Some funny things can happen when
you take your camel out for a walk

Out For a Walk

Hi all, I took Gobi out for some desensitizing today we went to the beach, under some freeway overpasses, around the fair grounds, and on the city streets. When I got back to my trailer two police cars came up from behind me very slowly (Maybe someone had called them about me and Gobi) they drove past (Well not this time) then they came back and parked on the opposite side of the street, got out and one of them said, I would like to ask you a question (here it comes. License, permit, a camel in the city) I have a unusual request, we would like to get some camel manure to put in the back of a partners squad car as a prank. Boy did I call that one wrong!

Attack of The Mattress

I had Gobi out for a walk the other day and on the way back we came across a queen size bed mattress alongside the road and I new right away what Gobi was thinking, something to play with. It was propped up against a chain link fence and he started rubbing his neck and shoulder against it having all sorts of fun. Then he grabbed it, halfway picking it up when it fell over.

Now the real fun begun, jumping up and down on it, throwing out his feet, then laying down rolling from side to side and bitting it on the edges. Then he got up and did some more jumping up and down while trying to pick it up at the same time, this went on for a good 15 minutes. I think he wanted to carry it back home, he sure didn't want to leave it. I had to bribe him with a granola bar to get him to leave it behind.

Roger

Keeping Your Camel Happy

Giving them lots of things to play with makes for a happy camel, but you still need to keep up the discipline and training. There's nothing wrong with having a happy well disciplined camel. I visited an animal compound that had their U. S. D. A. permit. The place was extremely clean and sterile. However, I felt sorry for the poor camel being confined in such a small area without anything to play with. She was a three year old and had gotten so board that she banged her head against the roof to get attention. After destroying a couple of roofs they installed electric fencing wire under it to keep her from doing that. The enclosure she was in was only about 30ft. by 30ft. with no other animals for companionship.

Gobi plays with my zebra (Dandy) so much that the back of her mane and neck are bleached out from camel slobber, but she enjoys the attention. I think Gobi has more toys than the neighborhood kids do. But after all he's just a kid himself. One of his favorite toys is a small child's plastic wading pool, and you don't have to fill it up with water. He enjoys wrestling with it and dragging it up and down the chain link fence making noise. He got a 40ft. long swim pool hose out of my shed and has been dragging it around the backyard for months now. He also takes the rubber stall mats and plays with them.

I had a pipe, horse wash rack that I had never got around to installing and he was dragging it around the back yard for few months. I would not recommend getting your camel a wash rack to play with, but a 55gal. Drum sure makes a fun toy for them. My chain link fence has vinyl slats in it and he thinks those are a lot of fun to pull out.

Roger

Camels are the Strangest Animals

Yes they are, wish I had gotten one a long time ago. It's unbelievable the things they amuse themselves with, and oh what fun it can be. I often take Gobi for walks down the road to visit some of his horse friends. There is a big old sycamore tree there with a hole in it. When walking by I showed it to Gobi, and he though it was fantastic, so much so he stuck his head in it, but not only his head, but his neck all the way to his shoulders. His front feet were just about coming off the ground as he was pushing so hard to get into that hole.

He was having all shorts of fun half buried in that old tree. Meanwhile I am frantically trying to pull him out. There's no telling what might be in there. Well you might be able to guess what happend the next few times I took Gobi by that old sycamore tree. It was hard keeping him out of it.

Roger

A Camel and Bus Load of Kids

Hello Cameleers, I had Gobi out camping again this last week along with two of my horses Sespe and Creek. We were just leaving the trailhead when a school bus showed up with about 50 kids aboard, they stayed in the bus for a few minutes until I got my animals past the gate.

I had Gobi's lead rope hooked to Creek's saddle. Gobi was all exited to be going on another camping trip, he was chewing on Creek and his saddle so I turned him loose after we got through the gate. Well wouldn't you know it, the kids rushed to the gate, Gobi and my young pack horse Sespe turned around and started back to visit with them. I called them and got Creek (the horse I was riding) going faster so they would fallow me away from the kids, and they did. Well we were headed down the trail and I saw that the kids were taking a shortcut and were going to come out in front of us. So I got the animals moving faster to beat them. I had gotten ahead of them but where the two trails come together Gobi and Sespe thought it would be more fun going their way, so they did just that, right as the kids were getting there.

Well Gobi has always been real good around kids but you never know, so I tied up Creek and went over to get Gobi. He was surrounded by kids and being the big sweet hart that he is, he was at total peace and loving all of the attention as usual.
We had a good time camping out for three days. On the way back we ran into a few hikers and Gobi would stop to say hello to them and then cache up to us. The temperature was in the mid seventies and with Gobi's long hair he was getting a little hot on the way out, so we went slow and took a few brakes along the way.

Bactrian Camel Chasing Fire Trucks

I had Gobi out for some exercise along with my horse Creek and a young colt. We were riding in the high mountains on an old forest service road, I let Gobi and my colt run loose enjoying themselves playing on this fine beautiful day, when from behind us I heard some trucks coming up the road. There were 3 forest service fire trucks. Well now Gobi thinks trucks are part of his family, when he was a small baby he used to go for rides in the back of a Chevy Suburban. He likes to lay in their shade, and he used to suck on the valve stems as a pacifier. Heck, food comes from the back of a truck and the wiper blades are fun to play with expressly when they're turned on he chases them back and forth. If you turn the windshield washers on he tries to drink from them. Who wouldn't like something that does all these wondreful things.

Anyway back to the fire trucks. As the first one went by there goes Gobi chasing off after it. I had to chase after him running my horse about half a mile until the fire truck stopped, I bet the people in the truck behind me were creaking up laughing watching a camel chasing the truck and me chasing a camel. I called Gobi and he came back to me, I have to admit it was pretty funny seeing him chasing a fire truck down the road. He does loves his toys and he thinks my truck is one of them.

Labor day Weekend Trip

On this Labor Day weekend with the temperature soaring above 100°, I decided to take Gobi camping on a short overnight trip along with two of my horses Creek and Sespe. We got to the trailhead and got started down the trail at about 7:00 PM; the temperature had cooled off considerably and the amber glow of the sun low in the sky gave off some gorgeous shadows on the rock formations and cottonwood trees with their leaves turning yellow for the coming winter. We made it into camp along a sandy bend on the Sespe River just before sunset and set up camp. After such a hot day the nighttime temperature was lovely, Gobi was lying down in the sand and I laid beside him using his front leg as a headrest staring up into the night sky listening to the crickets singing along the river's edge. I was lucky enough to see three very bright shooting stars go streaking across the heavens one right after the other, we settled in for the night and I was sleeping on my cot with Gobi only a few feet away sleeping in the sand with his rump facing me, which created a bit of the problem. Every time Gobi would swat his tail, I would get hit in the face with sand. I did not want to bother Gobi, he looked so peaceful there and I was too tired so I just covered my face with part of my sleeping bag. I was having a hard time getting to sleep so I took my air mattress and laid down beside Gobi enjoying the warm summer night and beautiful stars in the sky along with the company of such a fantastic animal as Gobi. At least this way I wasn't being bombarded by sand anymore, after a couple of hours I got back into my sleeping bag to try and get some sleep.

Late into the night Gobi woke me up sticking his nose in my face wanting something, then he walked off about 60ft. and stood there waiting for me to follow. It was then that I realized he wanted to go down to the river for a drink. The water hole was about 300ft. away and I did not want him to think it's okay to wander off by himself, so I gladly got up and went with him. In the late hours of the night, the sliver of a partial moon slowly raised above the golden cottonwood trees filtering rays of moonlight through their leaves lightly illuminating camp all around us.

With the coming light of a new day, the temperature started to rise rapidly so Gobi and I went down to the water hole and played around for awhile with the early mornings golden rays of light shining through the cottonwood trees. The beauty of such a fantastic morning along the sandy riverbed with beautiful cottonwood trees and fantastic rock formations all around you is a truly stunning experience. I fed Gobi and the horses the last of the alfalfa pellets but Gobi wasn't interested in his, he was more interested in going over and helping the horses finish off their food, after all it's more fun to share and what could be more fun than sharing breakfast with your horse friends.

While packing up the horses Gobi was constantly in the way wanting to help, but I didn't need that type of help so I had to tie him up out of the way which did not make him very happy. It was a quick and beautiful trip out riding through the riverbed with all of the cottonwood trees glistening in the early morning light. By the time we got to the trailer, everyone had work up a sweat and it was only about 9:00 AM in the morning, the temperature was skyrocketing fast. It was good to be heading home.

Roger