At “Rollin’ on TV,” we’re always looking for ways to combine RVs and hobbies or jobs.

Hi, Michelle and Laurie here for “Rollin’ on TV.” On this trip, we explore one of these unique combinations. How about RVing and competing with your show dogs?

We headed to Indigo, California to meet up with some people who do just that. While in the Palm Springs area, we stayed at the KOA Joshua Tree. It’s a nice KOA that even boasts a rock climbing feature; and no, we did not climb the rock feature.

We walked our cute non-show dogs before tucking them safely into the RV. Then we headed off to the Empire club in Indigo to catch this story.

And now let’s hear from our friend and professional breeder of Whippet dogs, Jane Cooney Waterhouse. Abby Whippets is her kennel name and was established in 1970 with her mother Shirley Cooney. Together, they’ve bred over 50 champion Whippets. So to say Jane knows her Whippets is an understatement.

Jane Cooney Waterhouse: I believe there’s 3,200 dogs here of all the breeds in the AKC. Anyone can show their own dog. Some of the dogs are shown by professional handlers, but most of the dogs are shown by their owners or breeders. That’s the fun thing about AKC, all breed dog shows. Anyone can win, and anyone can win big. So it’s fun, it’s healthy. What’s more fun than being with a bunch of dogs, especially on a beautiful sunny day?

This is open dog in Whippets at ring four in Palm Springs, California. These are young adult male Whippets. The judge is making his final selection. He has examined them each individually and seen each dog move at a natural pace, and now he’s giving them a side gate look to see if they have easy, free flowing movement. They’re medium-sized dogs originally coming from England. They’re gaining in popularity in the United States because they’re healthy and they’re clean, easy-to-live-with dogs.

I had a Fleetwood Terra Class A RV with bunk beds in the back that I love. It’s a gas, not a diesel Class A. And I highly recommend it for dogs show enthusiasts, to get a motorhome and to come and stay on these beautiful venues and get the puppies used to things, especially useful if you have young dogs. And at night you can walk around the show grounds when no one is here and let the puppies get used to things. It’s just a great hobby, a great lifestyle.

Michelle: And we’re here today to talk to two people who are specializing in the champion show dog circuit. This is Michael and Laurie Davidson. How did you start acquiring an RV, and when did it become important to you for your dog shows?

Laurie: We had a trailer first, and it was small. And we used it for about 2 years and it was fun, but it was small. So we thought, “Okay–” And we got another dog, and then we needed something bigger. So we traded it. And then this is not big by any means, but it’s bigger. And we–it suits us. We have three dogs. We can live in it for a while, if we have to on the road. It’s fun. We like it.

And it’s easy at dog shows because we can camp and just go over to the ring and come back and have barbecue with friends, and let them come over and have a good time. They bring snacks and we do hospitality, and it’s a great time, it’s fun. We have friends that we would never have met.

This is our rig. This one’s Harley. This one’s Benny. And this is our puppy, Millie. All mini Bull Terriers. We took out half of the dining room so that we could bolt the crates to the floor so that they were safe when we’re traveling. So when we’re sitting and we’re driving, they’re back here and they’re safe, and I can see them so–to make sure nobody’s getting into anything.

The great thing about when you go to one of these shows is it’s all dog people and they all understand what it’s all about. So if there–if you ever had a fire or something like that, we don’t usually lock our rigs up. They will save your dogs.If I saw something, we would run over there.

So we put them in the crates, and then close them and wheel it over to the show ground; wherever it is, to the ring. Sometimes it’s close by, sometimes it’s not. So we put them in here so they’re safe and they’re cool, and then we have covers to cover them so they have shade. We have water buckets– of course, they have bait. So we–you know, we’re feeding them. So they love that. They love to show.

And she got two awards of merit. That’s very nice. This was a specialty. So this was really cool. We are so thankful for that. That’s awesome.

Michelle: We’re always looking for ways people combine their RVs with their hobbies or jobs. If you use your RV for a unique hobby or job, contact us at rollinontv.com. Who knows, you may find yourself in an upcoming show.