RV for the dogs story. Lets hear yours

Dream Chasers said:

"Unfortunately my current co-pilot, a Shih-Tzu cross, does not like riding in the truck and shakes while pressed up against me. "

Our dog used to do that. Vet said to buy an airline quality carrier. It is just  big enough for her to walk in, turn around and to sit up comfortably. Works like a Charm. When we are parked, I turn the driver's seat around and the carrier stores in the space below the steering wheel out of the way in the unused space. When she sees me get it back out and start putting things away for travel, she gets all nervous, whiny and clingy. I just open the door and tell her to go in her house. She then settles right down.

Funny story, my  mother didn't like the idea of the dog laying on the hard plastic, so she bought her a fluffy towel as a cushion. I folded it all nice the first time. Roxie took a half hour to scrunch it all up to use as a pillow and then her whole body is on the plastic!

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WOW! That dog looks incredibly like our "Tink". We don't know her exact breed but think she's Morkie. She is a rescue at the local county animal services about 3 & 1/2 years ago. She is a very good traveller and goes bonkers every time she hears keys jingle.

Smokey, the alpha of our pair of Weimaraners, has turned into a great travelling dog.  However, he takes his responsibility for security very seriously. 

This past September, we were touring Custer State Park in South Dakota in our toad, a 2007 Saturn Vue.  Smokey was in the back seat with Abby, our other Weim.  They had seen lots of buffalo and found them very interesting, but Smokey was in store for something even more exciting!

We rounded a curve, and at the top of the hill in front of us was a line of cars.  When we crested the hill, we saw the cause of the traffic tie-up.  Burros!  Custer state park has a number of "wild" burros living in the park.  It seems that none of the visitors to the park consider a burro to be a wild animal.  So, the burros are fed from cars the way the bears in Yellowstone were fed in the 1950s.  They have absolutely no fear of man.

Anyway, as we edged our way along, the burros were walking from car to car, looking for handouts.  When a burro reached our car, he stuck his head in the open window, and I was sure we were going to have trouble from Smokey!

Smokey was flabbergasted!  He was completely shocked that something that was so large and smelled so strangely should come into HIS car!  His eyes widened to the size of fifty cent pieces, he didn't move at all, and he didn't make a sound.  He just sat and stared in awe at the burro.

After a couple of seconds with no food coming his way, the burro pulled his head out of the window and moved on to greener pastures.  Smokey's heart rate and pupil size returned to normal, and we resumed out trip through Custer, but I don't think that Smokey will ever forget the killer burro!

skydivemark said:

WOW! That dog looks incredibly like our "Tink". We don't know her exact breed but think she's Morkie. She is a rescue at the local county animal services about 3 & 1/2 years ago. She is a very good traveller and goes bonkers every time she hears keys jingle.

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Tink is very cute. Yes, definitely looks like she is part yorkie.

Bob and I travelled alot and stayed in hotels. We were not able to bring the dogs because even though some hotels are pet friendly, alot of them charge a steep pet fee. Its also hard to find restaurants that are pet friendly. So when we travelled, the dogs stayed at a kennel.

When we got our RV, our first challenge was sleeping arrangements. We'd had a king size bed and both dogs slept with us. Our dog Buddy was 12 years and had always slept in our bed. There was no way he was not gonna. The first couple of nights, Buddy our collie/greyhound mix who liked to stretch out sideways, pushed Bob out of bed a couple of times. He actually ended up sleeping on the couch for a few days, leaving the bed to me and the dogs.

His solution was to put benches with foam cushions on either side of the bed that were built up to be level with the mattress. We now have wall to wall bed in the bedroom and have to crawl in from the foot of the bed.

We had to put Buddy down, but we still have Hank. He got used to sleeping on the cushion on my side of the bed and still sleeps there most of the night, so we've just kept it there. 

Whenever I start puling the curtains back and bringing the slide in, he knows we are heading somewhere and he jumps up into the passenger seat where he sits till we are ready to pull out. Once we are moving, he hops up behind my seat and leans up on the back to look over my head.

Here's my dog tail...  ;D

My dog Harley spent 8 years on the road with me in a 28 foot CLass C with no slide out. He loved it! Now we are in a 5th wheel in a holding pattern and he still loves RVing and going anywhere and everywhere.

We ride with my friend in their van camper to go out to eat or shop and doggy goes with us. He rides in my front bicycle basket and loves that. He thinks that golf carts are the bus system. If one stops near him, he hops aboard and hopes for a ride.

When I first got doggy, I had to train him how to stay alone in the RV without barking except for security reasons. It took some time but he learned. He also began to notice where we parked and whether he was allowed to go with me. For instance he can tell when I pull into a grocery parking lot in the Class C. He let's out a big sigh and settles into a comfy spot cause he knows he isn't going shopping in the grocery store.

One thing I started early on and it has served me well, is that every where I stop, I give him the 30 second walk or more. Also he learned to do cart return with me. For instance when I stop for gas, I walk him over to the grassy area and let him sniff and pee. When I return from shopping or eating out or whatever, I give him a brief walk before we load up and drive off.

This means he never has to ask me to pull over and let him pee or poop. He can ride in supreme comfort.

Also, when I come outside with a shopping buggy, I unload it, then leash him up and he walks back to the front of the store with me while I return the buggy. Sure I often pass up the buggy returns in the parking lot, but it gives us both exercise. Also on the way back to the rig, he can stop to pee if he needs to.

About the folks and the chicken... I don't know why your leftover chicken wasn't put away in the fridge or somewhere. I can see if it was left out the doggy thought the leftovers were his. I sometimes have a bit of food for my pooch when I come out of a restaurant. Sometimes I let him have it right away, other times I make him wait til later to have it.

In my case, I found leaving my dog alone with all the window shade up and open made him secure and happy. He could see the world and protect his domain. One hot day I tried to close off the windshield for him to help cool the place down faster. I had already started the generator and had to go get provisions and wanted a live doggy when I returned. He pitched such a fit over having those curtains closed, that I re-opened them to shut him up.

Yesterday I was at Home Depot so I put him in the cart and pushed him around the store while I shopped. He has been in many hardware stores where I let him walk on his short leash next to me.

I've also been to restaurants that had outside seating. I've asked them if my dog could sit on his leash under the table and always been told yes. I bring my own little water bowl for him but most places insist on bringing out a huge water bowl for him.

Traveling with my dog has been a joy!

I can't imagine going anywhere without him.

Matter of fact, I have often mapped out dog parks to stop at on my route to somewhere. Instead of pulling over at a rest area, I detour to a dog park and we take our break there. He loves this! He has visited dozens of dog parks all over creation.

I find having a variety of leashes is handy for the traveling dog.

I have the 20 foot flexi leash for hiking and if it's remote, I just let him walk leash free with me. I have the 6 foot flexi leash for walking around RV parks and I have 4 foot regular leashes for taking him shopping or somewhere where I want to keep him close to my heel while shopping or traversing a crowded area.

I have a big D ring I clip on his leash if I stop in an outside restaurant, I can clip him to my chair or table so I can eat with both hands while he is attached. I make sure I ALWAYS have a poop bag handy, sometimes it's tied to the end of the leash.

If I am taking him inside somewhere, be it a store or someone's home, I give him a chance to pee or poop BEFORE we go inside. I don't want him getting excited and realizing OOPS he has to go.

When we go out in my friend's van camper, we always have a little bowl of water and a little bowl of dry food we keep in back. I just refresh his water bowl from my water bottle I always carry anyhow, so it's not like he is drinking last week's water. The little bit of dry food is just that in case we are eating out and he is alone in the van, he has a snack if he wants one. Mostly he just naps then pretends he was patrolling the whole time when we return.

Forgot the pics!  ;D

DearMissMermaid said:

Forgot the pics!  ;D

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Is Harley a distant cousin of the dog on the TV show 'Moonshiners'?  Sure could be a double.

Bill

I love this site for finding restaurants where I can take my dog.

https://www.bringfido.com/

cadee2c said:

I love this site for finding restaurants where I can take my dog.

https://www.bringfido.com/

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Does your dog order off the regular or kid's menu?

Does your dog order off the regular or kid's menu?

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He doesnt, he just sits there looking cute and people give him food. Every time.

cadee2c said:

He doesnt, he just sits there looking cute and people give him food. Every time.

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) )

cadee2c said:

I love this site for finding restaurants where I can take my dog.

https://www.bringfido.com/

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I'd love to take my Great Dane to one of these places.  He sure gets a lot of attention everywhere else I/we take him. We even had a state trooper stop by us at a rest area just to see him and take pictures with him.
I'm surprised how many pet friendly restaurants there are. I hadn't thought about that before.
Beaches even have signs "no dogs".
Thanks for sharing the website with us.

Speaking of Great Danes...

I missed a great photo op by walking my dog without my camera. I was camping in Ohio in a city park that also had day use areas besides the campground.

Now that I look back at my records, it was Ottawa Metro Park in Lima Ohio. It's a wonderful park, but they don't take reservations. First come, first serve. Rates are super cheap, park is immaculate, check in and payment is on the honor system with a workamper that comes along later to check to see if folks are complying.

Out for a walk I came across a soccer game for kids that had finished. One kid was waiting on the sidewalk for a ride. His parents drove up in a teeny tiny 4 door car with an open sun roof. In back was a huge black and white Great Dane with his head stuck out the sun roof!

It was such a comical picture like something from the circus rather than in a mundane park.

The kid got in the car. The Great Dane ducked down to give the kid some licking and loving, then as the car drove away, he poked his head back up and out the sun roof for the ride home.

As they drove away, I pondered if the cost of the food bill for said canine was the reason they owned such a teeny tiny car.

My 6 pound mutt eats an astonishing amount of food but he is high energy. Exponentially if he was bigger and ate as much, I would need a separate trailer to house his food. As it is now, he needs his own cabinet to store his wet and dry food plus his treats. On top of that if I am cooking anything meat or cheese related, he gets a small bowl of that too.

Now that I think about it, that kid is probably destined to be an only child.

Also the car did not have a sun roof.

It had a sun woof!

We have toy poodle and she loves to travel, and she somehow knows when we are ready to hit the road in the fiver. She is so excited she can't stop jumping, barking, and everything associated with excitement in a dog.


However, once we are in the truck driving out the driveway, within a minute or so she is in my wife's lap settling down for a nap. I guess she is exhausted from all that activity getting ready for the trip.  ;D

DearMissMermaid said:

Speaking of Great Danes...

I missed a great photo op by walking my dog without my camera. I was camping in Ohio in a city park that also had day use areas besides the campground.

Now that I look back at my records, it was Ottawa Metro Park in Lima Ohio. It's a wonderful park, but they don't take reservations. First come, first serve. Rates are super cheap, park is immaculate, check in and payment is on the honor system with a workamper that comes along later to check to see if folks are complying.

Out for a walk I came across a soccer game for kids that had finished. One kid was waiting on the sidewalk for a ride. His parents drove up in a teeny tiny 4 door car with an open sun roof. In back was a huge black and white Great Dane with his head stuck out the sun roof!

It was such a comical picture like something from the circus rather than in a mundane park.

The kid got in the car. The Great Dane ducked down to give the kid some licking and loving, then as the car drove away, he poked his head back up and out the sun roof for the ride home.

As they drove away, I pondered if the cost of the food bill for said canine was the reason they owned such a teeny tiny car.

My 6 pound mutt eats an astonishing amount of food but he is high energy. Exponentially if he was bigger and ate as much, I would need a separate trailer to house his food. As it is now, he needs his own cabinet to store his wet and dry food plus his treats. On top of that if I am cooking anything meat or cheese related, he gets a small bowl of that too.

Now that I think about it, that kid is probably destined to be an only child.

Also the car did not have a sun roof.

It had a sun woof!

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I'll bet that would've been a great pic.
My Great Dane loves to ride in the Jeep with the top off.
Loves going anywhere, any vehicle, but the Jeep and the RV seem to be his favorite - he recognizes the way those 2 key rings jingle and goes into his happy dance when he knows I have them.

Soooooo we don't have a dog....but we have cats, and they ARE the reason we RV.  I just hated leaving them for vacations so we got a fiver, then when we lost one of our lovebirds I could not leave the survivor at home alone so we traded for the motorhome. (Sadly we lost our lovebird this past winter)  The cats always attract attention, we usually meet every cat lover in the campground!

I travel with a 12.5 y/o mostly whippet rescue dog from Puerto Rico an a 5 y/o blonde deaf ferret. They both love travelling and camping. And what conversation starters. The ferret is very popular with the kids. See my file picture.
Both pets have been across the country several times and have gotten their feet in both oceans & the Gulf and all the Great Lakes as well of lot's of travel in fly-over country. To tell the truth I don't think they know one tree or patch of grass from another but they just love to go.

dcb in VT

Last Grey started showing his milk bones off on his AM and PM rides in neighborhood. Kept it up when at RV parks, folks laughed, said, ? Gear is showing off his bone again?. Miss him, getting another soon.

Currently I have two Shih-Tzu's. They would rather go camping than stay home and let me know it every time I load the camper or boat.
I have many stories about them. But my favorite is the first time I took the girls fishing on a hot summer day. I was in my 14' boat. It was 4' wide and I could touch the water on both sides at the same time. Needless to say, it was a small boat. But they love to go.


I pulled into a cove and killed the main motor, while I was dropping to trolling motor I heard a splash and thought it was a Bass jumping. Looked up to talk to the girls and noticed one was missing, turned around and she was swimming as fast as she could to catch me. Threw the trolling motor in reversed and picked her up. No sooner then I had her in the boat the other jumped overboard. Repeat and picked her up. Now I have a 16' deep v boat and when they get hot, they bark at me. I grab them buy the scruff of the neck and dunk them in the lake. Wait a couple minutes and pull them back in the boat. They curl up in the sun and dry off. We repeat this several times throughout the day. I also installed an old patio umbrella in the boat so they have shade.

As for the camper, they make great watch dogs. They bark at Racoons, a habit they picked up from me yelling at coons while we camped in a tent. Coons sure make a mess of a campsite if they go unchecked. I'll be taking them again this weekend. 2 day Crappie tournament, camping trip.

Below is a 2 minute video I made about the 16' Deep-V boat. I bought it, stripped it to the hull, rebuilt it, and took a test drive, and finished with a couple of Illinois River Crappie the wife and I caught. You can see the girls in it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcd4v25SHpI

I was camping in the pop up with all the kids and woke up slowly realizing there were people talking right outside my camper. They were talking about a dog that had gotten loose walking around the camp ground and everyone was afraid to approach it. I'm not scared of dogs so I considered helping until I looked at my watch and saw it was 6am. No way. So I closed my eyes to fall back asleep as they continued talking when all of a sudden it hit me that it was MY dog they were talking about! Lol, he's a big scary looking guy so they were all scared of him. He somehow let himself out over night so I jumped up and went out to grab him lol