Date:         Mon, 19 Jul 1999 19:22:22 -0700
Reply-To:     Stephen Arbaugh <sneakers@OZ.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stephen Arbaugh <sneakers@OZ.NET>
Subject:      85 Westy  *(2 Newfs)*(2 Dals)*
In-Reply-To:  <007d01bed243$fa1e8ae0$6b96facf@oemcomputer>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

well...

If you don't have quadraped companions, there isn't much vanagon related here,
but it's fun:

Damnatians <er> Dalmatians also have a special problem with regards to
Vanagons. We have two of these eccentric critters, one being quite large (27"
tall 90+ pounds). One of his favorite things to do in the westy is glue his
nose to the fresh air vent above the back of the sliding door. This gives him
quite a snootful of scents as we go down the freeway. A couple problems with
this: he gets a tickle in his nose and sneezes, sending the associated contents
of his snoot everywhere. The other somewhat less messy problem is if I slow
down while he is reading his scent mail, he often falls off the bed (we travel
with the bed down). This tends to aggravate him, so he shakes himself off, and
jumps back up and starts over.

This shaking off leads to the next problem that both dogs have no control over:
shedding. Dalmatian hair has a unique feature that proves quite irritating to
us bipeds. Under a microscope, there is a nasty little fish-hook type barb,
which means that once the hair is in contact with fabric, it is quite likely to
stay there. We go over the car seats etc with tape and other sticky substance
and it picks up some, but not nearly all.

Cleaning drool off the dash is easy. Going over yer westy with tweezers picking
out dal hair is a task I don't wish to partake in....Any ideas welcomed.

Another problem camping with them, they get the lower bunk, we go upstairs. You
try sharing a small bed with two dogs! If my wife's back is acting up, she gets
the pleasure of going downstairs and battling the spots for space, leaving me
in the relative (but often cold) luxury of upstairs.

steve
'85 westy
kent, wa

At 0o7:07 PM 7/19/99 -0500, John Langowski wrote:
>
> ...
> What really caught my attention about your post was the 2 Newfs. My wife and
> I also have a Newf. We've got a black male, 16 months old, named Harley. We
> were just talking the other day and wondering if any other Vanagon owners
> were also Newf owners. What part of the country are you located in? We're in
> West Bend, Wisconsin. Are you subscribed to the Newf mailing list?  Harley
> loves to ride in the Westy. The front windshield is always full of nose
> prints:)
> Well, its great to hear that their are other Westy/Newfy owners. I was sure
> we were the only ones. Maybe we should start our own Westy/Newfy list and
> talk about topics like how to remove drool from the dash or the best way to
> keep hair out of the refrigerator:)
> Do you have any pics of your Newfs with the Van? I'd love to see them if you
> do.