[KCSA75]

We started taking Ol' Roscoe with us on our weekend trips last fall out of necessity. Previously, he stayed home with my mother-in-law who lives with us. But she had a medical scare and now stays with a friend or relative when we head for the lake.

My biggest worry the first time we took him was that he would be barking at everybody that walked by, wanting to take off after every squirrel he saw and raising cane every time a critter wandered in or around our campsite in the middle of the night. But to our surprise, he's very good.

When there are other campers around, I keep him on a 20-foot leash and he's happy as a clam. Last fall and early this year, we had several trips where we were the only ones in the campground. Those times, I didn't tie him up. He might wander around -- never out of eyesight -- but spends most of the time lying on the camp carpet sleeping or just watching the world go by. Mary thinks he likes camping more than we do. She might be right.