AN AUTOCAMPING DOGVENTURE PROPOSAL TO SUBARU
It’s mid-2023. Our family is putting the final preparation touches in place for a forthcoming cross-country traveling DOGventure excursion. Our idea is to pack all that we need into our SUV in order to enable us to drive with our two dogs from the East Coast to the West Coast, enjoying the highways, byways, and backroads of our nation.
While we first came up with our version of a similar idea in 2014, the notion behind living, working, and exploring out of the back of a motorized vehicle is hardly new. Henry Ford and his vagabonds gave a name to the concept in 1914, calling their simple getaways AUTOCAMPING.
What most people do not realize is that the notion of AUTOCAMPING went away in 1924. Ford’s other distractions and the demands of the newspapers of the day overwhelmed him and his gang of vagabonds, forcing them to put to rest the whole idea of AUTOCAMPING.
But today is different. Many models of contemporary cars are being adapted to make tremendous use of operational and computerized features. SUVs, or what we call SUBARU Utility Vehicles, are prime examples of how it is now realistic for people, families, and even their dogs to return once more to relying on their everyday motorized vehicles as a hub for living, working, and exploring the roads and outdoors around them. This is what we call SUVpacking, our upgrade on Ford’s AUTOCAMPING that was too big for them to happen.
The year ahead, 2024, will mark 100 years since AUTOCAMPING went away. We envision bringing the underlying design back to life by featuring the Subaru Utility Vehicle as the star of our vision of SUVpacking. Only in our vision, the traveling adventures we undertake will highlight and tell the story of not just us as a family on the road, but will also focus on how exceptionally well our dogs, Yakoo and Nuka, can ride along on the journeys we take. See, Yakoo is a deaf and blind dog, and Nuka was labeled as deaf though her senses later came back as we started guiding her using a new touch and tap communication technique called Yakoo’s PAWtactile language.
We obviously have ideas as to how a SUVpacking partnership with Subaru might work, but in reality, we would simply love to discuss the concept with you. We are hoping that the travels we do from Florida to San Francisco in 2013 can serve as a practice run. On this road trip, we would gather photos, videos, and the text of stories similar to what you can see on DOGtorYakoo.com or on our many social media accounts. Blinddeaf Yakoo’s experiences regularly inspire hundreds of thousands of viewers, many of whom get emotional about watching a dog like him thrive as we discover the world that seems out of his reach.
My name is Erick. My partner is Allan. To help you understand more about us and SUVpacking, we’ve added some research and historical links below. They highlight where AUTOCAMPING came from and give you a taste of the new means of communication that we’re developing for Yakoo and his younger deaf little sister Nuka, who are the featured dogs behind our PAWtactile system.
You can respond to us in many ways. This page is not public. It is viewable via the link we sent to you. If you prefer, you can email us via DOGtorYakoo@gmail.com. You can also call us in the old way: 707-319-1626.
Our best, ERICK, YAKOO and NUKA, and ALLAN:
BACKGROUND AND SUPPORT RESEARCH LINKS
AUTOCAMPING – Then and Now
What you see above are images of our SUVs as we began practicing from 2014 until 2019 — and some pictures we found online about SUVs from the future. These images demonstrate that there is already a community of dog lovers and travelers who will enjoy our idea.
Below are historical links. The first summarizes what Henry Ford and the Vagabonds did, beginning in 1914 (100 years before we started using the term) and 1924, when AUTOCAMPING went away because it was too successful for car and media technologies to handle. The links after that are from articles prepared by the San Francisco Chronicle, recapping how “vandwellers” have adapted the idea organically to where vehicle traveling is heading today and into tomorrow. These pieces refer to the efforts of several car companies, but not Subaru — offering, perhaps, an opportunity?
THE VAGABONDS – 1914 until 2024
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, PART 1 — #vanlife
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, PART 2, VanDwellers
It is also helpful to realize that there are a number of online sites looking at how electric vehicles and modern vehicle designs are being used and reviewed by consumers. Two examples of this — none noting Subarus — can be seen here: OUTDOORS or here: TOPSPEED
TRAVELING AND TALKING WITH OUR ANIMALS
As we researched adopting a deafblind pet (Yakoo), we learned a lot about making good dog choices. Your charitable support has been critical in ensuring that important information is available. It was through these preparations that we learned about AUTOCAMPING and about how communication techniques for deaf and blind humans are improving thanks to new technologies. This is how American Sign Language has been getting better, turning into a new, modern PROtactile system. Our advances to create a PAWtactile language are building on this progress. If you would like to see more about PROtactile systems and their relationship to digital assistive technologies, enjoy the story of aj granda and Jelica Nuccio. For a good summary of the PROtactile language, see this piece from Texas. We anticipate visiting locations like this as we SUVpack our welcoming lands!
DOGtor Yakoo's DEAFBLIND STORY 