Travelling with pets

[Old Macdonalds]

Originally Posted by TheWanderers

Bob: we have four dogs (too many, all rescues) and they are all small. Two Chihuahuas and two Poodles. Like yours, they will chase anything that captures their attention. We have walked on leash a lot in preparation and are ready for camping but worry about tangling four leashes if they have to be on leash all the time...our Scamp is not really large enough for us to pack four crates into the small space even if we could leave them alone. Each morning, when we leave for work, I hear them "singing" for about two minutes as we pull out of the drive way. It wouldn't be well received at any campground and the thin walls of a Scamp wouldn't contain much of the chorus.


We recognize the concessions that we're making with having our dogs along camping, but we accepted those as the price of ownership, accepted years ago. Four dogs is too many and we won't do that again, but they are our babies, so...

We have four little ones as well, 2 rescues, a peke and Italian greyhound and 2 "swiffers" of unknown parentage, I have had from pups. Not allowed anymore without a permit in our city or we'd be crazy enough to have half a dozen. Yes, we are THAT childless couple!!! We camped with all four last year and will do it again this year but the leash thing sucks as ours end up tied in knots even with the non tangling cables. We own a 14ft Surfside with an awning and we set up a pop up screen tent from Walmart against the edge of the awning. The challenge is the gap between the trailer and the screen tent. A few extra pegs secures the screen tent edge so the dogs are fine in there. Recently bought an exercise pen which we use to kennel all four at home (easier than 4 crates) We will take it when we do weekend camping just for ease of set up but have been giving some thought to the vacation camp of two weeks. Was at the local farm supply and they have light weight step-on posts for temporary fencing (usually electric) but they should work to run a pvc fence around. Bought some deer fence which is a really lightweight mesh so hoping with a post at the corner of the trailer and the corner of the screen tent, front and back, we can block both ends. It can be cut too, so can stretch a short piece along the bottom of the trailer without blocking the door. The peke sneaks out that way. Will tack the bottom down with a few extra tent pegs. The mesh comes 7ft by 100 ft so plenty to play with or double up and can be secured to the post with cable ties. It rolls up the size of a throw pillow and weighs less than a pound. 35$ cdn. The posts are 5 ft high, plastic or fiberglass and about $6 a piece Cdn so maybe $4 US. Whatever mesh I don't use for fencing will be used in the garden for peas etc. That's my two cents worth.
Whatever you decide be mindful that with very small dogs that they are also vulnerable to eagles and hawks so even if you just do an x-pen, a tarp over part or all, offers shade and safety. Good luck. Our dogs love camping.

[james kent]

This old tomato juice can filled with concrete and an eye bolt with Large washers has lasted us through four different family dogs through a 45 year time period and it's falling apart now but still holds our JR. Drop it over the seat of a picnic table or the trailer tongue and have campsite controll of your pet. Holly is now 13 and I don't know which will outlast the other. How long a lead is your option.


Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[Mitzi Agnew-Giles]

Thanks Old Macdonalds- I'll be checking at Tractor Supply! The youngest Indoor kitty was only a few weeks old when he fell out of the bottom of a tractor trailer we were tailing. He was one big fluffball and the tractor trailer hit him in the head and then the turbulence blew him airborne- think Wile E Coyote when he runs off the edge of the cliff. All his legs were in motion while he floated to the verge- fortunately next door to the vet, who gave him IV steroids to reduce brain swelling. He is the sweetest thing, the size of a small collie. DH thinks he is a RagaMuffin, developed fro the Ragdolls, but slightly larger. We named him Roadkill.
Our "Big brother" indoor cat was dropped off in our yard when about 48 hours old. We heard him yelling all night- thought he was an adult cat in distress he was so loud. Found him at dawn. He refused goats milk thru a dropper, so we took him to the vet and found 3 other couples there with kittens the same size. Got an KMR starter kit and bottlefeeding lessons. DH had dreamt about a week before we had a marmalade cat named Yuki, so we named him Yuki. We were cat less at the time, having returned DD's cat to her when they bought their first house. Yuki was bottlefed by DH every 2 hours ATC and his little bum wiped to stimulate elimination. We didn't let him sleep with us as DH was afraid we would roll over on him. He understands English and did not realize he looked different from us till the first time I passed a mirror, while holding him on my shoulder-aged about 6-7 months. We started to have problems with him at about 9 months of age- he thought he was a human and he was hitting adolescence. DHs niece at this time determined she was going to take her daughter's 8 month old cat to the pound - this was AFTER having all 4 claws removed- because her youngest son was allergic. Of course the youngest son was allergic at the time they got the cat...we thought Yuki might do better if he had a playmate so we took Angel. Of course SHE was so upset at losing her family...But Yuki was absolutely fascinated. Stuck to her like glue for months and she taught him about cat-dom.
We have "Sucker for Cats" in big bold letters on our foreheads, I guess. Had a series of yard cats we would feed and pet and love, try to get to the vets for neutering and vaccinations..It appears our yard's carrying capacity is for 3 cats. We had a wonderful huntress who cleaned out a rat and rabbit infestation that was destroying my vegetable garden. She had a litter before we could get her spayed. The sole survivor is named Orangesoda. He was orange and had a brother who was cream colored so we called that one creamsoda. The feral was a great mother but we have red tail hawks, bald eagles, owls, coyotes, wildcats, foxes and feral dogs in our area. Momma died this past autumn, peacefully under the oak tree. The putative papa, Fathercat (for lack of a better name) called and called for her for weeks. He and Orange Soda became much friendlier. We know orange soda was feral because he was born in our hedge. The vet says none of them act like ferals, but it takes a lot of love to win their trust. And the latest one is named Nightfall. She is a little black cat who showed up around Christmas, just a skeleton draped with fur. Her front legs are bowed inwards and she has a funny gait. I think she was thrown from a car in motion. Very very affectionate, and now gaining a little weight. 3 weeks ago at the vet they said she weighed almost 7 lbs. I have started to give her chondroitin treats because her shoulders pain her. There used to be damp spots on her shoulder where she had licked and licked them- none since the chondroitin was started.
The 3 outdoor cats had wanted to be inside cats so bad they would attack our "insiders" when we let them go out out to play and try to chase them away- and then try to come in the house. Since the one momma died the two "former" males are much friendlier and we let them come in- but try not to keep them inside overnight. Not sure about their litter box habits- Fathercat was dropped off about 4 years ago, if he's not a feral...and Orangesoda, of course, never learned. I think Nightfall could use one but she'de have to have a very edge to step over- and we have a 3 1/2 ft by 18 inch litter box with 4 inch high sides that most all the others prefer to use- with a backup standard size kitty box in the back bedroom for "traffic jams" at the main box.
So when I say I have 3 kitties- I mean the inside ones- but I keep hoping to see the "outsiders" actually use the litter box, since that is kind of DH's requirement for adding to the indoor pride....

[TheWanderers]

Mac, we think alike. I am working on a solution to our fencing isse and may well find ourselves with an X-pen before we're don't but we're trying the flexible fencing idea first. I've use PVC pipe to fab up a frame that will sit around the doorway and reach under to prevent escapes. I'll get pictures when I have a successful prototype. The first model almost fell over with any fence hanging on it so I knew that wouldn't work. Back to the drawing board and a new modification to the original and we should have something to work with. I like the tread-post idea and we still have quite a few of those left over from our goat farm so we'll be employing those too.

Thanks for your input!

Originally Posted by Old Macdonalds

We have four little ones as well, 2 rescues, a peke and Italian greyhound and 2 "swiffers" of unknown parentage, I have had from pups. Not allowed anymore without a permit in our city or we'd be crazy enough to have half a dozen. Yes, we are THAT childless couple!!! We camped with all four last year and will do it again this year but the leash thing sucks as ours end up tied in knots even with the non tangling cables. We own a 14ft Surfside with an awning and we set up a pop up screen tent from Walmart against the edge of the awning. The challenge is the gap between the trailer and the screen tent. A few extra pegs secures the screen tent edge so the dogs are fine in there. Recently bought an exercise pen which we use to kennel all four at home (easier than 4 crates) We will take it when we do weekend camping just for ease of set up but have been giving some thought to the vacation camp of two weeks. Was at the local farm supply and they have light weight step-on posts for temporary fencing (usually electric) but they should work to run a pvc fence around. Bought some deer fence which is a really lightweight mesh so hoping with a post at the corner of the trailer and the corner of the screen tent, front and back, we can block both ends. It can be cut too, so can stretch a short piece along the bottom of the trailer without blocking the door. The peke sneaks out that way. Will tack the bottom down with a few extra tent pegs. The mesh comes 7ft by 100 ft so plenty to play with or double up and can be secured to the post with cable ties. It rolls up the size of a throw pillow and weighs less than a pound. 35$ cdn. The posts are 5 ft high, plastic or fiberglass and about $6 a piece Cdn so maybe $4 US. Whatever mesh I don't use for fencing will be used in the garden for peas etc. That's my two cents worth.
Whatever you decide be mindful that with very small dogs that they are also vulnerable to eagles and hawks so even if you just do an x-pen, a tarp over part or all, offers shade and safety. Good luck. Our dogs love camping.

[Old Macdonalds]

Just a quick FYI to check the farm supply for X pens as well. They may carry them cheaper than the big box pet stores. We got ours from a pet food distributor rather than a pet store. They only sell food and supplies not animals. Sometimes you can pick up pet supplies through online classifieds but be wary of second hand. They have to be thoroughly disinfected. One of our local rescues had a bunch of crates stolen but they had been used to transport dogs from the north many of which were carrying Parvo and mange so a warning went out not to buy second hand in case anyone got the infectious crates. Thieves will sell anything!!

[monB]

Jeffers Pet (online) also sells xpens at a good price.

Mon

[TheWanderers]

Ok, I've been thinking about how to solve the issue of pet containment systems and have found a pretty nice pen on Amazon, for example, that includes 8 panels that are approximately 32" X 32" made of metal and painted (maybe powder coated).

While I was a Lowe's picking up a new lock set for our Scamp door I checked the price of 1" Schedule 40 PVC in 10' lengths and found them at $2.69 each. I also found plastic garden fencing material that can be cut with a scissors, similar to orange construction fencing, and could be zip tied into the panels.

That means I should be able to build plastic panels of similar size for about half the price that we can buy the set from Amazon and the home built set will be significantly lighter weight. A set of panels could ride inside the Scamp in the center isle and be brought out and set up quickly upon arrival at any destination that permits such yard ornaments.

Of course, that lighter weight panel may not stand up to the stress of a bigger animal but our little dogs should be fine. Another issue is that the lighter weight panels would move if a neighboring animal lunged at it from the outside. However, since our dogs would never be unattended...that shouldn't be an issue. Just thinking out loud here...


Also, Mac has a good idea so I'll be checking the local farm supply retailers to see what they offer. I'm particularly interested in Tractor Supply because this sounds like something they'd stock. Thanks Mac.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Old Macdonalds

We have four little ones as well, 2 rescues, a peke and Italian greyhound and 2 "swiffers" of unknown parentage, I have had from pups. Not allowed anymore without a permit in our city or we'd be crazy enough to have half a dozen. Yes, we are THAT childless couple!!! We camped with all four last year and will do it again this year but the leash thing sucks as ours end up tied in knots even with the non tangling cables. We own a 14ft Surfside with an awning and we set up a pop up screen tent from Walmart against the edge of the awning. The challenge is the gap between the trailer and the screen tent. A few extra pegs secures the screen tent edge so the dogs are fine in there. Recently bought an exercise pen which we use to kennel all four at home (easier than 4 crates) We will take it when we do weekend camping just for ease of set up but have been giving some thought to the vacation camp of two weeks. Was at the local farm supply and they have light weight step-on posts for temporary fencing (usually electric) but they should work to run a pvc fence around. Bought some deer fence which is a really lightweight mesh so hoping with a post at the corner of the trailer and the corner of the screen tent, front and back, we can block both ends. It can be cut too, so can stretch a short piece along the bottom of the trailer without blocking the door. The peke sneaks out that way. Will tack the bottom down with a few extra tent pegs. The mesh comes 7ft by 100 ft so plenty to play with or double up and can be secured to the post with cable ties. It rolls up the size of a throw pillow and weighs less than a pound. 35$ cdn. The posts are 5 ft high, plastic or fiberglass and about $6 a piece Cdn so maybe $4 US. Whatever mesh I don't use for fencing will be used in the garden for peas etc. That's my two cents worth.
Whatever you decide be mindful that with very small dogs that they are also vulnerable to eagles and hawks so even if you just do an x-pen, a tarp over part or all, offers shade and safety. Good luck. Our dogs love camping.

Originally Posted by Mitzi Agnew-Giles

Thanks Old Macdonalds- I'll be checking at Tractor Supply! The youngest Indoor kitty was only a few weeks old when he fell out of the bottom of a tractor trailer we were tailing. He was one big fluffball and the tractor trailer hit him in the head and then the turbulence blew him airborne- think Wile E Coyote when he runs off the edge of the cliff. All his legs were in motion while he floated to the verge- fortunately next door to the vet, who gave him IV steroids to reduce brain swelling. He is the sweetest thing, the size of a small collie. DH thinks he is a RagaMuffin, developed fro the Ragdolls, but slightly larger. We named him Roadkill.
Our "Big brother" indoor cat was dropped off in our yard when about 48 hours old. We heard him yelling all night- thought he was an adult cat in distress he was so loud. Found him at dawn. He refused goats milk thru a dropper, so we took him to the vet and found 3 other couples there with kittens the same size. Got an KMR starter kit and bottlefeeding lessons. DH had dreamt about a week before we had a marmalade cat named Yuki, so we named him Yuki. We were cat less at the time, having returned DD's cat to her when they bought their first house. Yuki was bottlefed by DH every 2 hours ATC and his little bum wiped to stimulate elimination. We didn't let him sleep with us as DH was afraid we would roll over on him. He understands English and did not realize he looked different from us till the first time I passed a mirror, while holding him on my shoulder-aged about 6-7 months. We started to have problems with him at about 9 months of age- he thought he was a human and he was hitting adolescence. DHs niece at this time determined she was going to take her daughter's 8 month old cat to the pound - this was AFTER having all 4 claws removed- because her youngest son was allergic. Of course the youngest son was allergic at the time they got the cat...we thought Yuki might do better if he had a playmate so we took Angel. Of course SHE was so upset at losing her family...But Yuki was absolutely fascinated. Stuck to her like glue for months and she taught him about cat-dom.
We have "Sucker for Cats" in big bold letters on our foreheads, I guess. Had a series of yard cats we would feed and pet and love, try to get to the vets for neutering and vaccinations..It appears our yard's carrying capacity is for 3 cats. We had a wonderful huntress who cleaned out a rat and rabbit infestation that was destroying my vegetable garden. She had a litter before we could get her spayed. The sole survivor is named Orangesoda. He was orange and had a brother who was cream colored so we called that one creamsoda. The feral was a great mother but we have red tail hawks, bald eagles, owls, coyotes, wildcats, foxes and feral dogs in our area. Momma died this past autumn, peacefully under the oak tree. The putative papa, Fathercat (for lack of a better name) called and called for her for weeks. He and Orange Soda became much friendlier. We know orange soda was feral because he was born in our hedge. The vet says none of them act like ferals, but it takes a lot of love to win their trust. And the latest one is named Nightfall. She is a little black cat who showed up around Christmas, just a skeleton draped with fur. Her front legs are bowed inwards and she has a funny gait. I think she was thrown from a car in motion. Very very affectionate, and now gaining a little weight. 3 weeks ago at the vet they said she weighed almost 7 lbs. I have started to give her chondroitin treats because her shoulders pain her. There used to be damp spots on her shoulder where she had licked and licked them- none since the chondroitin was started.
The 3 outdoor cats had wanted to be inside cats so bad they would attack our "insiders" when we let them go out out to play and try to chase them away- and then try to come in the house. Since the one momma died the two "former" males are much friendlier and we let them come in- but try not to keep them inside overnight. Not sure about their litter box habits- Fathercat was dropped off about 4 years ago, if he's not a feral...and Orangesoda, of course, never learned. I think Nightfall could use one but she'de have to have a very edge to step over- and we have a 3 1/2 ft by 18 inch litter box with 4 inch high sides that most all the others prefer to use- with a backup standard size kitty box in the back bedroom for "traffic jams" at the main box.
So when I say I have 3 kitties- I mean the inside ones- but I keep hoping to see the "outsiders" actually use the litter box, since that is kind of DH's requirement for adding to the indoor pride....

A bit of advice and request thrown into one here. It would be awful kind if posts like these were formatted with proper paragraphs.

I know I can't follow these type posts without my eyes going buggy on me a part of the way in, and I lose track of where I am reading, and either need to start over, or more likely, to skip the post. And I do want to read what you good folk have to say.

Pretty sure I am not the only one, as this has come up before.

Thanks.

[Mitzi Agnew-Giles]

Message received!

[Brenda in Alberta]

I have been camping with 2-3 large dogs for many years. We tried the rope/long leAsh thing, but I spent most of my camping down-time untangling. A few years ago, I purchased 3 of the 8-panel pens and they were one of the best purchases I've ever made! I currently have about 250 lbs of dog. They are all farm dogs that don't spend much time on leashes.
With the amount of fencing I have, I can usually enclose the picnic table and fire pit, and bring the fencing right up to the trailer door. I put down the big patio mat and they're usually very happy. I never leave them unsupervised.

[Jane P.]

Interesting thread.

I have trained working dogs & traveled with them for over 30 Years. We do retriever field trials & hunting tests. Traveling with my dogs to participate in retriever training & competition is the only reason I got a travel trailer.

Now every minute of the day I need to worry about my dogs' safety: I need to make sure they are comfortable, secure, have access to water. I need to make sure they are regularly "aired" and fed on time. I spend my springs in Montana, many times all alone at a training site & am always on the lookout for bears & other predators. I need to protect them from fleas & tics. But my car is set up for the dogs: crates with water buckets, space blankets for the windows, bug spray close at hand, etc.

They are very well trained & socialized. But I never let them off leash in the field without an electronic collar.

This all takes time & commitment. But traveling with my dogs has given me great pleasure - and feelings of safety. I would never go camping without a dog.

[nancyrnfit]

Originally Posted by Jane P.

Interesting thread.

I have trained working dogs & traveled with them for over 30 Years. We do retriever field trials & hunting tests. Traveling with my dogs to participate in retriever training & competition is the only reason I got a travel trailer.

Now every minute of the day I need to worry about my dogs' safety: I need to make sure they are comfortable, secure, have access to water. I need to make sure they are regularly "aired" and fed on time. I spend my springs in Montana, many times all alone at a training site & am always on the lookout for bears & other predators. I need to protect them from fleas & tics. But my car is set up for the dogs: crates with water buckets, space blankets for the windows, bug spray close at hand, etc.

They are very well trained & socialized. But I never let them off leash in the field without an electronic collar.

This all takes time & commitment. But traveling with my dogs has given me great pleasure - and feelings of safety. I would never go camping without a dog.Attachment 119061

WE have been leaving our dogs at home, with good caretakers, but now that I have retired, we are considering taking them with us. We have 2 dogs, each at 60-65 pounds.


I just don't see them sleeping in the Scamp 16 with us...I'd be stepping on them, getting to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and though they tolerate riding in the back seat together, I know our female would not tolerate the male sleeping on the front bench with her.



So, the solution I'd like to try, is to have them sleep in the car at night, with windows rolled down enough for air, but not down enough for escape.

I see one dog sleeping in the back seat, and one in the rear (of a Honda Pilot).
Hopefully, they would not bark--we will just have to see.


We enjoy biking and kayak/canoeing as well, but I'd be willing to forego those activities to some degree, since we would not be leaving the dogs unattended.



We are very active--we never just sit around the camp all day. So, we could take the dogs hiking with us, if not restricted as in Nat'l Parks.


They have never been crated, so I don't see starting that now.


Any other thoughts, on sleeping arrangements for larger dogs?


The quote above is the only one I have seen on this thread.


Thanks for your input!

[Glenn Baglo]

Unless your favourite activity is walking the dogs, I'd leave them at home so I could visit museums, restaurants, pubs, etc.
We thought that our dog didn't bark when we left it in the trailer. Learned from a neighbour camper that we were wrong.

[Carl Pa]

We use to take our golden with us, she was so good. When we were in camp she would stay in the screen room and look at every thing around her. But she passed a couple years ago. When we went away for a few hours she would stay in the camper if not to hot, She would be right where we left her, not touching anything. Now we have, Charlie, 18 months old. Google "bad boy" and his picture shows up. He is just to energized to stay still for long, into everything. I would love to take him, but not now. So we board him in a non-Gage boarding-day care setting. It will help him to settle down and mingle with other dogs of his size. This way i do not bother other campers. Carl

[clairemr1]

Originally Posted by nancyrnfit

WE have been leaving our dogs at home, with good caretakers, but now that I have retired, we are considering taking them with us. We have 2 dogs, each at 60-65 pounds.


I just don't see them sleeping in the Scamp 16 with us...I'd be stepping on them, getting to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and though they tolerate riding in the back seat together, I know our female would not tolerate the male sleeping on the front bench with her.



So, the solution I'd like to try, is to have them sleep in the car at night, with windows rolled down enough for air, but not down enough for escape.

I see one dog sleeping in the back seat, and one in the rear (of a Honda Pilot).
Hopefully, they would not bark--we will just have to see.


We enjoy biking and kayak/canoeing as well, but I'd be willing to forego those activities to some degree, since we would not be leaving the dogs unattended.



We are very active--we never just sit around the camp all day. So, we could take the dogs hiking with us, if not restricted as in Nat'l Parks.


They have never been crated, so I don't see starting that now.


Any other thoughts, on sleeping arrangements for larger dogs?


The quote above is the only one I have seen on this thread.


Thanks for your input!

i would keep the dogs home with the caretaker you currently use. many national parks/forests won't allow dogs on the trails or buildings/museums nor will they allow them to sleep in the car. with temperatures frequently very hot, it also is a safety issue for them sleeping in the heat like that. in addition, since you like to kayak/hike frequently, i see the dogs as a real obstacle in you enjoying your travels. best of luck

[cpaharley2008]

The dogs would be too nervous to leave in the car while you sleep in the trailer, they need to see and be with you while in strange areas. Get a bigger trailer if need be, we take our 2 labs with us on cross country trips. In fact, due to the 14 year old health failing, I'm selling my Escape since we can not travel easily. I do not want to deal with his passing while on the road. Once Franklin crosses the rainbow bridge we will purchase another one.

[Deva]

I travel with my dog all over the US. That being said, I also give up a lot of things because “no dogs allowed” is getting to be more and more common, and if my dog is not welcome, oh well, I’m not going. I recently went to Yosemite knowing the restrictions and abided by them, and even understand why many places have imposed these rules. It’s irresponsible pet owners who risk the animals life and/or risk injuring/harassing wildlife and people. Don’t be one of those people. It you are unable to accept the limitations of traveling with a pet, leave the pet in a comfortable environment with someone to care for it while you travel. It’s not easy traveling with a dog 24/7 but in my mind it’s very much worth it. If you do decide to travel with your dog, You must TRAIN your dog so it’s reliable with basic commands. That training continues throughout the life of the dog as new situations and distractions will constantly test your dogs behaviors and instincts. Good luck!

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

The dogs would be too nervous to leave in the car while you sleep in the trailer, they need to see and be with you while in strange areas. Get a bigger trailer if need be, we take our 2 labs with us on cross country trips. In fact, due to the 14 year old health failing, I'm selling my Escape since we can not travel easily. I do not want to deal with his passing while on the road. Once Franklin crosses the rainbow bridge we will purchase another one.

We agreed our 17 ft Casita was going to be too small in retirement to travel with 3 small terriers - hence our Escape 21. So we downsized in dogs and upsized in trailers. We make the space under the table into a cave when we leave and let the stereo play talk radio; never had a neighbor complaint - in fact compliments for having such quiet dogs.


It's all in the training........

[gordon2]

It should almost be forbidden to travel with dogs without having first read John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley: In Search of America.

And perhaps reading it more than once.

Charley was of course was the Poodle companion who traveled with Steinbeck from the U.S. east coast to west coast and back again in the little truck camper named Rocinante. Steinbeck provided this pedigree for his canine partner:

Actually his name is Charles le Chien. He was born in Bercy on the outskirts of Paris and trained in France, and while he knows a little poodle English, he responds quickly only to commands in French. Otherwise he has to translate, and that slows him down. He is a very big poodle, of a color called bleu, and he is blue when he is clean. Charley is a born diplomat. He prefers negotiation to fighting, and properly so, since he is very bad at fighting. Only once in his ten years has he been in trouble—when he met a dog who refused to negotiate.

Charley was as much a literary device as a dog, and gave Steinbeck a method in which he could connect in his book with very different people throughout the country.

Never mind that most of it was probably made up. When the 50th anniversary edition of Travels With Charley was published, it included this assessment by Jay Parini that said in part,

...Steinbeck took liberties with the facts, inventing freely when it served his purposes, using everything in the arsenal of the novelist to make this book a readable, vivid narrative. The book remains 'true' in the way all good novels or narratives are true. That is, it provides an aesthetic vision of America at a certain time. The evocation of its people and places stay forever in the mind, and Steinbeck’s understanding of his country at this tipping point in its history was nothing short of extraordinary.

And I dare say that the same caliber of vision, understanding and truth existed for his relationship with Charley as they traveled across the United States. After enough miles with our canine companions, it is something we understand.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Deva

I travel with my dog all over the US. That being said, I also give up a lot of things because “no dogs allowed” is getting to be more and more common, and if my dog is not welcome, oh well, I’m not going. I recently went to Yosemite knowing the restrictions and abided by them, and even understand why many places have imposed these rules. It’s irresponsible pet owners who risk the animals life and/or risk injuring/harassing wildlife and people. Don’t be one of those people. It you are unable to accept the limitations of traveling with a pet, leave the pet in a comfortable environment with someone to care for it while you travel. It’s not easy traveling with a dog 24/7 but in my mind it’s very much worth it. If you do decide to travel with your dog, You must TRAIN your dog so it’s reliable with basic commands. That training continues throughout the life of the dog as new situations and distractions will constantly test your dogs behaviors and instincts. Good luck!

Well said. It's far easier to ban dogs than to confront the occasional bad owner. I had a chat with the host at a Vermont state park a few years back. He said at the end of the season meeting of all the park hosts, dealing with poorly behaved dogs and their owners was the number one complaint.

Vermont added a pet fee to the camping fee. I was told it was to cover the cost of repairing the damage even the best behaved dog causes. I suggested they might add a child fee too. And an alcohol fee, a generator fee, a loud music fee, a campfire smoke fee.....