The Campers’ Dog

By 2001, Bill and Pat Horoho of Indiana were retired. The last of their three boys had left the house. Without their previous obligations, but only in their 50s, they knew they still had a lot of life to live. “We didn’t want to stay home and not do anything,” Bill said.

So they hit the road in a camper. Their previous Lhasa apso, Snickers, visited 45 states with them.

Now in their early 80s and married for more than 60 years, Bill and Pat haven’t slowed down. Their current dog—another Lhasa apso, Buster, who’s 3 1/2 years old—has joined them in seven states as of press time. And there are more on the horizon.

Buster has been to Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone, and more with his people.

None of this was guaranteed, though. Plenty of 80-year-old retirees have less exciting routines, and when Buster spent puppyhood as the runt of his litter no one predicted he’d be zipping his way across the country.

Here’s how they all ended up on the road together, thriving.

Together everywhere they go

Bill and Pat brought Buster into their home when he was around 5 months old, and he’d had a difficult start to his life.

The tiny puppy they took in needed to be groomed and get treatment for fleas. “He would get sick, especially if you changed his food,” Bill told us of Buster’s earlier days—before he got started on The Farmer’s Dog. “And so you nurture him just like you do a child.”

But Buster quickly became part of their family, and Bill and Pat believe that the way his life began accounts for certain aspects of his personality. 

“He likes to be on your lap,” said Bill—more than the other Lhasa apsos he and Pat had lived with before. Bill and Pat believe Buster may have been held a lot in his early months “because of the fact that he was a runt and wasn’t as healthy as the others… this one definitely is a lapdog.”

We can confirm Buster’s lapdog status—he spent the entirety of a followup Zoom call contentedly snoozing on Bill’s lap in the camper.

“He travels great.”

Secure that he had loving people to look after him, Buster took to life on the road immediately. And when it’s time to start the day, Buster is the one who lets Bill and Pat know to get going.

“Buster has a six o’clock alarm clock built in,” Bill said. “He gets up into your face… we’ll walk around the pond in the morning and come back and then he’ll eat and then he’ll go back to sleep.”

With that taken care of, Bill and Pat are ready for coffee and breakfast. “If it’s nice and warm,” Pat said, “we cook on the grill.”

Then they set off on the day’s adventure. As long as it’s outdoors and safe, Buster comes with them—and makes sure that, no matter what the conditions, everyone has fun.

On one walk in Spring Mill State Park, Bill and Pat found themselves in an unexpected downpour. Without rain gear, they tried to get back to their camper as soon as possible. But, for Buster, it was business as usual.

“The rain didn’t bother him at all,” Pat said, even as his people got soaked and Pat slipped and fell (don’t worry; she was fine!) “Buster just kept walking along,” she said.

“Walking along and sniffing everything and enjoying it,” Bill continued.

Keeping their best friend in his best shape

Bill and Pat started Buster on The Farmer’s Dog for his health, and so far they and he are pleased with the results. “He loves it,” Bill said.

Buster’s main health challenge at the time was excess weight—not a trivial matter, since research shows that dogs who are in a healthy body condition can live 2.5 years longer than those who are overweight or obese. He was up to 21 pounds, which is a significant amount of extra weight for a dog of his size to carry.

On The Farmer’s Dog, Buster got into his best shape by losing 4.4 pounds. Bill, an accountant who still helps seniors and low-income people with their taxes even in his retirement, knows that this small number of pounds means a lot for a tiny dog. “That’s 20 percent,” he said.

Buster sets the pace

During hikes, Buster is the one who sets the pace.

“He loves rabbits and squirrels,” Pat said. “He thinks he’s gonna catch them, but they’re faster than he is.”

“I don’t think he’d know what to do if he ever caught one,” Bill said.

But whatever it is Buster happens to like best about being outside, he helps make sure his people stay active and in the moment as well.

“I think with having him with us, it sort of motivates us to get outside, probably take more walks than we normally would—because we know he enjoys it,” Bill said. “He’s always anxious to take a walk and sniff every rock and tree.”

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