Who says Cats and Dogs don’t get along? Lucky Dog Lauren and I wanted to see what would happen when we brought one of the biggest dogs on earth together with some of the biggest cats on earth…  Okay, so really we just wanted to visit tigers.  That is exactly what we did when we visited the Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro, NC.

In addition to tigers, we saw Lions, Ocelots, Binturongs, Kinkajous, and Servals– probably the only cat not there to meat our 27-foot-long link was the lynx (Fair Warning: If you don’t like corny jokes, particularly cat related ones, this blog post is going to be a catastrophe)

The first time we met Raj we knew that he and OHIWISH would be friends furrever.  Right meow OHIWISH is catnapping in preparation for tomorrows events, probably dreaming about her first encounter with the big cat named Raj.  Carolina Tiger Rescue is the purrfect place for these rescued cats to live and play.  (I warned you about the puns, if you’re still not feline it I would move on to another post, because I’m having a pawesome time)

Efurryone was a little catious when they saw Raj’s face the first time he encountered OHIWISH… boy does he look hungry!

But it turned out Raj was just a big joker.  Just another example of the Wienermobile’s ability to spread miles of smiles to everyone and everything:  Say Cheesey Weenies!

Finally, let me paws for a second to tail you a little more about the Carolina Tiger Rescue.  The Carolina Tiger Rescue is a nonprofit wildlife sanctuary that strives to save and protect wildcats.  Lucky Dog and I learned quite a bit about tigers and other wildcats during our behind the scenes tour of the facility.  Most importantly, we learned about the dangers of private ownership of wildcats.  Please, keep the “wild” in wildcats and leave these magnificent creatures in their natural environment (Cats get clawstraphobic!  Keep them out of cages and leave them in their home!)

Unfortunately it is often a bunce-in-a-lifetime encounter when people see the Wienermobile. While we are constantly navigating America’s hot dog highways, there are many people we meat whom have never seen the Wienermobile. Besides commercials, I had never laid eyes on the 27 foot wheeled wiener before I was selected as one of the lucky dogs who get to drive. Bottom line is: Seeing the Wienermobile is one to truly relish because you never know when it will happen again.

For two lucky dogs in Greenville South Carolina, however, lightning struck twice when OHIWISH came to town.  Kristen and her brother Phillip tracked us down and took advantage of their second interaction with the Wienermobile by recreating a picture they had taken about 14 years ago in Charlotte, NC.

Phillip and Kristen age 7 and 4 & 1/2

Phillip and Kristen age 21 and 19

Franks for coming back to visit us Phillip and Kristen, it was very nice to meat you both!

If you want to make memories like this, come visit the Wienermobile this summer and take a free picture with our cameras!  You can send it directly to your email, and even look it up on Facebook.  It doesn’t get better than this!

Lucky Dog Lauren and I love taking the Wienermobile to beautiful places.  To me, there are few places more beautiful than my home state of Kentucky.  Affectionately known as the “Bluegrass State,” Kentucky is known for its fast horses and unique “Bluegrass” music.

OHIWISH was all smiles at my home, the happiest hotdog in all of Kentucky.

OHIWISH was happy to escape the hustle and bustle of city life for a while and enjoyed

some rural relaxation in the backyard of my small-town Kentucky home.

Dijon Know? The song “My Old Kentucky Home” was published in 1853 by Stephen Foster (the “father of American Music”)– that is only 30 years before the Oscar Mayer brand came into existence!

Nothing goes with summertime better than a tasty Oscar Mayer Hotdog and a fun-filled day at the ballpark.  A common pastime for the girls of summer is to engage in tasteful taunting of the opposing teams.  They do this through softball cheers, often done in unison by the whole team.  While at an event just outside of Birmingham, Alabama a young lady shared with us one of her bunderful cheers, and dog gone it was funny!  Watch her Oscar Mayer related Softball cheer by clicking below… and more importantly: if you mustard up the courage to play softball in Alabama be prepared to get grilled!

Good luck the rest of the season, and franks for sharing with us!

A Clever Oscar Mayer Themed Softball Cheer

Many of you may have heard, the Wienermobile is celebrating a very special achievement.  Your favorite frankfurter has been around for 75 bunderful years this year!  Lucky Dog Lauren and I love to share this milestone with everyone we meat.

We aren’t the only ones celebrating 2011 as an important anniversary though.  If you have driven through the north Florida region in the last 50 years, you have likely seen S&S Food Stores welcoming you into their friendly communities.  Lauren and I were fortunate enough to be invited to S&S Food Stores 50th Anniversary celebration in Lake City, Florida where the store’s owners Mr. and Mrs. Scaff had planned a franktastic fiesta.  The event was free to the public and featured dozens of booths with cool giveaways (including delicious Oscar Mayer hot dogs!)  As if that wasn’t enough to get you there, Mr. and Mrs. Scaff brought 5 super-talented live musical performances that kept the crowd on their feet all day.  Needless to say, people came miles around to take part in the festivities, and frankly, who could blame them?

It was apparent how thankful the crowd was for the amazing event.  It was even more obvious to this Hotdogger why S&S Food Stores has been so successful: they give back to their community and care deeply about their customers.  Thats why no one was shocked when, staying true to their impeccable reputation, Mr. and Mrs. Scaff made time out of their busy schedule to visit the Wienermobile.  They were very hospitable when they asked if we needed anything and thanked us for coming.

On behalf of me and the thousands of other delighted event-goers, franks for a great time Mr. and Mrs. Scaff.  Here’s to another 50 years!

Mr. and Mrs. Scaff visit the Hotdoggers!

Dijon Know? Lester and Anne Scaff opened their first Food Store in 1961.  Now, 50 years later, they employ 450 employees at 47 stores across 8 counties in Florida.

At the Franktastic Fiftieth Festival!

Dijon Know? All of the 47 stores are within a 50-mile (almost 10000 Wienermobile lengths) radius of their headquarters in Lake City, Florida.

Dijon Know? The S&S Foods Family has raised well over $1,000,000 for charities such as the Children’s Miracle Network.

Aberdeen, South Dakota welcomed Lucky Dog Lauren and I with an invitation to be the pace car at the local race track.  Well, they didn’t have to hound us to agree.  We quickly accepted their invitation and raced out to the Brown County Speedway.  There we became fast friends with the locals and jumped at the opportunity to bring our hotdog hot rod around the track.

Lucky Dog Lauren poses with passing cars

OHIWISH and Reese with Relish ogle the oval from the infield

Panoramic view of our periwinkle colored paradise

Everyone else was playing ketchup to OHIWISH as it served as the pace car for the night’s final races:

Lucky Dog Lauren and I are very lucky to meat hundreds of amazing people every day thanks to the unending attraction that is the Wienermobile.  We relish every interaction and oftentimes people leave us with memories that last a life time.  This was no different when Lauren and I rolled into the Williamsburg, VA Kampgrounds of America.  The first girl we met ended up our closest compadre for the remainder of the weekend.  Our good friend Julia from Ontario hung out with us all day, and even shared her many talents with us throughout the event.  Between reading us a story she wrote herself and casual conversation we learned that Julia is also a very talented artist.

Lauren and I were so touched when we ran into Julia the morning as she was leaving the Kampgrounds.  She had drawn each of us our very own picture and even made us a very thoughtful “thank you” card.  Her pictures were SO good I would put her in the ranks of Leonardo Da LICIOUS, Salvador DaliECTABLE, Pablo PicKLEasso, Andy WarWHOLESOME, and Vincent Van GoURMET.

Julia, you are an amazing artist and a super person, frank you for hanging out with us!

Lucky Dog Lauren and I were very fortunate when we paired up to travel the Hot Dog Highways because we have so much in common.  One similarity is that we are both big movie buffs. That is why when we saw that the prison where great films like The Shawshank Redemption and Air Force One were filmed was open to the public we jumped at the opportunity to visit.

After beefing up on movie trivia, we found ourselves taking the scenic kraut to the historic Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio.

Dijon Know? Construction on the reformatory started in 1886 with the architecture designed to resemble a medieval castle.

The reformatory was designed using three distinct architectural styles: Victorian Gothic, Romanesque, and Queen Anne. OHIWISH thought this was BUNbelievable!

Dijon know? In addition to being a historical and cultural landmark, the reformatory is also considered one of the most haunted places in America, and was even featured Fox Family’s show Scariest Places on Earth!  Oh I Wish I could visit it on Halloweenie!

OHIWISH misbehaved so we put her in SALAMItary confinement. (This also happens to be the gate from Air Force One)

For several years, past Hotdoggers have enjoyed the hospitality of the Oliver Inn located in South Bend, Indiana. Staying true to Hotdogger tradition, Lucky Dog Lauren and I made sure that we visited the beautiful 19th century establishment. With its ornate design and well-manicured landscaping, the Oliver Inn was our home away from home for one franktastic night. The owners, Tom and Alice go above and beyond to make your trip a bunderful one.

OHIWISH and the Oliver Inn's franktastic flowing fountain

Dijon know? The Oliver Inn was built by James Oliver. James invented the “Oliver Chilled Plow” and went on to own the Oliver Farm Equipment Company, makers of Oliver tractors.

Dijon know? My Great-Grandfather used an Oliver Chilled Plow on his farm in Kentucky in the early 1900’s. My uncle recently restored it and even used ketchup and mustard colors to give it that new plow sheen!

Ketchup and Mustard colored Oliver Plow

While we love spreading miles of smiles all across America’s highways, it is always extra special when we bring the Good Mood Mission to a city that needs some good news. Unfortunately, it has been mostly bad news from Minot, ND lately. Almost 12,000 people were evacuated from their homes as the Souris river breached the levees protecting the town. Lucky Dog Lauren and I brought OHIWISH to the citizens of Minot in hopes of taking their minds off of the tragic disaster.

Flooding around Minot

While this was truly a time worthy of sadness, every single person we met had a smile on their face and a pep in their step.  We talked to people whose homes had been destroyed just days before, and their attitude was not that of grieving for what they had lost, but rather they were thankful for what they still had.  Just as the Wienermobile has the ability to bring good moods to those who see it, the people we meet in our travels often put us in a good mood. Our experience in Minot did just that.  It was both uplifting and eye-opening, and we are so very thankful for every Minot resident we met. Our thoughts are with you.

A few of the AMAZING residents of Minot. Your kindness and optimism during tough times is an inspiration. Thanks, and our thoughts are with you!