New CG Pet Rules

[FL-JOE]

We don't currently travel with pets, however I find it interesting when some campground rules change about them.

At our winter SW Florida CG they had an issue early in the season where several campers were not picking up after their dogs.  They issued a few friendly reminders which did not work.  Then they had a meeting at the club house and encouraged all pet owner to attend, which involved most of the 300+ site occupants.  The parks owner was there and the issue was talked about.

The owner spent some funds and put up more stations around the park with free bags and poop containers.  Between that and the special pet meeting it worked well and most began picking up after their pets.

New rules came out for next season.  No dogs allowed over 35 pounds and everyone with a second pet will be changed $2 per day.  The drama continues and now numerous pet owners are up in arms again...…..

I think all of this drama and new rules could have been avoided in the first place if everyone would have been good neighbors and picked up after their pets.

[hamrs_62]

this would limit us, my girl is close to 80 lbs 

[TXiceman]

It just takes one or two idiots to ruin it for everyone.

Ken

[ARGO]

Charging extra per pet is as onerous as the CG's that charge $ .25 for showers at the bathhouse.

[WeBeFulltimers]

It's amazing how many people I have watched through my tinted windows knowing they can't see me. MANY will allow their pet do it's business then look around to see if anybody saw it then just walk away. Picking up after your pet is simply a part of being a responsible pet owner just like seeing that they are properly fed and protected.

[Kirk W]

Having been both a pet owner and a campground host, I have seen both sides of the argument. Like so many things, it all depends on your viewpoint. Someone having paid extra to stay with their dog does not make me feel any better if I happen to step in what they left behind. 

[jamtracy]

This is just another revenue maker to charge for pets. Just like "resort fees" for BS stuff that most people don't use. I think it has very little to do with what they leave behind. I see plenty of what is left behind not picked up by campground employees either. And the not over a certain weight rule? So my dog shits bigger she's not welcome?

I've seen $2 to $5 per night for pets. This can add up to a significant increase to your stay. And for people like us who don't use the parks common facilities and we pick up after our dogs this is "messy" situation.

 

[jamtracy]

2 hours ago, WeBeFulltimers said:

It's amazing how many people I have watched through my tinted windows knowing they can't see me. MANY will allow their pet do it's business then look around to see if anybody saw it then just walk away. Picking up after your pet is simply a part of being a responsible pet owner just like seeing that they are properly fed and protected.

Many? So more don't pick up then do pick up through your tinted glasses?

Edited March 9, 2019 by jamtracy

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

We have an 85lb lab that can leave a pile..... and we clean up after her.....  She's our responsibility.

But I have had encounters with other pet owners that don't clean up after their pets.....

And I have asked those owners to please clean up when their dog craps in my area....

And they didn't....

And I cleaned it up and delivered back to their steps.....

Left the pile without a bag.... on their steps.....

[rynosback]

I hope they found it when it was still soft.......

 

Every campground can have different rules as most are private campgrounds.  Some do not even except any pets.  I have a cat and I was not allowed.  I said you will never see him.  As he goes  from the car to the rig.  And goes from the rig to the car when we leave.  It still was a no.

Edited March 10, 2019 by rynosback

[FL-JOE]

One of the CGs we like to visit while in the mountains is called Anchor Down.  It is a great place and not very old.  They are not cheap but stay full.  Last time there the site we set up in had just been vacated by a family with a large dog.  When I went around to hook up my electric/water/sewer I almost stepped in a pile of it.  I started looking around and there were 8 to 10 piles of crap.  I guess the previous occupants didn't think they should ever pick up after their dog.

I could have taken care of it but what good would that have done.  I called the office and told them I wasn't paying $300+ for a week to wade through dog crap.  They had a worker there quickly to clean it up.  They assured me they were going to flag the previous occupants information and either not rent to them again or charge them a $75.00 deposit.

I would guess that 90% of pet owners pick up after their canines.  As we travel during the year we can always run across a handful that still won't clean up though.  

[Kirk W]

1 hour ago, FL-JOE said:

I would guess that 90% of pet owners pick up after their canines.  As we travel during the year we can always run across a handful that still won't clean up though.  

I agree, and probably even be higher than that. There are just as many RV owners who leave trash in their campsites as there are pet owners who don't pick up. Probably more. 

Edited March 10, 2019 by Kirk W

[Darryl&Rita]

2 hours ago, Kirk W said:

I agree, and probably even be higher than that. There are just as many RV owners who leave trash in their campsites as there are pet owners who don't pick up. Probably more. 

Can confirm that, Kirk. There's always a candy wrapper, cigarette butt, or cellophane to pick up. Some comes in on the wind, but a lot comes from the guests. 

[RichardB6]

well. we must follow it right.

[Twotoes]

No large dogs rule is a joke. I see many dog owners in the RV Resorts walk their small dogs while they ride along in a golf cart. They stop to let the dog do it’s business, never getting out of the cart and then continue to drive on without picking up what is left behind on the ground. Never see a large dog owner walk their dog using a golf cart. 

[Kirk W]

9 hours ago, Twotoes said:

Never see a large dog owner walk their dog using a golf cart. 

I have seen more large dogs walked that way than small, but neither one has been common most places we go. Not many RVers travel with a golf cart.

Edited April 18, 2019 by Kirk W

[Carlos]

We have never left anything behind.  When we have neglected to have a bag (hey, I thought YOU had them), one of us stays behind and waits for the other to get a bag.  It's just not that much effort.  We also clean up after others if we notice it.

What I'm really sick of is the rampact dog racism in parks, which make our AmStaff unwelcome in half of the parks.  He loves everyone and everything, but he's considered vicious and not allowed.  Idiots.  Meanwhile he was attacked by an off leash Corgi in another park, and the host's answer was, "Well I didn't see it happen."  (Also our dog's reaction was "whatever" because that's his demeanor.)

Both of the things above are a big part of why we try to avoid RV parks.

Edited April 18, 2019 by Carlos

[ichabodma]

I suppose I think in an entirely different way. The issue of dogs and their owners isn't ethics or morals when you are running a business. In any situation, people will do the wrong thing. We as a society are limiting literally everything that is possibly allowed in the interest of what's easiest. When this happens, a lot of people suffer unnecessarily. Kids, dogs, stores, etc. Everyone spends tons of time on the moral issues here when you aren't going to change it. No one is going to see the people these rules are meant for on these forums nor are these rules going to really affect them because they just don't care. It's pointless.

Here's what just frustrates the hell out of me. You are a business. You are a store, a hotel, an owner of a building, etc. You will always deal with people that are inconsiderate. So the bottom line is to get all up in arms to prove a point and achieve nothing but drive away business of good people or assume that every person is going to do the same? Back in the day, that wasn't an option because people needed the patrons. And you are a business. You don't like the kids bawling and running around, leaving toys and trashing areas? No kids allowed (and there are places like this.....). You don't like the way some pet owners act? No pets allowed. You had some shoplifters in your large store? Shut down half your registers, restrict door entrances based on your convenience, check every living person's receipt and stare at them at check out as if you are running a prison. See where this is going?

We have two chihuahuas. One is 4 lbs and one is 8 lbs. They are both 9. If you sit them in any grass, you can see a nose and part of a head. So we take them to one of the last campgrounds that allows pets in an area. We take them on their little harnesses for a walk. Bella, the 4 lb baby will not go to the bathroom outside now. Only on her pee pad. She will circle in any given area for minutes and not do anything. So these obnoxious young people are watching us and yell out that we didn't pick up after our dog in a rude manner. My husband and I are very confused. One becomes confrontational and we say but she didn't go to the bathroom. She is across a field at a picnic table and then comes closer yelling (I would assume drunk) and starts looking around the area. Now we have a dog stroller and a large plastic bone attached to it with a huge roll of bright red doggie bags. You get the idea. My husband and I pick up the dog and leave. Next day we have the park coming to us. I showed them Bella, our old and tiny chihuahua. We get this straight but we just were done. We left. This is just getting absurd. You have to deal with all kinds of stuff when you offer a service. Period. Make the rules, try to enforce them. And deal with it when they aren't enforced. But now we are apparently a country of extremes so we just prohibit everybody. It's really just insane and pointless.

To complain about people that don't do the right thing is just pointless. That's not going to change anything. Nor will just prohibiting everything. Stores that don't limit pets like Ollies and Home Depot still have those customers that will comment about your dog just for existing based on their own extreme sense of justice from personal experience. My husband are retiring and want to become camp hosts instead of just campers. We will not retire without our chihuahuas. If parks stop allowing pets, we won't use them. Probably many people can say that. That's the issue. Period. Figure out how to run a business that treats everyone fairly and deal with the hassles all businesses have to deal with in making money. If you have a complaint about another camper and their dog; complain and let the business handle it. If you are a worker at this business (as I have been at other campgrounds in the past); do your job. You should know by now dealing with inconsiderate people is part of it.

[whj469]

We don't travel with dogs or cats because we don't want to pick up after them. I live on a small ranch in SE Texas and I just let my dogs run free. It has never been a problem and that is what we are used to. I sometimes think that I would like a dog with us but then I remember about picking up their mess. I am lucky that I have two of my children and their children living on my ranch and thay take care of my dogs and barn cats when we are gone.

[FL-JOE]

On 5/19/2019 at 1:15 PM, whj469 said:

We don't travel with dogs or cats because we don't want to pick up after them. I live on a small ranch in SE Texas and I just let my dogs run free. It has never been a problem and that is what we are used to. I sometimes think that I would like a dog with us but then I remember about picking up their mess. I am lucky that I have two of my children and their children living on my ranch and thay take care of my dogs and barn cats when we are gone.

Even if you did decide to travel with them I'm guessing you would not push them around the campground in a baby stroller, or take them to the grocery store with you, or into restaurants either?

We are seeing more and more of this bazar behavior from our generation.  

[chirakawa]

2 hours ago, FL-JOE said:

Even if you did decide to travel with them I'm guessing you would not push them around the campground in a baby stroller, or take them to the grocery store with you, or into restaurants either?

We are seeing more and more of this bazar behavior from our generation.  

I was in Lowe's a few days ago and I came around the corner to come face to face with a huge Rottweiler.  He was on a leash held by a 70'ish little lady of about 90 lbs.  If that Rot had wanted to, he could have drug that little lady and me both out in the parking lot and buried us together.

I guess it could have been a legitimate service dog, I don't know.  I watched them out of curiosity for several minutes and he was all over the place, not the typical stand still by the master well behaved animal.

I guess it's a good thing I'll be moving on from this world in a few years or less.  I just don't understand what's going on.

[Carlos]

Lowe's, Home Depot, Ace, and similar places specifically allow dogs of all types.  As far as I know, they always have, or at least for over 20 years.  People have brought their dogs to the hardware store for a hundred years or more.  There are many other places that welcome dogs too, such as Best Buy and some outdoor stores.  Oddly enough REI prohibits them, which made it useless for trying to buy working/hiking vests for our dogs.  We just took the dogs and our money to another store.

We have one dog we don't take in public much because he's reactive.  We have another dog that goes with us a lot, because he absolutely loves everyone.  He's had a tour of Lowe's because the employees loved him so much.  Either way, both go out on top quality prong collars which allow my 110 pound wife to fully control any size dog.

 

[FL-JOE]

I'm from Illinois but from 1980 we spent at least 2 weeks out of every winter in Florida.  I never observed a dog riding in a shopping cart in a grocery store until probably around 2010 or later, and even then it was not a common sight.  The very first time I every observed a dog in a Lowe's, Home Depot, Farm & Fleet, Tractor Supply, or hardware store of any type was probably only 7 or 8 years ago.  Maybe it has been different in other parts of the country.

The last 3 or 4 years in Florida it is almost a common sight to see dogs in grocery store shopping carts, in baby strollers in all retail establishments, including restaurants.  In addition, there are few if any places a dog is not welcome if on a leash.  I guess my question is what if you are allergic to pet dander?   Are you just suppose to deal with being forced to have contact in public with these folks fur-babies?  

I know most dog owners think EVERYONE loves their dog.  I've got new for them, everyone does not love their dog.

[Carlos]

In the West, dogs in non-grocery stores have been normal for a very long time.  Like I said, particularly in hardware, feed, and such stores.  But I have absolutely never seen a dog in a cart in a grocery store.  So maybe that's a Florida thing?

As far as allergies, they are like all other allergies.  If you're allergic to something generally in the air, you're going to be exposed to it no matter what.  Generally however in public you're not going to be touching the dog or even anywhere really near it, so it's not hugely different.  I'm very allergic to some women's perfume and will just start sneezing.  So I avoid malls.  Should women with perfume be banned to ease my symptoms?  No, I just avoid heavy concentrations of it.

 

[chirakawa]

I've been going in and out of hardware stores for almost 70 years and I never saw a dog in one until 2 or 3 years ago.  Sure, back in the 50's before air conditioning, it was common to see a dog hanging around a feed store.  But, it was the owner's dog, not the customer's.

I've also spent a lot of time the last eleven years in New Mexico and Colorado.  I think those would qualify as in the "West".  Never saw anyone bring their dog into Lowe's or Home Depot or any other retail store.  Maybe it's chic in Phoenix or Denver or Albuquerque, but I don't really think it's that common elsewhere.  I won't mention California, that place is off the wall weird in lot's of respects.  No offense Carlos.  🙂