hank and Willow haven’t returned so Felix went to check on them.  When he found them he couldn’t believe his eyes. They had soooo much food they were having a difficult time dragging it back to camp. Yay, there will be a feast tonight! Nothing better than a big campfire and lots of scraps. About the time I said scraps, Texas Tito and Floppy Joe were coming to a screeching halt where Coco and I had returned to the campfire ring to begin starting the fire. Tito said, “what do you mean scraps?” Quickly Floppy Joe agreed with his new BFF, Tito. “Scraps”? They both asked …..”so, exactly what are scraps?” I began explaining that scraps were all the uneaten food the kids raked into the garbage off their dinner plates. Tito said, “oh I am on a strict diet. I can only eat certain things, in fact I am gluten intolerant and cannot eat anything with meat. I am sort of a vegetarian I guess you could say. My Mom buys me this special dog food.” Floppy Joe gave a big toothy smile and said, “I can eat everything! In fact I once ate a couch pillow. Not much of a taste but it sure was fun!”

Poor Tito was about to find out how dogs really live. That’s what makes camp so much fun. We get to be ‘real dogs’ for a while! We do all sorts of crazy things at camp.

Felix gave a loud woof for all the pups to circle up around the campfire that was really burning great by now. Time for chow pups!

Thanks to Hank and Willow we all had a feast! Lots of pizza bones, one of my favorites. Well, I call them bones, but it’s the crust those bratty little kids toss aside. Thanks kids.

I think we have time for one story Felix, what you think? Certainly we do said Felix. Dallas would you like to do us the honor tonight? Dallas replied of course I would love to do that. I began telling the story about being lost up on the mountain that year when the hogs were about to eat us alive only to face a huge bunch of coyotes running right towards us. I thought Tito might faint. He had eaten so much pizza crust he began to puke! O great, so who’s gonna clean that up? Welcome to camp! We’ll worry about it in the morning. I hope the rats don’t come out after we put the fire out. Floppy Joe said, ‘”rats?  Nobody said nothing about rats. ! Mama!”

Lights out guys, we’ve had a long day.

I do think I must be the luckiest dog in the world. I have the nicest Mom who allows me to attend camp each year with all my cousin pups. I have two new cousins this year, Floppy Joe, a golden retriever and Texas Tito Jones. Tito is a French bulldog, better known as a ‘Frenchy’. All these nicknames for little Frenchy; but he’s so cute. I look forward each year to our reunion at Camp Longhorn. This will be my seventh year to attend camp with my cousins. It’s always fun when new pups join us. We like to tease and sometimes play little tricks on them, maybe tell scary stories and things like that. After all, isn’t that what cousins do? Of course they do.

The trip to camp was very uneventful this year. My Mama drove me and along the way we picked up Bear and Tito. After last years fiasco riding the bus I begged Mama to never allow me to ride a bus to camp again! That might just make a good camp story at some point as we sit around a campfire the next few weeks. We all like to see who can come up with either the funniest or scariest stories. It’s fun to watch the wide eyes of the new pups, this year Tito and Floppy Jo. Floppy Jo is just the cutest little guy. Well, not so little any more. He has the longest legs and somewhat resembles a giraffe at this point. I love him except when he barks directly into my ear! Ouchy! He’ll learn.

Yawn, stretch…are we there yet? What a great nap on the ride. YES!!! We’re there!!! Come on Bear and Tito. I can’t wait for the cousins to meet Frito….I mean Tito. I’m gonna get that confused the next few weeks I just know it. I love Fritos. My Mom sneaks me a few all the time. Maybe the mess hall for the kids will be serving them this year. I will put Hank Dieckman and Willow Dieckman on that job. Those two are the climbing dogs. They’re Catahoula Hound Dogs. Their parents just got married in January. Willow was a Jones up until that time. In fact, I should introduce all the cousins who will be coming to camp this year. Of course little ole me, Dallas Marie Jones. I bet you didn’t know I had a full name. My friends just call me Dallas. Felix Kevin Jones, the regal Irish Crème golden retriever and his sister Coco Tina Jones, also a gorgeous Irish Crème retriever and little brother Floppy Joe Jones a golden retriever. Coco is a beautiful blonde like Felix and Floppy has a red coat. That Floppy loves to swim. I don’t know how we’re gonna keep him out of the lake. I have memories right now of the time Hank jumped into one of the sailboats and drifted out into the lake. Bear Jones is a gorgeous huge German shepherd. Nobody would dare mess with our group with Bear around. Lastly, Bear’s new little brother Texas Tito Jones. Little Tito Frito, that cute tiny French Bulldog. He’s the tiniest of the group this year.

So, let’s get this party started. We need to vote a camp chairman into office. That’s always the first priority when we arrive. Who shall it be this year? We are open for suggestions. Everyone at once suggested it should be Felix this year. So Felix it is. Felix is our quiet giant. Felix is so unassuming, kind and gentle. Felix has been to camp many times and helped tremendously when we found ourselves in trouble on more than one occasion. So Felix where shall we camp out this year? Felix says follow me. OK guys, we’re off!!!

Tito says, “where are we going? Wait for me! Hey, I got short legs!”

I awoke to find Foxy standing directly over me. “Merciful heavens Foxy what are you doing?”  Foxy explained that he was starving. Those pizza crusts were great and all last night but I’m hungry said Foxy. About that time I began hearing what sounded like a chorus of dogs howling and barking. I ran to see what all the ruckus was about. I’ve never in my life heard such screeching, whining, barking and howling all at one time. Fourteen dogs were being absolutely obnoxious! Thank heavens for little Foxy. At least one of these newfound friends was normal. I ask Foxy why they were acting like this? Foxy said, “well Dallas, you see, these dogs are from a very exclusive neighborhood back home. They are used to being served the best of food as soon as they wake up. They are very pampered pooches.” Hum, pampered pooches, seriously? I thought they were headed for camp across the lake just like us. So, what’s the deal? Foxy said, “their camp is a very exclusive doggie camp across the lake.” Oh really! Tell me Foxy, what makes it so exclusive. Foxy began to describe their camp across the lake. They sleep in air-conditioned clubhouses on these huge down comforter pillows, eat the best foods; they are groomed daily and brushed each afternoon. They run and swim in a huge swimming pool that’s just for them. Their food is absolutely awesome and prepared by a world-class doggie chef daily. I looked at little Foxy who didn’t seem very pretentious at all. “So Foxy, tell me, do you live in that neighborhood?” Foxy explained that he was attending camp with a cousin and that he actually lived in the country. Thank heavens I ended up with little Foxy. Brother this is gonna be a long couple of weeks. Just wait until those whiners find out how things are on this side of the lake. Come on Foxy, let’s go break the news to your friends.

Dallas calls his cousins, Bear, Felix, Coco, Hank and Willow aside for a little meeting. Dallas explains the situation about the fabulous fourteen. Come to think of it from now on I’ll just call them the Fab 14. So here’s the deal Foxy. This side of the lake is about as far from their side of town as you can get. We forage for food each day. We never know what we’ll find but that’s part of the fun of coming to camp. We’re camping out after all and we have so much fun every year. We sleep under this old deserted house or sometimes up on the porch. I suppose the Fab 14 were so tired and hungry last night they forgot about their surroundings. Foxy replied that he thought our place was so cool and that it reminded him of his Grampa’s house. We’ll get along just fine little Foxy.

Here comes the Fab 14 looking like they were impoverished from their overnight sleep. “Where’s our breakfast, said Miss Poodle Puff?” Miss Poodle Puff is a tall standard white poodle complete with celadon blue ribbons on her ears. Foxy said, “What is celadon blue?” Dallas tells Foxy, “it’s just a fancy word for a light blue green color Foxy. “ Miss Poodle Puff’s ribbons are hanging a bit sideways after her bus trip and night under the old deserted house. She doesn’t look so snow white as when she left on the bus day before yesterday either. Good thing she doesn’t have a mirror! Dallas informs Miss Poodle Puff breakfast is not automatic and that a crew will soon go foraging for what they will be having for breakfast. Dallas tells Foxy that he can

go foraging with her, Hank and Felix. Normally only one dog goes for the food each meal but with 21 mouths to feed this year, it’s going to be a big job. I wanted little Foxy to experience the gathering process. Foxy was very happy to be chosen and is becoming a great team player. We found some plastic bags quickly and sneaked down by the food barracks. Yay, breakfast is over for all the campers so those trashcans are overflowing with yummy scraps. “Scraps?” yells Foxy. Yes, Foxy, we eat lots of scraps out here. Foxy says, “I don’t know how the Fab 14 will react to scraps?” Whelp, they can eat scraps or starve Dallas informs Foxy. Foxy tells Dallas he doesn’t mind at all, and that in fact he normally has lots of scraps at Grampa’s in the country. With 3 big bags full of scraps, they begin tugging those overloaded bags back to the old house. Foxy excitedly yells, “Breakfast is served!” Dallas has to stop Foxy quickly and remind that before the Fab 14 rush in and start gobbling the food there must be order. Never holler breakfast is served to a mob of 21 dogs. Never! Foxy is a little embarrassed but understands. By this time all the pups are smelling the scraps and are moving forward. Dallas steps up and informs the Fab 14 of what occurred last night and the lesson they learned about saying grace before meals.  They remembered and settled down.  Hank offers grace for their meal and Dallas assigns the pups their eating-places. In fact Dallas told them going forward this would be their assigned seating spots for every meal. Dallas, Hank and little Foxy began doling out the scraps in front of each pup. The wailing began. Not only wailing, but moaning, growling, yip, yip, yipping, barking and just about every dog can make plus more. Poodle Puff was absolutely mortified at the thought of eating scraps and several of her little buddies were as well. They began to leave their seats that Dallas had assigned without eating. Dallas asked them if they were going to eat and Miss Poodle Puff threw her head back and said NEVER! Dallas very calmly said, “Well, that’s fine.”

Miss Poodle Puff and her buddies marched off towards a group of trees to pout. Foxy asked Dallas what they would do with the food that was rejected. Dallas told her it would be distributed to all the other pups. They never kept left over food because that attracted all sorts of undesirable critters. Mainly the coyotes and hogs. Foxy gulped really big and said to Dallas, “coyotes and hogs?” Oh yes said Dallas. You might ask my cousins about that today. Come on now we have work to do. The camp set up is way behind on our schedule because of that crazy bus driver.

Mama! Why didn’t I listen to you? When I decided to ride the bus to camp this year with 15 other pups I thought I would have the time of my life! Geez, was I wrong. Yep, I packed my trunk and Mama put me on the bus to Camp Longhorn instead of driving me herself. I imagined a comfy bus with lots of treats, a comfy seat and plenty of pillows. Oh no, they loaded us into kennels with no blankies or mats. I asked the attendant, “does my Mama know you’re throwing me in a kennel with no mat, blankie or pillow? And, no kennel cover either?” I mean, “Sir, do you know who I am? I am a very famous dog! I am Dallas, star of Dallas Tales!” And with that they slam the door shut and they pull away from the pickup point. We had not gone very far when all the pups began howling, barking and whimpering. The pup in the kennel next to me was so frightened he began throwing up. I tried to tell him he would be ok, but he was terrified. He’s a cute little Toy Fox Terrier. He was shaking all over. Pretty soon the bus settled down to a smooth hum and the little Fox Terrier next to me finally went to sleep. I named him Foxy, such a sweet little pup. We rode for what seemed hours and hours. Surely we’re there by now I thought to myself. It was beginning to get dark outside by now and we weren’t there yet. This crazy bus driver must be lost! If he would let me out of this kennel I could show him the way. I have been to camp so many times I could find my way blindfolded. There’s nothing to do but take a nap myself and dream about camp. I woke up to see the sun streaming into my little eyes. Mercy, I guess we drove all through the night. It’s only a four-hour trip from my home. This is ridiculous! I feel the bus coming to a stop so we must be there. Nope. The bus driver was only taking a break and having coffee and breakfast. What about us poor little pups? We’re hungry, thirsty, scared and tired, plus we certainly need a potty break ourselves. The driver gets back aboard and begins to take off. I am about to take matters into my own hands. Who is this goofball driving the bus anyway? I hatch a plan with the other pups. I have made a jailbreak once before when I was staying in a hotel room. I told the other pups I was gonna jiggle my door open. I told them to be really quite when I sneaked out of my kennel. I told them I would sneak around to their kennels and undo the latches on them all. I instructed them to stay put until our opportunity to escape came. I gave them the signal I would use when it was time to break out of this awful bus jail! Surely we weren’t far from camp by now.

Another hour passed and finally I heard some familiar sounds. It was the sound of kids at camp. I would recognize that sound anywhere. As the bus rolled to a stop and I heard the door open I gave the signal to break out of this awful place. All at once every dog knocked those doors open and headed for the exit. That goofy old bus driver was standing in the door when a huge Rottweiler bowled him over like a bowling ball. When I came down the steps of the bus he was laying on the ground cursing a blue streak. The old driver was screaming for us to come back because he hadn’t collected the money for our trip. Every dog was in a hard run to freedom. I darted ahead and told the pups to follow me. I knew the perfect hiding place and also a great place to get food and water. Geez, what a day and a half! I’m gonna listen to Mama from now on out! I tell you, I was praying while I was locked in that kennel that God would save me and the other pups. I have got to figure out a way to send Mama a letter telling her I want her to pick me up from camp. I can’t ride that awful bus home. There goes my neatly packed trunk with all the treats for my cousins. At least I decided to wear my lumberjack hat on the bus so I will have at least one costume. I guess we’ll have a big ole group of pups on this campout. How can I tell the 15 pups on the run with me that they can’t stay at camp with me? We’ll figure it out. Like they say…it’s not my first rodeo.

Dallas Tales – Camp 2022

Mom, where’s my camp trunk? I’ve gotta pack. It’s getting late. I have all my stuff spread out waiting to tuck everything away. I understand there’s gonna be a costume party this year so I have two costumes ready to go. I can be a burly lumberjack or a dragon with wings and a long tail. I’ll pack them both and decide later. I have my favorite pink crown pillow, my blue bone and lots of treats for my cousins. I am sooooo excited! I’ll probably not sleep a wink tonight. I never do the night before leaving for camp. I sort of miss Mama a little bit but when I see all the cousins it’ll be ok. Hurry up Mama! Bring my trunk.

I am in charge of this closing day ceremony. I love nothing better than planning a party. I guess I learned from my Mom. Mama rescued me from the yard next door about five years ago. She has been so sweet to let me attend camp every year with all the cousin pups. She is a real cool people Mom. That woman loves to plan a party and she always has stuff in her closet to decorate with.  I knew I’d be in charge this year so I threw in a few decorations from Mama’s closet for the party. She made this long string with ribbons tied onto it and tossed it into the garage. I knew I could bring it so I tucked it in my bag. String is so easy to tuck into a limb so it will be easy to hang. Luckily our closing ceremony falls on July 4^th this year. There are always fireworks out over the lake here on July 4th. We will be far enough away the noise won’t be much of an issue. We’re going to camp out tonight way out by that old barn we had originally chosen this year. We all worked so hard on clearing it out it would be ashamed to not camp there.

Bear assigned all the pups a job. Hank and Willow will be in charge of rolling some stones to form a ring for our campfire tonight. Bear, Coco and Felix will drag nearby limbs for our fire. Dallas and Myrtle will gather and scoot some pine straw up onto the limbs. And yay they found a few paper bags we can tuck in to help start the fire. We’ll need to start the fire well before sunset since we have to use that magnifying glass we always bring to camp. That little magnifying glass prize from the Cracker Jack box has come in handy many times on our campouts. Too bad kids today don’t really know the story of Cracker Jack. The company started way back in 1896. It is caramel popcorn and peanuts and always included a tiny prize. The enclosed prizes were finally discontinued in 2013. This is a by gone era. But not to worry we have taken good care of our little prize. Starting the fire is a tedious process but the pups have used the method before. One pup holds the magnifier away from the fire ring just enough that the sun shines through the lens. Then when a little puff of smoke appears Bear swishes his tail enough to help the flames catch on. And just like that we have our campfire. Luke being our oldest at camp will be responsible for being our greeter. We have invited the Coyotes this year to this closing ceremony. Luke will be the perfect one to greet them. We have a special place for them on one side of the campfire. Coco, Myrtle and I have assembled quite the assortment of goodies for our campfire feast. We have pizza bones, left over corndog bites, chicken biscuits and of course my favorite rat meatloaf. I think our coyote friends will love the rat meatloaf!

Ok, guys the fire is started, it’s almost sunset and the fireworks will start soon. I see the coyotes approaching from the hill. Until we met Aztec, the chief coyote, the other day I had not seen a coyote up close and personal. They are actually so beautiful. I told Aztec of my concern about rabies and he said there had not been a case of rabies on his hill ever. Since all the pup cousins are vaccinated each year for rabies I knew we’d be ok for this meeting tonight. However I must say right now this meeting tonight is an exception and one that must not repeated in ordinary circumstances. Normally dogs and coyotes are not to mingle or come in contact with each other. Coyotes are wild and as such they are always on defense against anyone that might be considered a predator. Normally the coyote would consider dogs as a predator. Dogs are domesticated so they do not understand danger so much. Therefore tonight’s meeting is highly unusual.

Welcome to our camp Aztec! I escorted Aztec and his fellow coyotes to their spot by our fire. We gave them the very best spot in order that they might have a great view of the fireworks. The coyotes were a little jumpy, as they were not used to being around us pups. We all sat very still until they began to feel a little more comfortable. As camp chairman Bear greeted them with a warm welcome. Bear organized all the food so that the coyotes would have their eating spot and the pups would have their spot on the other side of the fire. I said the blessing over our food and I told Aztec he could tell the coyotes it was time to eat. I could tell they were pretty excited about the special treats we had provided. Just then the fireworks started. The coyotes were pretty alarmed but we assured them it would be ok. The sounds were not bad as we were way out by the old barn. They were amazed by the food and the fireworks. As the fireworks began to end some of their younger coyote pups were settling in for a bit of a quick nap. I think the coyotes finally realized for at least one very special night there could be peace on earth. Friends can come together, partake of a meal, be nice to one another and really see how wonderful this world can be. We must look out for one another and help one another when we can. When we really get to know others we see that they are mostly just like us.

I can’t think of a camp more fun and full of excitement than this year at Longhorn Camp. It’s my fifth year at camp with my pup cousins and our special guest Myrtle. I’m sure Myrtle will have so many stories to tell her friends when she returns home. Myrtle was so helpful retrieving much needed food for our little coyote pup. Bear was an incredible leader this year. He had to make so many quick and urgent decisions. Normally it’s just a matter of planning our fun events or what we will have for dinner. Hank stands out for his quick alert when those mean hawks were circling our little coyote pup. Bear and Felix showed such bravery leading the charge against those hawks. Willow, Myrtle and Coco were such big helpers for our final closing ceremony. They really stepped up! Our precious Luke was a real trooper and such a fantastic greeter for tonight.

This year it was high drama and life lessons we’ll not soon forget. That’s what camp is supposed to be about. Meeting new friends and understanding what makes them different but in many ways just like us. Love can heal lots of things. So I choose love!

Those lazy camp days came to an end with the discovery of the wild coyote pup. This is sort of like having a baby to check on every minute of the day. It’s up early scavenging for food, deciding what the poor little thing can eat. After sneaking around the back door of the mess hall kitchen we found a couple of raw eggs that weren’t broken…..I know, another miracle. The cook had set the carton out on the back garbage can lid and it just happened to have the eggs still intact inside. And the bonus was the egg carton was in one of those plastic garbage bags that Bear was able to hang around his neck for transporting out to the little hollow where our little baby coyote was sleeping. Bear and I told the other pups to just sleep in and we would be back quickly. Hopefully they don’t get into any mischief while we’re gone.

Bear and I follow our trail back out to the tiny hollow. It’s just like we left it. We wrestle open the carton and place an egg on the ground. Bear cracks the shell just a bit with his paw. We roll the egg down into the hollow beside the little coyote pup. He’s obviously hungry. Bear can tell the egg shell is not open enough for the pup to lick the egg inside. I found a long heavy stick and brought it to Bear. He takes it in his mouth and carefully pokes the egg just enough for the little coyote pup to suck the egg into his mouth. Another successful feeding. Now it’s time to get back to the other cousin pups to see what they’re up to. You never know what a bunch of young pups will do while you’re gone. We left Luke in charge but he’s getting along in years and doesn’t hear so well.

We arrive back at our campsite under the old front porch. Not a pup in sight however we see Luke fast asleep in the back corner. I wake Luke and ask where the pups might be but he has not a clue where they’ve gone. Luke says he is just gonna stay around camp today. All the travel to camp has worn him out. We assure Luke that’s fine and scoot out to look for the pups.

As we approach the lake we can hear the pups all jumping in the lake, splashing and have a big ole time. Looks like a pretty good idea so Bear and I decide to join them.

After swimming and playing we all come out, shake all that water off and find some big trees to lie down underneath to sleep awhile. Dogs need their sleep much like a bunch of teenagers. We ask Hank to stay awake and on alert just in the event bad weather comes up or any snakes decide to cruise into our nice little hangout.

There’s nothing like a good nap after a swim. I am fast asleep dreaming about all the goodies we’re likely to find tonight after dinner for the kids at camp. It’s barbeque night and the feast will be amazing. I wake up to find Hank standing right over me excited to the point of frenzy. I ask him what’s going on? Hank is talking so fast I can hardly understand him.  He’s half talking and half pointing up into the sky. I tell him to slow down and use his words. Finally Hank tells me he hears several huge hawks squawking in the area where our little coyote pup is located down in the little hollow. There’s no time to waste. I shake Bear awake and tell him what’s going on. He calls all pups on deck, meaning giving orders of what we need to do immediately. Bear gives the command for all pups to follow him quickly up to the little hollow. Bear cautions that those huge hawks can pick up a small dog and in light of that he pairs a small dog with the bigger dogs. Bear gives the charge and we all follow. As we near the area Bear told us to begin barking our most ferocious bark we could manage. He we go. Geez, I have to admit I’m a little nervous at the thought of those big hawks with their sharp talons. There are three hawks on the ground near the pups den in the hollow. The hawks just know they are about to feast on that poor helpless coyote pup. Not if we can help it! Let’s go guys, bark, bark, bark. Bear and Felix begin making the scariest growl I’ve ever heard come out of their bodies. The little dogs are yapping their heads off. Those old sister hawks aren’t budging. Mercy, now what? The hawks are cackling now that weird sound just before they pounce on their prey. I don’t know if that’s gonna be one of us or the poor coyote pup. I look around to see if there’s any way possible out of this predicament. I believe its time for one of those quick prayers again which I belt out just between God and me. God give us favor in this situation to overcome the evil before us! Just about the time I open my eyes I see a new terror. Oh my goodness now there’s a pack of coyotes ten strong. There are ten coyotes bearing down on us! Instead of charging little ole us they charge the hawks and the hawks take flight and leave. Whew! But now to face the coyotes realizing they may think we kidnapped their little coyote pup.  The coyotes begin howling the weirdest howl I’ve ever heard. Then one of the largest coyotes I’ve ever seen steps forward and lets out a blood-curdling howl.  Somehow his howl sounds very familiar. He begins walking towards us and says, I am Aztec the chief coyote on this mountain. I remember you pups from summers past. We made a pact to not invade each other’s territories several years ago. You have kept that pact faithfully only encroaching last summer when you were lost. You are a very responsible pack of pups. We have watched you each year as you visited our mountain. We have seen the respect you have not only for each other but also for our land. We also know the respect you have for our pack of coyotes. You have tried very hard to not cross our territory. Regrettably one of our coyotes crossed over into your territory. It was time for one of our coyotes to give birth and she was too far from home. She didn’t anticipate you would arrive so soon. She moved one of the coyote pups before you got up here but was unable to go back for the other little coyote pup. We took great notice of the gentle care you showed our little coyote pup. You went to great lengths to provide food for this little one of ours. And today you risked your very lives to save our little coyote pup. I’ve heard it said, there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Today we cease to be enemies.  Forevermore it will be known within our coyote pack that you pups and those that come after you will be welcome in this great place. We can never repay you for saving the life of our little coyote pup. Peace to you my friends.

With that Bear sat back on his hindquarters and reared his to front legs in the air as a symbol of thanks. Bear then invited all the coyotes to our closing day ceremony tomorrow. Ole Aztec and his crew retrieved the little coyote pup and made their way up the hill.

Bear is first to the little hollow in the ground followed by our summer camp gang. A curious bunch of pups we are indeed. Whatever in the world is making this little sound? The whimper is a little like a kitten but we know that possibility is not likely since it’s such a remote place. I am beginning to rethink our decision to select a place this far out. There’s hardly any light with only the glow of our campfire providing much light at all. So here we all stand peering into this small hollow. All of a sudden there’s a slight sound that sounds like a pup. A pup? No way, not this far out! Felix and I, the older pups, step forward and ask the rest of the pups to stand back a bit.  As Fee and I stand there looking in disbelief we are at once terrified! Merciful heavens it a tiny coyote pup. At first we were hoping indeed it was a dog but those tiny pointy ears do not lie. It’s a coyote pup all right. We are all in deep trouble and immediate danger. We have to make quick decisions really fast. Do we leave this poor coyote pup all alone and run for the hills or do we try and nudge some food in the hollow for nourishment. Fee and Dallas decide to see what’s left over after our dinner that the tiny pup might be able to eat by itself. Dallas knows that even these tiny coyote pups can be a carrier of the deadly rabies virus. They cannot touch the pup. Another reason to not touch the pup would be because we are hopeful the coyote Mom will come for her pup. More than likely the coyote Mom was in the process of moving the pups when they heard us coming. The Mom can only move one pup at a time and she didn’t have time to retrieve the second pup. Dallas remembers there is rat meatloaf left from her dinner so she goes over to where she had her dinner and retrieves a few big bites about the size of a tiny meatball. She breaks it into tiny pieces and rolls it into the hollow with the tiny pup. Since the pup looks to be a few weeks old hopefully he can manage to nibble on the meatloaf. Now we have to pack up and move to another place for the night. It won’t be safe out here.  Bear calls us together and decides we will need to retreat back closer to camp and sleep under that old camp porch. Everyone is pretty shook up about the thought of coyotes perhaps lurking behind every bush out in the darkness. Myrtle is just about to freak out because it’s her first experience at camp and all the talk of coyotes earlier has her spooked. Willow talks to Myrtle so sweetly and lets her know she will be her buddy and to not be afraid. Luke is the oldest at camp and uses his wisdom to tell us we need to mark the trail back to this little hollow. If we don’t come back to check on this little pup he might not make it. Great idea Luke. There were little bits of foil stuck to the pizza bones so we decided to wrap those foil bits around bushes on the trail so we could find our way back tomorrow.

Safely under the old cabin porch we all breathed a sigh of relief for the night. As we lay there trying to go to sleep we begin to discuss what we could possibly find for a baby coyote pup to survive until it’s Mom finds him. Ice cream, of course! Hopefully we can find a few of those tiny ice cream cups. It’s not exactly coyote formula but that’s the best we can possibly do. The kids normally have ice cream at lunch many days and there are always a few who, for whatever reason, choose to not eat their ice cream. Myrtle to the rescue. She’s fast and she’s surefooted and the pup for this important job.

We hardly slept last night and morning light broke early. OK pups, up and at it! We’ve got work to do today. Besides making our den under the old camp porch a little more comfortable we have a baby coyote to check on and feed. Lunch for the kids is over and Myrtle is able to snag about 6 cups of ice cream. We needed extra to make sure a few make their target in the hollow in order to feed the coyote pup. Bear decided that only he and I would take the ice cream out to the wild coyote pup. Bear is ferocious and I am fast. We quietly and carefully find our way back out to the old barn and the tiny hollow. Thankfully we find the trail marked so well. Thank goodness because we don’t want to spend but a few minutes out there. We could very well be in the gaze of a pack of coyotes right this second. We just don’t know. As we get to the hollow we hear the little coyote pup really whimpering. Poor thing, I’m sure he’s really starving. We poke at the cups of ice cream and get the lids off several of them. Very gently I scoot one cup into the hollow hoping against hope it lands right side up. Angels must be watching over that coyote pup and us because the first cup lands right side up. Immediately the poor little wild pup begins licking at the ice cream. Bear gives me a paws up! We decided we would put one more into the little hollow. The second ice cream lands well also. We leave the other four cups of ice cream out in the event Mama coyote is nearby. Before we leave this little one we decided we should put a few limbs over the top of the hollow to protect him from hawks and the sun. We’ll check on him again late this evening.

Bear and I race back to camp and give our report to the other pups. They are all excited we were successful in our first feeding. Willow and Myrtle are anxious to explore the camp. So off we go to seize the day. Those two are way out front and Felix whispers that it would be a good day to jump on the blob! A perfect activity to relieve the tension. So off we go down to the lake.