Prior to this trip, Chloe had only been on a couple of weekend camping trips during the spring. We were hopeful that she would be able to enjoy the trips but you never know with a new rescue dog and you can’t predict, or control, the weather or other people.

Chloe feeling safe in the truck.

Chloe sound asleep in the trailer.

Chloe struggled through her first week long camping trip to MacGregor Point Provincial Park near Port Elgin. She was great in the trailer and the vehicle but was easily frightened from sounds around the campground. People closing trailer doors, cutting wood and other abrupt sounds made her rush under the trailer or refuse to get out of the truck.

To make it more enjoyable for all of us, we spent a lot of our time travelling to other locations to walk, canoe and explore. Due to her anxiety I couldn’t do as much videotapping as I would have liked but we did capture a variety of footage. Chloe got to walk along the shores of Port Elgin, put her toes in at the Point Clark Lighthouse, and play on the shelves of the Sauble Falls Provincial Park waterfalls. She also checked out Wiarton Willie and the waters around Wiarton and experience the shallow waters of the Sydenham River at Harris Park in Owen Sound.

Back at the campsite, when you would stay outside, we would try to do some counter conditioning to teach her not to be so afraid of the sounds.

We did have some success but we wouldn’t realize it until we saw how much she had improved during our following trips to the Bruce Peninsula National Park and Algonquin Park.