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Old 06-22-2015, 11:20 AM   #1
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Travelling with pets

Norm and Ginny said, "We generally believe RVs and animals should be separate, particularly for extended travel..."

Our two Boston Terriers want to comment on this. They love to travel. They love each stop -- jumping out of their crates (that they ride in inside the truck) to check out all the new smells. They love getting to the campground where they rush to the camper to have a change of scenery, a sleep on the couch/bed and are able to easily look out the window. They look for sunbeams to lay in. They love that there are more longer walks when we are camping.

Of course, their people must watch out for them, care for them in heat and cold and clean up after them. They must plan their activities based on having dogs along. The dogs think it is worth it -- so do the people.

P.S. they have been from the Maritimes to British Columbia and from the Yukon to Texas -- not all on the same trip.
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Old 06-22-2015, 11:24 AM   #2
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I'm with Norm and Ginny, only more so. Fortunately, I'm not the boss of anyone so it's just an opinion.
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Old 06-22-2015, 11:32 AM   #3
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Life on the road from a dogs perspective.

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Old 06-22-2015, 11:54 AM   #4
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Good thing about people is everyone has an opinion. Bad thing about people is everyone has an opinion.
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Old 06-22-2015, 12:40 PM   #5
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My dog and I have been through a lot. It would fill a book and include spinal surgery to correct a ruptured disk, only hours before she would have been half paralyzed and incontinent. Since then, together we have swam in the ocean and hiked in the mountains. She goes with me almost everywhere, including the bathroom (yes, she follows me in there too, but I bet she won’t in the Scamp side bath!). If I were not to take her with me then my travels would be practically non-existent. With her companionship, my travels are more enjoyable. She’s getting on in years but then again so am I. If John Steinbeck and Charlie can do it, so can we.

There are of course complications. Most campsites seem to have rules about leaving pets in the camper alone, but for short periods I have found it possible. I usually need a site with electric to do that however so that the climate control is available, and have to get back before too long in case the electric fails. I use a crate, and leave the radio on to cover up some of the sounds she might bark at. I have never had a complaint and found that she is generally better behaved than many camp dogs. In summer, I usually wait until well after dark to do grocery shopping, so that she can stay in the car and sleep. And there are many more adjustments that need to be made. I worry about being far from the vet if she gets sick, or even getting to help if she gets injured on a hike. But you should see how happy she is when I ask, “Go for a ride in the car?”

No matter how you do it, taking a pet will require limits on your activities. But I would rather hangout and not do much with my K-9 partner of ten years than to leave her behind. That is not my opinion, it's my preference. I have no opinion about anyone else's preference regarding traveling with a pet.
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Old 06-22-2015, 01:52 PM   #6
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I have traveled with pets as well as traveled without pets and have to say that from the human perspective of things traveling without them is MUCH easier.

When traveling with a pet one always needs to be aware of the weather - can not leave a pet in a car in warm weather for even 5 min. while you grab a fast bite to eat or go see a local attraction. Having a pet with you makes it hard to go out and do a round of golf or head out kayaking and leaving them behind the trailer for several hours. Especially so in warm weather. You may have an AC but what happens if it fails while you are out and the poor animal is stuck in the trailer! I went back through an area last year that I had been through many times previously while traveling with a dog and got for the first time a chance to stop see lots of things in that area I had not had the opportunity to previously do due to traveling with a dog.

You also have to be willing to change plans at the last minute - for example I once had camping reservations in a place I had wanted to see/stay for a long time- got there and it was well over 100 degrees - not a place the dog would be happy - so cancelled plans and moved a few hundred miles away to cooler weather. Another time I need to be in an area for a wedding but it was to warm to camp & leave the dog in the trailer so I moved to a dog friendly hotel. My dog btw loved to travel so was pretty easy to travel with. Not a barker so that was never an issue. Love to explore new places. He would lay across the door way of the trailer when it was being loaded up for a trip just to be sure he was not forgotten in the packing. The upside of having the dog with me was I did discover a number of lovely places for our daily hikes that he needed to take that I may have otherwise have missed had I not had a dog with me.

Currently back to traveling with a dog but this time around its a bit easier as he is a service dog so I don't have to worry about leaving him in the car in warm weather - he is able to come into shops, restaurants, theatres etc with me.

Even though he is able as a service dog to go anywhere a human is (other than a restaurant kitchen) it can at times still be restricting as I do need to worry about his safety and well being. So taking a service dog for a 3 day music festival in the hot sun for example is not a good idea, as is asking him to have to walk 18 holes of golf in the hot sun while wearing his cape not a good/fair thing to do. Haven't found a kayak that is large enough for the two of us, so kayaking is out this summer again as well. Also have to watch the activities, although he has been exposed to some pretty crazy situations & willing to go/do anything asked of him, I still need to watch for his safety. So a ride on a roller coaster or riding around in the sand dunes in an atv is out as well. Although I am sure he would like to give both a try ;-)

Traveling with pets is a bit like travelling with young children. Your either willing to adjust your needs to see and do certain things to keep them happy and safe or you just don't go.
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Old 06-22-2015, 01:54 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by gordon2 View Post
No matter how you do it, taking a pet will require limits on your activities. But I would rather hangout and not do much with my K-9 partner of ten years than to leave her behind. That is not my opinion, it's my preference. I have no opinion about anyone else's preference regarding traveling with a pet.
Me too!!

Lily is a great traveler. She crawls under the covers and snoozes while I'm gone from the trailer. I've asked friends to check on her on occasions and they were surprised how quiet she is. In fact, one friend worried that something had happened to her because she didn't respond to his knocking on the door and window. His key would work on the door but he didn't open it, just waited me to come back. My concern basically for them watching out for her was if the electricity went out and the A/C stopped working.

My prior dog, Mitzi, was the same way except she didn't bury herself under the covers.

I can't imagine traveling and not having had either one of them. In fact, when I lost Mitzi I thought I'd travel for maybe a year without a dog. That lasted just about 4 weeks until I got Lily.
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Old 06-22-2015, 03:53 PM   #8
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We have been traveling with dogs and/or cats since 1984. All we have to do is say "camper" and they are on alert. We have never had a complaint about any of our animals and we ALWAYS follow the rules and expect everyone else to do the same.

Yes, it would easier to not travel with dogs and way, way easier not to own them at all but my path never seems to include that which is easiest.

I often cringe at what Norm says about traveling with pets. Many older people have aging pets. I have two senior dogs and a senior guinea pig that I plan to be my last pets but should I wait until they are gone to travel? Have seen people give their pets away just so they could travel.

I have had dogs all of my life so working around their needs is just what I do. We also travel with an adult son with Down syndrome who is almost 29 years old. Ah, now, the easiest solution would be................. Easy doesn't work for me.

I know that I have seen people get dogs to be on "watch" when they travel. These people don't have a clue about dogs, leave them alone in the RV, don't pick up after them, buy a 2nd one to give the current dog a friend to be with as it sits alone, chewing and going potty on the carpeting, barking, etc. So, I have seen that extreme more times than I want to count.

I think we all see where Norm is coming from but, like the person that started the thread, my dogs would have more than a couple of things to say about their not being compatible with RV travel. They don't bite but the thought of not going in the "camper" might put them over the edge!
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Old 06-22-2015, 04:20 PM   #9
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Heck, we bought our trailer so we wouldn't have to leave our aging dog at home! He has given us so much and we want to be sure his final years are full of new and exciting smells and adventures. It does limit our activities somewhat, but it's well worth all the hassle.....
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Old 06-22-2015, 07:07 PM   #10
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Heck, we bought our trailer so we wouldn't have to leave our aging dog at home! He has given us so much and we want to be sure his final years are full of new and exciting smells and adventures. It does limit our activities somewhat, but it's well worth all the hassle.....
Me too, Carl
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Old 06-22-2015, 07:21 PM   #11
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Haven't found a kayak that is large enough for the two of us, so kayaking is out this summer again as well.

My chocolate lab and I use to kayak together in a double her in the front and me in the back. It was a bit more work for me but I loved the company


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Old 06-22-2015, 07:35 PM   #12
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Here's my take on traveling with pets. We choose not to have pets, although at times it's tempting. We simply don't wish to be responsible for another life and all the expense and efforts that goes along with it. However, we do enjoy OPP (Other People's Pets). Camping wouldn't be as much fun if nobody brought their pets. Most of the time we find that camping pets are well behaved and social animals. Problems with the few that just simply won't take the time and effort to train their pets, and think they're special and the pet rules don't apply to them.
Talking to park officials the most common complaint is not picking up after the their dog.
The one rule that most people ignore is the 6' or 8' leash rule. Most seem to use the retractable leash that extends to close to 30' in direct violation to the posted rules.
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Old 06-22-2015, 08:02 PM   #13
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Byron, I am thinking that you meant to say "we choose not to have pets" by the rest of your comments.


I totally agree with your comments on retractable leashes (camping or day to day). I think that they are useless things that do not teach a dog any proper behaviour for a walk. (Okay, so I have a burr under my saddle about them. Sorry....)
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Old 06-22-2015, 08:10 PM   #14
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Byron, I am thinking that you meant to say "we choose not to have pets" by the rest of your comments.


I totally agree with your comments on retractable leashes (camping or day to day). I think that they are useless things that do not teach a dog any proper behaviour for a walk. (Okay, so I have a burr under my saddle about them. Sorry....)
You're right I left out NOT. Corrected, thanks.
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Old 06-23-2015, 09:56 AM   #15
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For us, a lot of the fun on trips is enjoying the antics of our Cairn terriers. We try to be good neighbors, though, just like we do at home, and certainly there are things we can't do with 'the boys' along. We've never left them at home, but we plan to when it makes sense -- say, to visit Yellowstone (and most other national parks), or to attend a rally in really hot weather.

And surely we understand some people's annoyance with 'bad' neighbors who bring dogs and don't properly care for them (some are the same with their human children).

Meanwhile, all we have to do is say 'Tyler & Wally, you wanna go camping?' and tails wag, and Tyler starts turning 360's. The hassle is worth it, for us.
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Old 06-23-2015, 10:12 AM   #16
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My two little dogs, Possum and Wookie take me camping a lot. They even let me sleep and eat in their 13 ft. Burro. We all have a great time. They wouldn't think of leaving me behind.
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Old 06-23-2015, 10:18 AM   #17
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[QUOTE=My two little dogs, Possum and Wookie take me camping a lot. They even let me sleep and eat in their 13 ft. Burro. We all have a great time. They wouldn't think of leaving me behind.[/QUOTE]

I've heard that dogs have owners, and cats have staff. Sounds like Possum and Wookie also have staff. Sometimes our cat has servants, though.
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Old 06-23-2015, 10:19 AM   #18
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I'd say it's up to the owner and the pet. If the pet enjoys traveling and camping, behaves well (no barking, whining, running loose and creating havoc) and the owner is ok with the additional work it creates, then I say go for it!
We wouldn't think of leaving our well behaved GSP home. The two cats are a different matter.
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Old 06-23-2015, 10:20 AM   #19
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I bought a 16 foot Scamp instead of a 13 foot just so I would have more room for my dogs. Yes, it will inconvience me at times and I will not be able to just leave them to go do things. But I also cannot imagine being without them. One is a deaf and blind Aussie that is just thrilled to have new adventures and new things to smell. He loves every person and animal he meets. Barking at sounds is nto a problem I will be fulltiming starting next fall and they will be my traveling companions.
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Old 06-23-2015, 10:29 AM   #20
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I believe pets are a pain in the neck.
We have a small dog ,,,should say, my wife owns a small dog .
When we were in Pensacola last winter near one of the best beaches in the world we either had to take turns , as there is no dogs allowed, or not experience it at all.
Turns out I never saw the beach!!!
Driving around in circles trying to find shade so the dog can be left in the car for ten minutes is no fun either.
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