I wrote this years ago, and it was in the 4WDABC Back Roader – when looking at which story to port over next, from the archives this one is fitting right now. I will write new stuff soon, just not quite there yet. Please keep in mind this is a pre 2019 article, as we know I did get Hitman then.. proved me wrong with my worry about a bear.. lol Think a part II may be due.
This weekend I lost one of my closest wheeling friends, Mr. Gizmo the wonderpup. I first met him in 2014 when Matt had just fostered him through Dhana Metta with the Lower Mainland Humane Society, he was tagging along on the Kenyon Maintenance run I was hosting. I flashed back to the memories he and I had shared out on those adventures, and realized how much joy our furry co-pilots bring to us.
I think my love affair with Gizzy was that he played hard to get, as a result I spent more time trying to get him to pay attention to me then he would ever give. As most know me I’m not really a pet person, but I’m open to possibly one day getting a 4×4 goat. I have such great admiration for those that make the commitment to unconditionally love their fur babies. Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to get close to several amazing tag-alongs on my dirt road adventures. There are a few others that have been involved a lot in my 4WDABC world – Charlie, Kobe, Kane, Luca, and Skyler.
Our trail mates bring not only amazing shared moments to our wheeling adventures, nothing beats the feeling of having them ride in the passenger seat – head out the window going PLAY PLAY PLAY.. where we goin? SQUIRREL – SQUIRREL – CHASE!!! Their dog hair covering your rig everywhere the mud isn’t, then of course they need to get into your tent and do not understand the need to wipe their feet before hand.
They also add some very colorful moments, such as Charlie who helped build the Nahatlatch forest fire lookout. We were on day 2 of the build, and it was time to take him for a walk. During the walk he happened to find some rather fetid stuff to roll in, I brought him back – gagging, to try to figure out how to clean him off. As there was no running water up there to help wash him off, and no way was he getting in anyone’s truck in that condition. Meanwhile everyone is just laughing at the scenario, handed me gloves going – yup that’s your problem, not mine… luckily one friend stepped up to help with the disaster.
Then there was Kobe, my friend Corey’s dog, who when introduced to you’d be told “Don’t look at him – just look away and put your hand out.”. Took a few months, but soon enough Kobe and I were great friends and you’d find him curled up at my feet on the couch wanting love. Needless to say Kobe wasn’t taken out much on group trips, but on small groups he was never far from Corey with the work he did the 4WDABC.
Kane, who many of us refer to simply as Scooby Doo.. as he’s just got that big goofy grin on his face. Nothing beats renovating the Nahatlatch tower and getting to take a break and play tug a war with a small horse. Dogs belong out in the forest, not a city, and it’s when you see then jumping into the lake, picking up every stick along the beach and chasing the butterflies that you truly get lost in the moment with them.
Luca, always by Kim’s side, well we took a bit longer to warm up to each other, as she’s a very Stoic member of our tribe. A few years back we shared a journey up to Cabin Lake, and she joined in on the hike to the airplane. She got to keep me bear aware, which I appreciate more then she’ll know. I think she finally warmed up to me when she felt she’d kept me safe, I’m ok with that – as many dogs need that feeling of doing a good job for you.
And Skyler, when he came into my life I was used to solo wheeling. The Jeep filled to the top, trying to figure out how to wheel with him on camping trips, that was a whole new world. What do we leave behind? And he was so accommodating, patiently sitting precariously atop absolutely everything with no room to stand up as we headed out on a dirt road. Then there was the “where does he sleep” debate? To solve this, I invested in a Buddy Heater, then we arranged the annex on the roof top tent just right. So, he’d sleep in the back of the Jeep with the heater to keep him warm, and it aired properly to prevent any carbon monoxide issues.
He hated sleeping alone, so we tried to figure out how to get him up into the rooftop tent but being 80 pounds that just wasn’t going to be a safe and easy feat. We looked at a few options such as planks to walk up on, towing a trailer with us to make room for him, but then resorted to sleeping on the ground for the next few trips to make life a bit easier for him. My biggest fear was how to keep him outdoor and bear aware, as it was such a foreign terrain for him.
And maybe that’s one reason I don’t want the responsibility of a dog on the trail, I know the reality, my dog growing up was a large horse named Conan. He was 140 pounds, 7 feet tall on his hind feet. He had runs ins with the porcupines, treed bear cubs, even survived being shot and lived with a metal rod in his leg for close to a decade later. The reality of responsibility for a pet on the trail is huge, and so much can go wrong so easily, and I’d be devastated if something happened under my watch. As to me they are as important as our children, but they just are so much quicker and apt to chase after that scent. Then you’re up at Stoyoma trying to chase down the dog that chased after the bear and potentially can’t find them hours later. And if something would happen, the guilt would stay with me for life.
But my heart always wanted Gizzy first, there was something about him that set him apart from the other pups that join us. It was almost as if he knew how to drive and direct the maintenance runs. Trying to get him to see that perhaps he might want to try something else is like trying to spot a wheeler that “knows what he’s doing”. He’d bark his comments to us about how he thought the spotting should go, and ensured his throne on the passenger seat remained firmly his.
He became such a recognizable mascot in our wheeling world. Always out at the maintenance runs, found his way on tv through the JoyTV Episode, and had every woman that met him falling head over heals for him.
Many say he was an a**, but no, he was so loving and caring If you had him just one on one. Just when he was around others, he had so many things he felt responsible and needing to do, that he couldn’t step down from his need to be on guard and checking that everything was ok. See Gizzy understood, and that look on his face the first time he was at Kenyon, told me that he picked up on why what the 4WDABC does is so important. He knew what tread lightly was, and he simply felt it was his duty to work tirelessly to enforce that motto.
A Cheers to Mr. Gizmo , and all our furry co-pilots, till we ride again.
I still want a 4×4 goat!
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Sadly we have lost another of the wheeling dogs since writing this – we must not forget Troy – a faithful companion for Matt. But the memories he left with the smiles on Matt’s face are never to be forgotten.
As we know it wouldn’t be long after writing this that I would adopt the dog that needed me.. yes he continues to look at me like this, going really mom – a real truck please.. However turns out he can chase a bear from camp, and does come back without question – as well as crackheads at 5 AM that broke into the house. – Hitman – licensed.. Licensed to drive..
Photo of Gizmo and Troy borrowed from Matt’s pictures….
Trix's Trax 