Pet Discrimination

[Chunkybeastracin@aol.com]

We have recenlty encountered several RV parks that do not allow "aggressive breeds of dogs" in their parks. That includes the "bull" breeds like pitbulls, rottweillers, etc. We explained that we have two English bulldogs. After much discussion they reluctantly had us sign a waiver and let us stay.

Pet discrimination is becoming more and more prevalent in a lot of parks. I have met many pitbulls and rotweiller breeds that were the most gentle dogs I ever met. And then I've encountered some poodles and Chihuahuas that wanted to rip off my ankles. To discriminate on an entire breed of dog is total ignorance. A dog's tempermant depends on how that dog is raised and treated.

[Guest Wayne77590]

ChunkyBeastracin,

I feel your concern. We have a Husky/Chow and when I tell them I have a dog and they ask the breed I just say she is a Husky, and leave the chow part out since she looks all husky.

As you, I have encounter many Rotties, Chows, Pit Bull, and other mastif dogs that are as gentle as a summer breeze. I have also encounter those kick dogs that I call attack dogs in the Lhasa, Shitzu, Chihuahua (my spell checker caught the spelling of Chihauhua).

I don't think that they really understand that a dog is trained by their owner, or a trainer, and react as trained. Miya, our Husky, is very protective of other animals. But if you stay a few feet away I can put her in the "down" position and she will stay there if the other dog does not approach. As for people, she will jump and get excited and want to play, play, play, play and then play some more. But I have control in those situations and can have her sit or lay down on command.

The "aggressive" breeds are aggressive because their owners let them be aggressive.

Hey! Try taking the cat!!! LOL

[Chunkybeastracin@aol.com]

I couldnt agree more, Wayne. I found 99% of the dogs that I encounter -- husky, chow, pitbull, etc. are generally better behaved than most people. (You never see anyone putting a leash on the kid who continually rides his bike directly through your campsite or the guy who thinks everyone in the whole RV park shares his taste of music. Ironically, the same RV park charged additional for each slideout on an RV.

Have a good day.

[NWJeeper]

I don't see it as discrimination but rather limiting their business' exposure to liability and lawsuits. While there are many of these dogs that are gentle, there are many that aren't and their potential to do serious damage, even death, due to their size vs. a chihuahua means that a campground opens itself up to a lot of problems in this litigous world we now live in. Can't say I blame them. It only takes one irresponsible owner to create a tragedy and there are a good lot of owners out there with these breads that have them just because they are known for being "dangerous." Here in our area, one such owner thought it was funny to let his pitbull loose to attack others dogs. Sick, just sick.

[Chunkybeastracin@aol.com]

I don't see it as discrimination but rather limiting their business's exposure to liability and lawsuits. While there are many of these dogs that are gentle there are many that aren't and their potential to do serious damage even death due to their size vs a chihuahua means that a campground opens themselves up to a lot of problems in this litigous world we now live in. Can't say I blame them. It only takes one irresponsible owner to create a tragedy and there are a good lot of owners out there with these breads that have them just because they are known for being "dangerous" Here in our area one such owner thought it was funny to let his pitbull loose to attack others dogs. Sick, just sick.

I couldn't disagree with you more, as it is discrimination and is about as intelligent as people judging a entire race based soley on their color of skin. Dogs bite people due to the way they were raised, not because of their breed (referring to your comment on the guy who let his pit bull off the leash).

As far as liability and lawsuits, if that is the sole intention, then they would have to ban children from riding their bicycles in their parks, since a simple fall due to a tree branch, puddle, etc. would open them up to civil litigation as well. They would also have to ban golf carts, people walking after dark, etc. It is all about interpretation and just simply being responsible. It is not about banning a large dog. Wow, perhaps we should ban all the men who weigh over 220 pounds because if they got in a fight they could do some serious damage vs. a 100-pound female.

[kalynzoo]

Not discrimination, good business practice. The campground posts that all dogs must be on leash at all time, only to find the loving four legged creatures break free, or run through the open door, or are just not contained, and chase something. If they attack, play roughly with, or sit on someone elses little dog, properly contained, all **** will break loose. There will be court action, police action, medical costs, etc. Even though the park posted the rules, if it had prior knowledge that rules were not being followed, they accept liability.

Big dogs scare people. Live with it.

Older school buses converted to motorhomes scare people. They think redneck possum eating gun packin folk.

Thus, many parks restrict older coaches....discrimination.

No tents outside of rig...discrimination...afraid unattended children will run around the park.

Parks are private businesses, they may set their own standards and rules. Seek out the parks that best meet your needs and don't complain about the others, that meet the needs of others. If they don't get enough patrons they will change their rules, or go out of business, their choice.

Not important, but I am one of those who is afraid of big loud dogs with aggressive attitudes, and I will not camp next to or near such an environment.

[Chunkybeastracin@aol.com]

Not discrimination, good business practice. The campground posts that all dogs must be on leash at all time, only to find the loving four legged creatures break free, or run through the open door, or are just not contained, and chase something. If they attack, play roughly with, or sit on someone elses little dog, properly contained, all **** will break loose. There will be court action, police action, medical costs, etc. Even though the park posted the rules, if it had prior knowledge that rules were not being followed, they accept liability.

Big dogs scare people. Live with it.

Older school buses converted to motorhomes scare people. They think redneck possum eating gun packin folk.

Thus, many parks restrict older coaches....discrimination.

No tents outside of rig...discrimination...afraid unattended children will run around the park.

Parks are private businesses, they may set their own standards and rules. Seek out the parks that best meet your needs and don't complain about the others, that meet the needs of others. If they don't get enough patrons they will change their rules, or go out of business, their choice.

Not important, but I am one of those who is afraid of big loud dogs with aggressive attitudes, and I will not camp next to or near such an environment.

Your statement of "people are afraid of big dogs, Live with it" is a perfect example of peoples uneducated judgment of something they know nothing about. First of all, English Bulldogs are not a Big dog nor are they a agressive loud breed, so you may want to educate yourself on dogs, breeds and temperments before making unfounded judgment which result in discrimination and prejudice. Big dogs do not scare people, only the people that choose to pass judgment based on lack of knowledge.

I am not complaining just stating facts and informing people on practices of some rv parks. Since alot of RV'ers have "Big" and small dogs this information may be of use to them or not, so just because you have personal fear of Big dogs dont push your prejudice on others. Perhaps if you were to educate yourself on animals you would loose your fear. If what is written under the "Pet forum" bothers you than dont read it, but dont expect people that have a interest in pets not to discuss pet/rv related issues under this "Public Forum"

[NWJeeper]

I am not complaining just stating facts and informing people on practices of some rv parks. Since alot of RV'ers have "Big" and small dogs this information may be of use to them or not, nevertheless

Umm, O.k. I don't think there is a need to attack others for their viewpoints. I too would rather not see pitbulls in my campground. Your version of the "facts" is your OPINION, not facts there is a distinction here.

I did not realize this was your personal forum to tell people what to write about

Is this not what you yourself are trying to do? Pot calling the kettle black I must say.... Others here are merely pointing out why a campground owner would institue these policies, not defending them but pointing it out.

It seem that as soon as someone has a differing point of view from you chunky you start making things personal and calling names. There is no need for the bullying here.

[Chunkybeastracin@aol.com]

I am not going to waste anymore time on this thread. Opinions are like rear ends; everyone has one.

[Xplorer]

It's a dog's world!

Edited January 4, 2013 by Xplorer

[kalynzoo]

Sorry to have offended you. The column came up on the opening page of the forum of active topics. Normally I would have not participated in the pet section. Have a nice day. Happy Trails.

[Xplorer]

Or, is it?.

[Jackhal49]

Campgrounds have insurance and insurance companies have reports on incidents of dog attacks, certain dog breeds have high incidents of attacking humans. Yes, some of those restricted breeds are gentle dogs, however, the statics on dog attacks affect the insurance rates, etc. The higher the liability the higher the campgrounds insurance rates are so you can't blame a campground owner from wanting to pay lower rates and protect themselves from law suites. I have two golden retrievers and we have no problems getting into campgrounds. Golden's are known for their friendly temper and statics on dog attacks prove that. Yes, it is unfortunate certain breeds have bad reps and it is not so much the dogs fault as it is the owners and these people buy certain breeds because they are known to be aggressive. Discrimination yes, but with good reason.

[OkieDave]

ChunkyBeastracin,

You said that you have seen pit bulls etc. that are very gentle and you have seen Chihuahuas that want to tear your ankle off.

Main difference is that the pit bull is capable of tearing your ankle off but the Chihuahua is not.

It's mostly about insurance. Sign up for homeowners insurance and see if they don't ask you what kind of dog you have.

Statistics prove they are right about potentially vicious dogs.

[dogpatch]

It is an unfortunate reality we have to live with in society, but for the ignorance of a few, the masses must suffer! This goes for anything. Some spoil it for everyone!

[sguinan887]

We have recently encountered several RV parks that do not allow "aggressive breeds of dogs" in their parks. That includes the "bull" breeds like pitbulls, rottweillers, etc. We explained that we have two English bulldogs. After much discussion they reluctantly had us sign a waiver and let us stay.

Pet discrimination is becoming more and more prevalent in a lot of parks. I have met many pitbulls and rotweiller breeds that were the most gentle dogs I ever met. And then I've encountered some poodles and Chihuahuas that wanted to rip off my ankles. To discriminate on an entire breed of dog is total ignorance. A dog's tempermant depends on how that dog is raised and treated.

I have also encountered this discrimination. We have a rottrieler, and he is gentle.

A friend told me about the disability laws, he said if you have a service dog or therapy dog they cant be discriminated against.

so I had my dog certified as a therapy dog. I take him to nursing homes now.

Under the law he can go anywhere. He wears a vest for id, and I've never had a campgrounds problem since then.

Under the law they can't ask what the disability or therapy is for.

The law is very strong, and I carry a copy of it with me. I've never had to show it but if there ever was a problem I would have the copy with me.

I recommend to check this out, so your dog can go anywhere you go.

[sguinan887]

Campgrounds have insurance and insurance companies have reports on incidents of dog attacks, certain dog breeds have high incidents of attacking humans. Yes, some of those restricted breeds are gentle dogs, however, the statics on dog attacks affect the insurance rates, etc. The higher the liability the higher the campgrounds insurance rates are so you can't blame a campground owner from wanting to pay lower rates and protect themselves from law suites. I have two golden retrievers and we have no problems getting into campgrounds. Golden's are known for their friendly temper and statics on dog attacks prove that. Yes, it is unfortunate certain breeds have bad reps and it is not so much the dogs fault as it is the owners and these people buy certain breeds because they are known to be aggressive. Discrimination yes, but with good reason.

i understand what your saying about insurance rates.
restrictions on dogs should be based on temperament not on breeds. these laws are being over ruled all over the country.
breed restrictions affect every dog owner.
when they restrict some breeds today, they might restrict your breed tomorrow. we all lose some freedoms with general restrictions.
i would rather camp next to a big aggressive quiet dog than one that barks all the time.
so should i push for restrictions on the barking dog?? i wouldnt.
i have a rottreiler, and he doesnt bark at all, and has never met a person he doesnt like.
i just think this is unfair to the many great dogs that are being discriminated against.

insurance companies respond to claims. when the claims change the dog breed restrictions will change. i remember when german shepherds were getting the bad reputations. i have only seen a few campgrounds restrict german shepherds now. so is your breed next? who knows???
all it takes is a few bad experiences all over the country.

if a dog is aggressive and barks a lot, you can see right away their temperment. then restrict it. does it take more work? yes.

i also have a ten lbs mix dog and shes more of a nuisance than the big dog. she barks all the time, if they restricted her, i would understand it.

just my opinion.
steve

[migrantdawgs]

I have also encountered this discrimination. We have a rottrieler, and he is gentle.
A friend told me about the disability laws, he said if you have a service dog or therapy dog they cant be discriminated against.
so I had my dog certified as a therapy dog. I take him to nursing homes now.
Under the law he can go anywhere. He wears a vest for id, and I've never had a campgrounds problem since then.
Under the law they can't ask what the disability or therapy is for.
The law is very strong, and I carry a copy of it with me. I've never had to show it but if there ever was a problem I would have the copy with me.

I recommend to check this out, so your dog can go anywhere you go.

This is great advice! We have a smallish wonderful rottie, a vicious chihuahua and an overly intelligent jackchi. We will look into getting the rottie certified. That would help us a lot. For the park owners, they would know that dog has been trained. (and I don't think anyone should own these powerful breeds without tending to quite a bit of training.)

As a side note, our normally sweet tempered rottie once ran out the screen door of our rig and knocked over a gentleman walking by - didn't bark, didn't bite, just knocked him over and waited for us to come running. Turns out he had a gun in his sock. But the point is, you never know what a dog will do, and our pain-in-the-*** chihuahua can't knock anyone down.

[LivingLikeEachDayIsMyLast]

I've been camping for over thirty five years. I've had a hundred more instances with loud obnoxious teenage children than with the neighbors dogs. However,for those who refuse to pickup their dogs solid waste, I have a special dislike. To me nothing is more distasteful than trying to eat outside my camper while smelling animal waste. I make every attempt to treat my camping neighbor with the respect I expect from him in return.

[bigdgr]

<p>I have to add my experience as a camp host for Alaska State Parks. My biggest problem by far was "dog-related." I don't really blame the dogs but really the idiot owners who wouldn't follow rules and keep dogs leashed! Our cockapoo is never off-leash in a camping area. When people ask if he will bite, I just say " He might ." Anybody who thinks their dog wouldn't ever bite could be wrong. Almost any breed will bite, given the right stimulus. And, unfortunately, the " restricted dogs" can kill. I have issues with people who would cheat and certify their dogs as service animals. Do you lie about everything to get your way? I also agree with the previous post about owners not cleaning up after their dogs. Dogs are wonderfull companions but need and deserve proper care and an owner who respects the rights of others. Darrell</p>

[Mdk152]

Have encountered some restrictions as well.

We have German Shepard

Female 10 months well trained and still working her

For service animal

Made reservation at red cocoanut

Rv in fort Myers beach on gulf.

Asked policy on dogs, they said restriction

My dog is better behaved than some people.

Happy travels

Mdk152

[resindiana]

We stayed at a park in port Aransas Texas.

They had a sign posted in their check in window concerning what they considered possibly aggressive breeds that they didn't accept.

They didn't stick with their own rules and allowed a large dog into the park.

The owner tied the dog outside their unit, and the dog made agressive moves to anyone passing by.

We have a small quitet sweet jack russell that wouldnt hurt a flee.

I noted the dog when I was walking to the beach and warned my wife to stay away from that area which she did.

However things being what they are and some people being stupid as they are the owner took the dog to the laundry area

and attached the leash to a location the park had made avaliable to tie dogs while in the laundry room.

The attachment was a screw to loop your leash over, obvously installed to hold the smaller pets they allowed according to their

park rules.

My wife and little dog were walking past that area near the laundry room where the agressive dog was moved too.

My wife was attacked and little my dog was attacked.

We had only recently arrived at the camp ground a couple hours previously, and we had paid for the week stay.

My wife was bitten on the hand trying to save our little one whom we love like a very valued member of our family.

A very nice lady from Canada who had been staying in the camp ground Knew a great vet and rushed us to the hospital.

we will be forever in her debt .

We spent the next 4 days parked at the vets office / hospital hoping our little one was going to survive.

I am happy to report that she did survive after extensive surgery. After our doctor visits my wifes hand has also healed.

The vet bill was 3000.00 and a lot of suffering was done by all especially by our little one who didn't understand what had happened to her.

We had to abandon our complete vacation and return home for everyone to heal. All in all our loss considering fuel travel and

our camp ground prepayment was about 5000.00. The camp ground refused all responsibilty and would not even refund

our prepayment.

We have filed a law suit against the dog owner and the campground for the amount of our loss. That was a year and a half ago

our court case is coming up soon I hope.That will be about 2 years after the fact. Aren't our courts wonderful. That's another story.

I don't like to file law suits but it was the only way for us to regain our actual losses. The dog owner had previously agreed to pay

the doctor bills which we agreed to accept and we hoped the park would refund us. The park refused and the dog owner faded

after a couple payments to the vet. My wife now has a great fear of large dogs and I don't blame her considering all the damage that was done. We won't stay in a park that allows large breeds of any kind. I'm sure the parks insurance company is not happy

with the park for not following their own rules. But as you all said so clearly we all love our pets. It's not so much the pets

but the idiots that own them. If anyone can figure out how to weed out all the idiots i'm sure the pets will be ok and maybe even the US Congress would be improved.

[Brian007]

Well there are many reasons behind this rule and I think if you have brain then you can think it by yourself. Like they can scare the people who are in the park and spcially the kids in the park. They also can bite anyone if they are in anger. People can also sick due to the germs from the dogs. So I think these are the big reasong why dogs are not allowed in parks.

[CarlAda]

What's interesting is that they (parks near to us) prohibit pit bulls and rottys, yet don't apply the same logic to doberman's and german shepards -- 2 breeds also known for aggressive behavior and attack characteristics. We own an English Bulldog and a very gentle pit bull mix breed dog. Neither are aggressive. Last weekend we were camped at a lovely campsite in Redding and next to our site was a couple with a small, yapping dog that was far more of an issue for me.

We simply don't visit parks that restrict our pets.

[manholt]

I'm not a Vet. Just a dog and cat lover. According to my Vet. dogs don't hear dogs bark, we do!!! Dogs communicate by smell and other means that we don't understand and yes, all animals can smell our fear!

Dogs and cats have an IQ of 6 to 12, so we teach them accordingly. Pets are not the problem, we are. The good, bad and ugly....people!!

Carl C.