Life with dogs · A Fetch Original
When Buttercup and Peanut’s family sits down to eat in their travel trailer, the girls take their places too. Buttercup sits beside Mom on one side of the booth. Peanut sits opposite, next to Dad. Both wait patiently for a bite to come their way.
“We do a lot of hiking and a lot of eating,” their owner told The Fetch.
Buttercup and Peanut are the two Labradors behind The PeanutButtercup Chronicles. We asked their family to tell us a little about the girls and what it’s like to take them camping.
Pizza night has everyone’s attention.
Getting to know the girls
Buttercup, 10, is easy to befriend if you happen to be eating. “She’ll act like your best friend if you have food,” her owner explains. Once the eating and sharing are over, she moves on to the next person and acts as though she doesn’t know you.
Her stuffed animals get a different sort of devotion. Buttercup has quite a collection, and she loves to suckle on them. “They are like a pacifier to her,” her owner says.
Peanut, 8, shares Buttercup’s enthusiasm for food, but attention is another great pleasure. She welcomes it from anyone willing to give it, while somehow conveying that “nobody ever pays attention to her.”
She loves chewing on bones and fetching balls. She also likes to sit on Buttercup.
Sharing the doorway.
A week away, or a weekend with friends
Their family has been camping for about 11 years. Two or three times a year, they take the trailer away for a week to 10 days, visiting different states to see waterfalls, caves, rock formations, and overlooks.
Closer to home, they have a membership at a campground about an hour away. They spend every other summer weekend there with a group of friends and their dogs.
Buttercup and Peanut enjoy the walks and golf cart rides. When the family heads out on a hike, the girls have their own interests to pursue.
“Their favorite part of hiking is finding food to eat and water to swim in,” their owner says.
Buttercup once made a particularly memorable discovery while her family was still setting up their site. She went under a bush and came out with half a loaf of Italian bread.
She has inspected bushes for possible food ever since.
Buttercup with the find that made bushes worth checking.
One walk before bed brought a less welcome surprise. A black dog jumped out from behind a car at another campsite, its red light-up collar the only thing visible in the dark. It was on a lead but could reach the edge of the road. Peanut bolted, pulling her owner over. Her owner caught the leash after falling, so Peanut didn’t get far; fortunately, the injuries were limited to a few bruises. The experience left her more watchful on walks after dark.
Back at the trailer
Traveling with two dogs who like to swim in any body of water they encounter has its practical side. Their owner’s camping essentials include plenty of towels and “a good broom to sweep up all the dirt and fur!”
For Buttercup and Peanut, settling back in means a nap on the loveseat.
“It’s pretty much theirs, I’ve only sat on it a couple times.”
— The PeanutButtercup Chronicles
A cushion with both their names reads: ‘This is our loveseat. Go sit over there.’
The cushion explains the arrangement.
By the campfire, everyone has somewhere to settle. Two camping chairs sit near two raised dog beds, and the girls are tucked under blankets. It’s a comfortable place to spend the evening together after the outings are done.
Tucked in by the campfire.
When it’s time to turn in, Buttercup and Peanut join their people in bed. The girls may have outdoor beds and a loveseat to choose from, but they still finish the day sleeping beside their family.
Sharing a bed with Buttercup and Peanut.
What stays with us is how much of the trip the girls get to share. They’re there for the hikes and swims, and for the uneventful hours afterward, when everyone is just eating, resting, or sitting outside together. That ordinary time is part of the holiday, too.
The family takes the trailer to see new places. Buttercup and Peanut help make each stop feel familiar: a different view outside the window, with the same family around the table.
