Profile For John Douglas Barrow

I say I hope my Chiefs beat Philly today to get back morale. Kick the slump.

I had the option of shipping Gustav from the lady in Kentucky who bred him. He is a registered purebred. Then he would have had to travel in a truck about 700 miles at 8 weeks. Poor little baby! It might have scared him to death. It might have been too hot and humid. No water? No food? No potty breaks? No heat and a/c? Has anybody here driving commercially ever shipped live animals deemed as "pets"? Stuff like puppies, dogs, cats, bunnies and caged birds? How is miserable is it for those poor animals to be shipped interstate in a commercial rig anyway? I don't even like when livestock are shipped under cruel conditions. I don't want to see cows and pigs in stock trailers on hot days ever.

I wanted to meet the breeder in person anyway. I never would buy a dog or a pup sight unseen. I was told by this lady that shipping would have been about $600 anyway. My baby pup was much more comfy in my a/c-equipped car. I'm holding him at just 8weeks in this picture.

I am sure commercial trucking folks can agree here. Don't you think so?

I took a round trip from central Iowa (Des Moines metro) to Richmond, Kentucky this early June to pick up a new German Shepherd puppy. It was about 1500 miles of driving in my automobile. I went through Illinois, Indiana, a corner of Ohio out of Cincinnati. I stuck to Interstate routes as much as possible. I had Garmin GPS navigation on board. The trip covered 4 calendar days. There were three overnight hotel stays. One hotel cost me $173 per night with my new puppy in his carrier. My reliable air-conditioned automatic 1995 Toyota Corolla DX sedan still gets about 31 MPG highway. Combined gasoline and lodging costs for this trip were close to $600. I had some stuff packed in my cooler and there were a few meals at Culver's ButterBurgers and Frozen Custard to boot.

I don't know what mode of transportation would have been more practical if not cheaper for this special puppy-transporting trip. Certainly not airlines, Greyhound or Amtrak. With my car, I could stop and potty my puppy and give him breaks along the way at rest stops and at my leisure. Getting a hotel room above roach-motel/flea bag quality these days can be killer on the wallet. Even renting a truck for DIY moves these days is deplorable for Interstate rent rates.

Depending upon where you move to and from, a stupid U-Haul or Penske large van can cost $5, $6 or $7K for the rental rates alone!! I moved from Oklahoma to Iowa (700 miles one way) two years ago and the Penske International 26' diesel truck was only about $1,400 with a car carrier trailer (one way, out of state) and my Vet's discount for just vehicle rent costs. It's still not too bad moving from one non-major flyover state to another as in the mid-west. The truck was lucky if it could top 13 MPG, but I digress.

Here is my new black Sheppie boy, Gustav, at 5 months now. Handsome devil!

Ya gotta hand it to Toad... He's like the OG troll here at TT. That's saying something.

You all don't know me. I come back here after a good number of months and I'm branded a "troll" whatever that means.

You're welcome, Mr. Barrow!

You're welcome, Mr. Barrow!

I'm not really a bad person. I just might not be the most ideal TT posting member here. If I ever work again in my life, it will have to be a remote work-at-home job. Possibly connected with the trucking industry. Right now, I have to train and bring up my little fur baby. He is now a service dog in training. You can see his pic I posted on my other thread. I feel so sorry for drivers who have to spend so much time away from their own fur babies. Someday, all long-distance trucking, and railroading, will be autonomous. Human drivers, and train operators, will just work locally. They'll be close to home and have a normal 9-5 lifestyle with a great social skill set. Prolonged sitting inside a truck or train cab cannot be conducive to excellent human physical, mental and emotional health. Thank you all for risking your health so my puppy and I have food available at Walmart even when there is nasty winter weather.

Ya gotta hand it to Toad... He's like the OG troll here at TT. That's saying something.

You all don't know me. I come back here after a good number of months and I'm branded a "troll" whatever that means.

Anyway, how do you like my new buddy, "Gustav"? Cute little devil, isn't he?

Ya gotta hand it to Toad... He's like the OG troll here at TT. That's saying something.

You all don't know me. I come back here after a good number of months and I'm branded a "troll" whatever that means.

I hope I'm not taken here as an evil bad man for concern for public highway safety. Some small-vehicle drivers have disdain for large commercial trucks. Stereotypically, truckers in America are dimly viewed by the public as anti-social, violent, criminal, dope-addicted and cowboy reckless. They have had a bad public perception like Hells Angels motorcycle riders.

I would just as soon report an automobile driving recklessly as any big rig's doing the same. Any conscientious, law-abiding truck driver would just as soon jump on his CB radio or other communications device to report some idiot driving any vehicle dangerously regardless of size class. If you drive a trailer truck "with a halo over your head" you would want your negative public image to be cleaned up.

'Reckless' sounds self-contradictory. It sounds like "driving a vehicle without the event of any wrecks". Ironically, it means dangerous, haphazard and actually prone to, or courting, wrecks. Also, don't be fooled by thinking "inflammable" means "fire safe" or "not prone to burning".