Phil, Sage, and Sky in Idaho

John Steinbeck traveled with Charley, his poodle. I traveled with Sage and Sky, my two English setters, pictured here. They were distant cousins, and as you can see, almost a matched pair. In the field, I had a hard time telling who was who. (I use the past tense because Sage died on December 21, 2011, at age 13½ ). On a long road trip, as at home, dogs provide companionship; they relieve the loneliness of the lonesome road, but they present challenges to the traveler.  Because there wasn’t enough space in the car on a family vacation, Mitt Romney strapped his dog to the roof-rack, as if it were luggage. During the 2012 presidential race, New York Times columnist Gail Collins never let him forget it. Maybe that’s why he lost the election.

Sage and Sky in their truck lair

Sage and Sky had a home in the back of my pickup truck. Covered by a hardtop, it was big enough to accommodate them, their water and food dishes, and their bed, along with spare tires and equipment. They would not have survived a four-month journey of more than 16,000 miles riding on the roof. I had a few wacky experiences with them, like Sage’s attempt to outswim ducks in a Texas river, which is described in The Longest Road.

I invite visitors to this site to relate adventures you’ve had with your dog on long hauls.