Just Some Thoughts If You Going To Get A Dog

[SnowGypsy]

We already have 2 larger dogs, but for those that don't have a dog and a considering getting one for the travel lifestyle some might not realize possible restrictions.   I love larger dogs, so I have been willing to put up with what that entails including breed and size restrictions with both RV parks and insurance companies.  Luckily, the one that would bring a question with insurance companies is a mixed breed so she "passes" on her less aggressive breeds, but there are lists on the internet that spell out which breeds are considered aggressive by insurance companies:  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/201405/14-dog-breeds-blacklisted-insurance-companies  When we were in AZ in the 1990s, we learned quickly that many RV parks had weight restrictions of 20 lbs or less and some parks restrict the number of dogs one can have, a few charge extra for pets while others don't allow them at all.  Some state in the park rules that any aggression shown gets the owner ousted out of the park without a refund.

Yes, I know some parks or the ones someone has been to didn't observe any restrictions, but some do, and it is better to not be surprised.  Just something to think about.

If everyone had been a responsible pet owner from the get-go................

[rujo]

Very helpful info.Thx for sharing it.

[TherapyBound]

We have a Lab, and while she's the sweetest dog you could hope to meet, she travels well, she adores children, and she's an older dog who is happy to just hang out at our feet, we still have concerns about traveling with her. With the dozens of decisions related to the lifestyle RVers have make on a daily basis, it does feel like a pet adds to the already long list of things you have to pay attention to, even moreso than in a s&b. 

We don't think we'll be turned away from most campgrounds because of our dog, and certainly won't be kicked out because of her, but it does feel incredibly daunting just the same. 

[FL-JOE]

We don't travel with pets, nor will we ever.  I certainly love dogs and always have.  However, we made the decision not to be RVers with one simply because it would tie us down too much and not be fair to the dog.  There are times when we are gone from our RV exploring from 9am to 9pm.

However, some people feel that they have to travel with their pets and I think that is great.  My number 1 piece of advise to them would be simply "never assume everyone loves your pet as much as you do".

[orca]

I thought we were kept busy with our two Weimariners while traveling until one day in a park on Galveston Island. Some new neighbours pulled in beside us and set up one of those folding fence kennels and promptly filled it with 4 or 5 of those fluffy little dogs. The next time i passed their site i had to do a double take when i saw not one but three Great Danes loungeing around the site.  All this out of a 35' MH!  I could not imagin what a rest stop would be like but the word "fun" would not fit!

[Kirk W]

We hit the road with our mini-schnuzer ad did well for a couple of years but when she suddenly died we were so lost without her that we adopted a corgi cross that was part of our life for the next 16 years. While we have not adopted a new pet, it isn't related in any way to RV travels. Just as some people value a pet enough to scrafice for it, others do not, and that is fine. But for some reason some of them seen to have a need to remark in threads like this one. I think that weight restrictions of around 40# are most common but have seen both higer and lower weight limits. I don't recall ever having seen evidence of those restrictions being applied harshly unless the pet involved was behaving badly. Muffie was short in stature but stout in structure and so might have had problems if an RV park had ever weighed her, but because she was very quiet and friendly to everyone, person on animal, we never once had any issues from her traveling with us. 

Edited July 2, 2019 by Kirk W

[TherapyBound]

23 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

Just as some people value a pet enough to scrafice for it, others do not, and that is fine. But for some reason some of them seen to have a need to remark in threads like this one.

Is it fair to say, though, that a pet on the road does add an extra dimension of care and concern? There are issues, I think, that crop up when one lives in an RV that don't crop up when you're in a s&b, including being in a different location often, and (God forbid!) any medical issues or emergencies that might occur when you're out in the boonies. All of that is solvable, but it's still more to think about. Kind of like when your kids are babies and toddlers. SO much fun, but also a great deal more worry than when they're older. It isn't about who is more or less willing to sacrifice (to me, anyway), it's about loving your pet enough to know if you'll all travel happily, safely, and without resentment. JMO, of course!

Edited July 2, 2019 by Bigthinkers

[SnowGypsy]

Maybe, and I think it does, it comes down to be like the "10 year rule" on age of RV, a way to oust the problem owners, and there are problem owners when it comes to dogs.  Breed restrictions can be tougher than other rules due to insurance requirements.  Some parks do charge extra for pets also.  Larger dogs will see more discrimination than others or, at least, that is what I have seen, yet I have not seen larger dogs be anymore of a problem than smaller ones.

We have someone in the park in a Class C with 4 large dogs, that would be beyond my comfort level.  Taking care of these 2 seniors (14 & 15)...............  Thinking these will be my last.  Plan to try to lighten my responsibilities.  Lots of people out there with senior dogs.

Some people get a dog to go on the road for "protection" or companionship and have never had a dog before.  I think you  need to be a "dog" person to pull it off in an RV and know and understand the limitations, but the dogs put limitations on us in the S & B also.  

Someone with the power to do it said to me the other day "Some of these dogs have such bad lives left for 10 or 12 hours a day (think contract workers) that I almost want to just stop allowing dogs."   

 

Edited July 2, 2019 by SnowGypsy

[orca]

Cost of the RV to bring my dogs with me.....$100000+

Cost of having my dogs with me.........priceless

[Kirk W]

20 hours ago, Bigthinkers said:

Is it fair to say, though, that a pet on the road does add an extra dimension of care and concern?

It most definately does and that is part of the reason for this section of the forums! The choice to travel with a pet is not all that different from traveling with a child, although none of our dogs have ever asked to borrow my car or expected me to pay for college! 😏

[$ Spot]

Pets have personalities and provide companionship, but when considering the rules and the acceptance of dogs while RVing along with the logistics of having one or more dogs I've been thinking about getting a couple of chickens. They'd be in the Clam inside of the "doggie fence" so would not feel threatened by aerial predators, and their personalities would provide companionship (and an egg every day). Of course other pet ownership details would be included when traveling with pets.

     Spot

[chirakawa]

51 minutes ago, $Spot said:

Pets have personalities and provide companionship, but when considering the rules and the acceptance of dogs while RVing along with the logistics of having one or more dogs I've been thinking about getting a couple of chickens. They'd be in the Clam inside of the "doggie fence" so would not feel threatened by aerial predators, and their personalities would provide companionship (and an egg every day). Of course other pet ownership details would be included when traveling with pets.

     Spot

Be sure and get at least one rooster also so as to make sure your neighbors don't oversleep.

[RV_]

 Good info Snowgypsy!

We too always had large dogs including two Great Danes, a part lab part border collie, a 50 pound mutt, and a 60 pound Sharpei! In all fairness we did have one miniature Dachshund from pup to put down at twelve with cancer, after we lost our first Great Dane, Jonah.

We have decided when our much loved dog, Maggie, goes, we are going to travel and take a break from pet ownership and do some traveling to the continents we've not lived in and traveled by vehicles with or without RVs. We don't want to kennel for weeks at a time. We did have our dog Bogart "The Wonder Dog" with us while full time for seven years, he is long gone at age 14! We had Skylar next who died Young at nine, and Maggie found in a ditch with her brother at about 5 weeks old and barely weened. She is ten now, has terrible arthritis and is waning. They all had/have good lives, and we did with them. They were, she is, picked up after, and we got in the habit of walking them on leash RVing to relieve themselves, and continued to walk them off leash after we came off the road on our property here to chase rabbits and birds, and on leash at pet friendly stores, as well as the Shreveport dog park to play with other dogs. They didn't catch them, just chased to the edge of the woods. The rabbits seemed to know that, and waited until they were close enough for a good chase. Her chasing days are over, but with her arthritis medicine, she should keep us in her loving company for another year, maybe more. She got to see her first real snow accumulation May 20th at our new place before I returned to sell off the rest. None of our fur kids were ever off leash outdoors in public spaces not designated as a fenced dog park with other owners there too. They were trained to only bark when someone is at the door or on our property. And once introduced they did not jump on folks. They were all loyal, loving, well trained, and proud to demonstrate their skills when others were present. We miss them all. We never did other pets save one cat for two months that was run over, Red Tailed Boas and a Coachwhip, and Gerbils who the Kids had as pets and with the understanding their young were to feed the boas. We also once raised rabbits in a backyard hutch for the table to teach the kids where how their meat was provided. they learned to butcher and package and prepare them, and hunted and did the same with wild game when they were old enough to take hunting.

People are the issue whether on or off road. Folks here think chaining up a dog year round is fine where I think it's abuse. On the road some folks think they can let their dogs run loose, or that if they don't pick up after them no one will notice.

No one of good character leaves behind a wasted life — whether they die in obscurity or renown.... Your character is what you are to yourself, not what you pretend to be to yourself or others. Although human beings often attempt self-delusion, we cannot forever hide the truth about ourselves from ourselves. It will make itself known to us by means of our conscience despite our most strenuous effort to suppress it. ~John McCain, 1996

 

Edited July 4, 2019 by RV_

[Carolaow]

Spot--Re the chickens, I lie not... Had a family with half a dozen chickens stay for a few days at a Virginia state park.  They were lovely creatures and very well behaved.  Stayed outside and, even when the family was away from the site having fun, the chickens stayed close to their RV, toodling around, clucking a soft song, and entertaining the passers-by.

Also saw a fellow camping in a Texas park with a goat.  Delightful!

 

[jayco1]

Cats are great companions and somewhat less trouble.😃

[Kirk W]

We once met a couple (Escapee members) who travel with 3 mcaws.  

[Carlos]

We have an American Staffordshire that is a cuddler and loves people, with no aggression to anything.  But he's also considered a vicious killer by some park rules.  It's been a challenge.  We didn't choose him for breed, he was a rescue and was thought to be something else, then we did a DNA test.

 

[trailertraveler]

On 7/5/2019 at 9:29 AM, Kirk W said:

,We once met a couple (Escapee members) who travel with 3 mcaws.  

One of the noisiest pets we every camped next to was a Cockatoo. The owner worked. If she was late coming home or went out at night it would make noises that could wake the dead. If you think a barking dog is annoying, you should hear a screeching/screaming parrot.

Edited July 8, 2019 by trailertraveler

[$ Spot]

On 7/4/2019 at 6:04 PM, Carolaow said:

  They were lovely creatures and very well behaved.  Stayed outside and, even when the family was away from the site having fun, the chickens stayed close to their RV, toodling around, clucking a soft song

That's how it was with the small flock I once had

     Spot

[packnrat]

and to think my 90 pound lovable ball of fur, molly would have been banned by some of these rules.

she loved everybody, and believed everybody was coming to her door to sat hi to her. and she was very well behaved, and responded to voice and hand signals.

but cause of her weight, (a bit on the heavy side),  build, (like a tiger tank),  and looked like a purebred rott. (till you saw her tung).

i have been bitten many a time by those little rat dogs, (yes i know spelling, spell check does not help here). why are they not on the list of aggressive dogs?

[SnowGypsy]

The reason they have these rules is that their are irresponsible owners that give them no choice.  I encountered a woman with two dogs this week, one a known aggressive breed of probably 60 lbs and I had my two seniors with me on leashes.  She could barely restrain her the aggressive breed who most likely "wanted" my 2 dogs.  Luckily, they were breaking down to pull out.  Aggressive dogs of any size are often expelled from many parks, good ones, at least.   With both dogs with me, I can only pray that we don't have an issue.  Larger dogs do more damage and cost insurance companies more when they attack.  The likelihood of being mauled to death by a small breed?  When someone wants to pet our dogs "Does your dog bite?", I answer "They could." as they have teeth, heck, I could bite too!   Acquaintances pet the dogs, but strangers need to get their own or go to the shelter to help out!  The owner recently evicted based on owners not picking up after their dogs, and another one was on the eve of it before they left angry.

[NDBirdman]

On 7/5/2019 at 8:29 AM, Kirk W said:

We once met a couple (Escapee members) who travel with 3 mcaws.  

That's awesome!  I would love to meet them!  We travel around sometimes with an old cockatiel but he is getting old and cantankerous... LOL

[NDBirdman]

On 7/1/2019 at 11:39 AM, Bigthinkers said:

We have a Lab, and while she's the sweetest dog you could hope to meet,

We used to have a lab and totally agree with your statement.  Sweetest dog a person could ever be owned by.  Loving, obedient and would never hurt anyone.  Miss him....

[Laara]

I've read the article in the first post, thank you! Quite an eye opener! I am contemplating getting a dog, fairly small breed, a cocker spaniel, but I am learning things before hand, just to know. I have a question. When insurances refuse to provide coverage can't they have a clause in the contract to exclude any dog-related problems? Plenty of people have breeds from "bad dog list" but somehow they are covered by some insurances. Just wondering. Thanks!