Pet Restrictions At RV Parks

[roodog24@msn.com]

It seems that more and more RV camping facilities are restricting pets (i.e., dogs) due to breed, size and number. Year ago, I was told at this particular park in Santa Barbara, Calif., limited dogs to under 10 pounds -- why even bother to allow pets. we travel with two Jack Russels and a Lab mix. We never leave them alone, but with a two-pet maximum, many places we wish to see are out for us.

[kristin@here.com]

Here is a page of links on FMCA.com that lists a lot of informative pet-related Web sites. There is a pets welcome site that has a listing of pet friendly accomodations.

Pet links

Motorhoming with Pets

[tbutler]

The rules say all pets must be on a leash but there goes someone with a pet roaming free. The owner is nearby but talking to someone and not paying attention to his animal while it takes a dump in the middle of the street. He walks off without even looking around. He has no idea what his pet has been doing.

A family ties their dog out on their lot next to the campground restroom. The dog deposits piles on their lot and near the restroom but no one is watching or cleaning up immediately. Someone walks by on their way to the restroom and steps in a pile. The dog owners are never observed picking up any piles. Will the park owner have to clean up their lot when they leave? Or will the next RV'er who uses the lot be confronted with a mess and complain to the park owner?

The neighbors have a dog that they tie out on a leash on their lot. The dog barks at everything. They don't stop the dog barking nor bring it in when it barks. This occurs early in the morning while the neighbors are still trying to sleep.

A lady with two large dogs takes them out and lets them run free on common ground in a campground with leash rules. She carries no bag to pick up after them. Only after the park owners confront her does she make an attempt to pick up after them and then only after she takes the dogs back to their RV and then returns to find all the piles. I think not.

A dog on a leash walks by and hikes a leg on car tires parked along the campground road. The owner waits patiently as if it is OK for their dog to do this.

These are just a few of the things I have seen pet owners allow their pets to do. I'm sure park owners have seen this and much more. As a pet owner, your only defense is to be very aggressive about correcting other pet owners who are committing such offenses. If you don't, others are noticing and will complain. There goes your chance to return to that park with your pets a few years later. Don't let your pet be a nuisance and don't let other pet owners allow their pets to become a nuisance. It is incumbent upon all pet owners to police their ranks in order to preserve their ability to travel with pets. Don't say that the park owners should take care of this, that is the last thing you want to happen.

I believe that one of the problems is that people who are new to RV'ing do not realize how much different this is with pets. At home they have a large yard, probably fenced, and their neighbors may be 100 feet or more away living in house which is relatively soundproofed. They don't have to worry about what their pet is doing every minute while it is outdoors. If they make a mess in the yard, they are the only people who have to deal with it. They know their neighbors and if one of them complains they take action to resolve the problem.

Then they go to an RV park where the neighbors are 25 feet away in a vehicle that isn't soundproofed very well at all. The environment may be much quieter than the city or town environment so noises are more noticeable. There is no yard at all, the grounds all belong to the park. It may be their campsite for the week or the weekend but it doesn't belong to them. Things their pet does may not irritate them, but now they have neighbors, lots of them nearby. Every time their pet does something, it is seen by somebody, sometimes by many somebodies. A few of them will be irritated by most anything and many of them will be irritated by some actions of pets. Having a pet under these circumstances takes on a whole new dimension of responsibility that many people haven't considered.

[DoggyDaddy]

There are those that have pets that behave better than many children.

I see them running loose thru others camp area, yelling and screaming

in the early morning and late at nite when people are trying to sleep,

they throw rocks and leave trash along the road way and in others camps,

they play with water faucets, use the facility bathrooms, showers and

laundry areas as playgrounds, and I have seen some food fights which

draws insects and animals to the area later.

People just need to police after the pets and children.

For those who feel persecuted about their dogs, they can always try

staying at Dog Friendly RV Parks and Campgrounds.

to relieve their stress.

[kalynzoo]

TButler, you wrote thoughtful reply to the question. Yes, I am afraid that a few have damaged the experience of travel with a pet for others. We travel with our two small dogs. They are always on lead, as I do not want to loose them or have them injured. We keep our pockets stuffed with disposable plastic gloves so that we may be good neighbors. I have seen many others who likewise respect the sensibilities of others. Still there is something very alarming about walking a small dog or a child hand having a 30 to 100lb dog, unrestrained, charging toward your group.

As for controlling children, the point is well taken. However, park owners can easily establish rules limiting size and breeds of pets. It may inconvenience some, but it is legal, defensible, and a recognized policy. Rules restricting children might be seen as discriminator, illegal, unacceptable, and beyond the scope of normal business.

Thus, check the rules before making reservations, and in necessary make decisions on whether you want to camp at a destination or take the family dog.

[Chunkybeastracin@aol.com]

We are pet owners and it really is too bad that a few irresponsible pet owners ruin it for others at many rv parks by not obeying the simple rules. In the long run the rv parks have no choice but to impose stricter restrictions or even ban certian breeds which is really unfair to the rule obiding owners but the parks have no way to distinguish those people. One possible solution is to charge a refundable deposit and anyone that does not obey the rules such as leaving your dog running off the leash will lose that deposit. Not a perfect solution but perhaps a start

[lowa@csus.edu]

Does FMCA have any figures on what percentage of it's members travel with dogs? Perhaps if RV parks were made aware of the number of possible users they are chasing away with high pet fees imposed on us they would make them more reasonable or adopt a refundable pet deposit fee structure. I recently stayed at Wine Country RV Resort in Paso Robles, CA where they charge $3/nite/pet and I won't stay there again unless absolutely necessary.

:-(

[chucknewman]

Dog Friendly Campgrounds

[jmonroe]

Tom's point is right on. It is irresponsible pet owners that ruin it for all. Of course not all irresponsible RV owners also own pets (can you believe what a mess some leave at the dump station, the restrooms, at their camp sites, not to mention the earlier mentioned unrully kids), but it's easier to target those with pets.

As for the breed restrictions, it may not be the campground owners imposing those restrictions, it may be their liability insurance carrier. Some breeds have a bad reputation, deserved or not. Nothing the campground owner can control.

Tom is also correct when he states that we, pet owners (we travel with a pair of Australian terriors) have to be aggresive at confronting non-complying fellow pet owners.

[Guest BillAdams]

......we, pet owners...... have to be aggresive at confronting non-complying fellow pet owners.

Aggressive at confronting strangers? I can't say as I agree with this. You certainly can voice your displeasure (still at your own risk) but more likely it would be better to contact the Campground manager/owner to report the problem and see if they choose to deal with it.

[goodtimesobx@aol.com]

Here is a page of links on FMCA.com that lists a lot of informative pet-related Web sites. There is a pets welcome site that has a listing of pet friendly accomodations.

http://www.fmca.com/index.php/motorhome/mo...g-with-pets/114

Thank you for your post. I am a park owner and some guests who refuse to follow any camp rules create big problems for the parks. I have seen every thing you listed in your post and more. Just this week we had a guest pick up all the poop (big dog) off the site and dispose of it under a tree on the side of the site. What a mess when I came by with the weed eater. Another guest left two small dogs in their pop up to bark continually while they were out for the day. Even other dog lovers were very irritated by this, as they could not sit at their site and enjoy peace and quiet. We have done every thing from not charging for pets, $1.00 extra per pet per day, one pet free $1.00 for each additional. When we remind guests of pet rules at check in most get an attitude "we clean up and watch our pet" YA RIGHT.

I do not believe there is an answer.

Sad to say so many children are allowed to run wild. We have had to post signs in restrooms children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. We do our best to keep the kids from running and riding bikes Thur sites. They are told to keep bikes on the road but they continue to do it. When we are forced to speak with the parents a few get a real attitude "our kids would not do that". We are a small park with no pool or game room so we don't get a lot of families with children, I can't even begin to imagine the problems and damage parks that have all the bells and whistles have to contend with.

I believe that most parks work really hard to provide an nice place for campers to relax and enjoy their time camping, it is way harder than most think. I have some times thought it would be good to have guest reviews like we have campground reviews. We clean our bath house numerous times a day, with in 15 minutes of having every thing spotless some one will go in and shower, dump piles of sand out of swim suits, refuse to close shower curtains so floor is flooded. clean out hair brushes and throw wads of hair on the floor so when the next guest comes in they might feel the park did not clean.

ALL problems could be resolved if People would only follow the GOLDEN RULE. We are suffer for the actions of a few and that is WRONG.

[riverbendfun]

I too, own a campground, and yes, I have seen it all. If dogs were the only problem we encountered, then owning a park might be fun. Our dog rules include picking up after them, not allowing them to be an annoyance, not leaving them alone in the park, leaving them home if they have a history of biting or are vicious. We do not ban any particulat breed because in our own experience, my grandson was biten in the face by a border collie, and we owned a cocker spaniel that chased down more than a few friends and relatives. On the other hand we owned a pit bull that was the friendliest dog you'd ever want to meet. Most of our campers pick up after their dogs. MOST. I have seen people stop, look around and walk away. Once, I witnessed this and confronted the guy asking him to please pick it up and he straight faced told me it wasn't his dog that did it. I told him I saw it myself and he continued to deny it, in essence calling me a liar. I SAW IT! I was yelling at him from the top of the hill and he just didn't hear me, so when I caught up to him he just didn't realize he could be seen from the distance. He could have said, he was just going to grab a plastic bag and be back for it, but...... Well, there is no explaining people and I understand that 90% of people that camp with us are great and respectful, but those 10% grrrrrr. They are the ones that make parks ban pets. You can thank them next time you see one break the park rules!

Just another guestion I'd like to throw out there, as a park owner, we get together with many other park owners at conventions and association meetings and the like, so I know it is not only happening in my park, and that it is fairly common...Can anyone tell me why people choose to defecate in the shower stall, or a trash can, on the floor or worse yet why would they finger paint on the walls with it? The strangest one I heard was someone took the lid off the toilet tank, pooped in the tank and then put the lid back on......why? WHY!!!? Believe me, dealing with doog poop is better than dealing with that!!

[tbutler]

Well, that settles it. I'm never going to buy an RV park! In fact you couldn't give me one. I don't need that kind of aggravation in my life. My hat is off to all park owners and operators. Yours is a thankless job and we should all be giving you the thanks and respect you deserve. Without you, our lifestyle wouldn't be possible.

I've always had this kind of innocent view of my fellow campers. Everyone is so congenial when we meet and talk to our neighbors. Who knew? It truly is the 10% (I hope) that make it bad for the rest of us. Thanks for your comments and thanks for providing the facilities we need to keep on camp'in. We all (well almost all) appreciate the good times you give us.

[riverbendfun]

Really, it's probably less than 10%, most of our campers are great people and I miss them when we close for the winter. Without them, our whole family would be unemployed! Ours is a family business, my husband, son, daughter, son-in-law and once in a while daughter-in-law, all take part in running the park. In the ten years we have been doing this we have learned a lot about human behavior! Ours and our campers! I always remind myself that for at least one month in the winter, I am one of you. We go south and spend time in North Carolina, sometimes South Carolina and eventually make our way to Florida. Next year, Texas! If you ever find yourselves in Connecticut, stop in!

[diplomatman2002]

We travel with 3 large dogs and used to have 4 that we traveled with. I have found that more and more parks are putting such restrictions in place. I find that there are a couple of reasons that this is happening. The parks insurance companies are pushing it more to reduce liability and I find that in some case pet owners are to blame. Most of us are good and responsible pet owners but the few that are not are creating problems by not cleaning up after their pets, letting their pets go on other peoples sites and allowing their dogs to be a general nusience by barking and disturbing others. We have found that by calling ahead to the campground and telling them that we have the 3 large dogs that have traveled with us and have never been a problem and that we are responsible owners will in many cases get them to waive the rule. In a few cases they just ask us not to take more that the parks required limit out of the coach at one time. Some parks will not bend but a friendly phone call will not hurt.

Diplomat man 2002

[Jackhal49]

We are volunteer camp host at state parks and unfortunately we find more often than not people do not pickup after their dogs. We have two golden retrievers and we always pickup after our dogs in fact we buy Mutt Mitts, special poop bags, to pick up after our dogs. I don't understand the mind set that they do not have to pickup after their pets, they let them poop right side the road with no thought what so ever. I can understand why so many campground owners do not allow pets. We confront them when we see them let their dog poop and walk away, but unless we follow every dog owner every minute it is pretty hard to catch them in the act. Yes children can be noisy, but kids are and that is part of family camping, however, letting your dog unattended to bark all day or night is not. So if you want to protect your rights to bring your dogs camping be responsible pet owners and pickup after them and make sure they aren't a problem to others. We really love our volunteer lifestyle and meeting all the people and their pets, but there are a few times. Happy RVing All!

[surryranger]

As a newbie to this, do most of the campgrounds that have pet restictions, have this in their website literature or do you just find out when you pull up to the office with no warning?

[migrantdawgs]

When we're traveling we consult Woodall's and/or the internet for parks. We always check the park rules (we have a small rottweiler, a chihuahua and a jackchi) because of the dangerous breed issue and the quantity restrictions. We find that if we call ahead and talk nice, sometimes we can get by it (we feel our chihuahua is more 'dangerous' than our rottweiler, but we know she looks scary) and we are respectful either way. I met a rottweiler at an RV park once that was huge, chained to a picnic table, and acting really mad. I understand park owners not wanting that kind of an issue! We have never been turned away on site, but that is because we always check before arriving.

We do not travel in California much (and we have family there) due to the dangerous breed rules - and it's an insurance issue in CA parks, they all have it. It's the only state we've had to avoid due to that. We had the rottie before deciding to go full-time; if we'd known, we would not have chosen this delightful breed to full time with. The smaller dogs are easier in terms of the rules but not actually easier in terms of barking!

[surryranger]

Thanks, great to know...my two english bulldogs may lick someone to death but that is as dangerous as they get...

[lawles276]

I have been traveling with 2 labrador retrievers for many years and have not meet much resistence or issues. There have been some parks where they indicate they have weight restrictions which I find rediculous. I just make sure that I have copies of their dog license, rabies certificates and health records with me at all times. I am doing an extended trip from Nov to April and will have my 2 Labs with me, traveling from Florida thru the Gulf Coast, thru Texas and into Phoenix as well as las Vegas before returning to the Jersey Shore. My dogs even go to the NASCAR events, which will be on this trip. I wouldn't leave home without them !

[nitehawk]

If you want a real "thrilling" olfactory experience try camping in the National park Chippewa Flowage west of Medford, WI when things are damp or just after a rain!! If you close your eyes and take a deep breath you would think you were standing in a very filthy dog kennel. Most of the campers are there for the weekend or a week and feel it is ok for their dogs to take a dump in the sparse brush between sites without having to clean it up.

Personal observation: Most full-time RVers do pick up after their pets as they consider wherever they are camped as their home, be it ever so short a visit. A U.S. Forest service ranger informed us that due to the economy more people are bring their pets along for the weekend or week and these pets are not accustomed to all the activity in a CG. I do not and cannot blame the dog, whatever the breed, for bad behavior. The fault lies with the dog's owner in not teaching proper behavior. This, as most of us will attest, also applies to the behavior of their children.

'Nuff said. Just started another subject for disagreement.