Every year thousands of RVers go to Quartzsite, Arizona to shop the flea markets and RV show, hang out with their friends, and just enjoy the sunshine. And unfortunately, every year a few lose pets to coyotes and other wild animals.
One couple I know was complaining recently that for the second year in a row their two cats had disappeared. I asked them how that could happen and they said they like to let the animals out to play, but they never go far from their fifth wheel. Well duh! They don’t have to go far; the predators will come right up to your rig to snatch them. To the wild animals who live there, you are Meals on Wheels.
And the sad thing is, I’ve known more than a couple of different RVers who have lost more than one pet this way over the years. At a rural campground in Arizona, another couple we met put their two yappy little dogs inside of an eighteen inch high wire fence enclosure and then went off to the swimming pool. A coyote came along, reached in and grabbed one, then came back a few minutes later for the other.
It’s bad enough to let your pets outside without supervision at any RV park, but it is totally irresponsible to go someplace like the desert and allow your pets to be outside unattended. I don’t care how smart or cute or tough you think your pet is, it’s no match for a wild predator that makes its living by catching and eating its dinner every night.
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I asked the first couple mentioned above why they keep replacing the cats, and they said that they love animals and adopt them to get them out of a shelter and into a loving home to save their lives. Really? You call that love? I call it animal cruelty, compounded by utter stupidity.
Okay, end of rant. Let’s move on.
We’re not sure if it’s allergies or the crud, but Terry has been sneezing and coughing for a couple of days now, and I started last night. With all of the crap that’s been blowing around the last couple of days, I’m not surprised. Many people who never had allergies in their lives are surprised to find themselves suffering when they get to Arizona.
I got the proof copy of the printed version of Big Lake Blizzard
The e-book version is still selling well on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and a pleasant side effect is that it has helped to increase sales of the first three books in the series. I appreciate everybody’s support and how many of you have bought my books, told your friends about them, and helped spread the word.
There are a lot of very good indie authors out there and I like to help them succeed any way I can, including telling my readers about their work. Check out my interview with Jess Mountifield, a young English author, on my self-publishing blog.
Thought For The Day – I laugh in the face of danger. Then I hide until it goes away. – Joss Whedon
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
We are cat people and you are so right about not putting pets outside alone. Coyotes are now all over the US and we have bobcats also here in FL who just love smaller animals as snacks. We have only indoor cats which not only keeps them away from predators but also fleas, ticks and any other insects. If you really love your pet, you take care of them. It’s sad to see when people don’t take care of them. A friend had cat who was originally a stray. They found talon marks on the cat’s back. At some time a large hawk or eagle had tried to carry it off. So yes, it’s a dangerous world for your pet outside your home or RV. So your pets are your responsibility. How you care for them tells us a lot about what kind of people you are.
The last couple of years in Yuma we have warned people with small dogs and cats about the owls that are around. At another place and time i saw a coyote sneaking up on an rv that had 2 small dogs outside. Broad daylight, he was injured and looking for an easy meal.
I always keep my dog on a short leash whenever we are travelling in areas I don’t know about. She is so spoiled that I even carry her whenever it is raining and I don’t want her to get into rainwater on the streets. Yeah, I know… crazy dog owner. But some people are born to be pet owners, like my husband and myself, and we didn’t want kids in our lives. Now that we are retired we are very happy that we don’t have grown up kids to tell us we can’t do the things we do.Plus there are parents out there who don’t need to be parents. They treat their kids like dirt. Enough of that talk.
I am sorry to hear Terry is having darn allergies, as you said folks who never suffer from them are getting them. With all the dust blowing here and farmers planting crops it is here to, the companies making OTC remedies are making a fortune. As for idiots leaving pets out unattended and wondering why they have gone missing especially cats are as us said guilty of animal cruelty. Here in our park folks are warned not only of a coyote pack that lives in the area but of foxes etc. We also have snakes of the poisonous type. We have not seen many but have listened to folks complain that their dog or cat have been bitten by a rattlesnake and that the thousands of dollars it cost to treat them.
Our cat is a total indoor cat. Sad that some leave pets outside unattended. Easy meal for a wild animal. On the up side, I took Big Lake Blizzard with me to Jamaica last week on my Kindle and read it while relaxing at the Sandals Montego Bay. Loved the twist at the end on who shot Emma. Now on to Big Lake Lynching.
You not only have to watch your pets on the road,rv parks and such, but at your home ! My brother lost his yorkie in his yard,inside a 4 foot chain link fence! In Duncanville Texas,almost down town. A coyote and he was standing less than 20 feet away from him. ken
Our local shelter would not allow anybody to adopt pets two years in a row to replace ones they lost this way. These people are morons and should not be trusted with the welfare of an animal.
Those people are just plain stupid and shouldn’t be allowed to have any more pets from the shelter. Our cats have always been indoor only but allowed outside with harness and leash while under supervision. I would no more leave an animal untended than I would a small child. I sure hope these idiots don’t ever babysit their little grandkids!