Sometimes an RV Shop Dog Just Has to Fly

Also known as "RV Pilot's Perspective of Living the Life".

Some days aren't so great for an RV to be on the taxiway, but it can be a perfect day for an RV-dog to be the center of attention. The middle of last year, Skylar dog found her way into our hearts and home. She was a passenger of mine on a Pilots N Paws flight, but she was destined to return home with us from the rescue. She is the very definition of an RV Dog.

Since then, she had been getting used to the hangar and noise, but she very much enjoys the conditioned space in the shop.



Yes, that is an RV engine mount behind her. It isn't there anymore because it is now installed on an RV-8 fastback fuselage. Dog supervised, of course.

Oh, dear, that was a nice nap on my cushy bed in the shop. Gotta stretch...






The view off the porch is fantastic, but it's a little too chilly to fully sit down while I watch for deer....




On a 200 foot overcast day, 2000 RVR, all the airplanes were stuck in the hangars with eyeballs out watching to see what might transpire. It was a morning even we couldn't stomach getting our RV out, but we could run the taxiway.

Sometimes a shop dog just has to fly!



Photo Credit to Kelly & Ron Walker, RV-7A and RV-10, out walking their dogs Cleco and Magneto.

Dog therapy. Very useful, when working on a canopy, or now a pink cowling. Yikes, the craters!

Time for some dog therapy.

My German Shepherd Roxy goes absolutely bonkers when I dump the air out of my 60 gallon compressor at the end of the work day. I take it out of a ball valve in the bottom of the upright tank to expel water. She gets her nose down in the valve and tries to drink the water and the air, all the while growling and pawing and generally going completely bonkers. If I try to put my foot in to shut off the ball valve she claws it away. It's to the point that every time I ever walk towards the compressor she comes running over, ears perked up like she was stalking a squirrel. I have to hook her leash up so she can't get near it or I am likely to lose a body part. She also goes bananas if you squirt a bit of compressed air at her. Does anyone else's shop dog do this?

She is otherwise the world's friendliest dog. I think I need to post a youtube video of this or nobody will believe it.

Hunter has grown up at the airport with me as I finished my build, and has turned into a great flying buddy as well. We are also lucky that there are two other dogs that live here at ZPH with Larry and Amy at REVO Trikes that Hunter loves to go visit and run with. Sometimes he wanders off and I find him making friends in a random open hangar somewhere, so normally I keep him on a long lead.

He has a raised doggy bed but usually prefers to sleep on the ground or out in the grass (or sit on boxes, for some reason).

Cute dogs. Great friends!