Traveling with a dog

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marcb

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We're planning to take some 2-3 week trips next year and see some sights like Yellowstone, Grand Canyou, Mount Rushmore, etc, and am wondering what you guys do with your pets while you are sightseeing? Short sightseeing jaunts I wouldn't see as a problem, but what about something that could take a full day, like the GC? I guess we could would leave our 98Lb Yellow Lab in the camper, and just stop back every 3-4 hours, but was thinking there might be instances where we could leave him at a doogie day camp so he could have some fun too. Any insight will be appreciated.

Do places like the YS and the GC even permit pets?

Thank you,....marc & Joan
 
I am currently camped near Yellowstone and have taken our 2 Bernese Mtn Dogs with us into the park while sightseeing. The rules in the park require that your dog must not be more than 100 feet from a parking or pull off area, so you can't go hiking. We have seen a lot of wildlife from the truck but have also not been able to see some of the attractions. You can leave your dog in the vehicle (the rules state this) but of course ventilation is an issue. The YNP website lists kennels and doggie day care options outside of the park. If your dog has the intestinal fortitude to be left in the camper that is what I would do. Unfortunately, my 4 month old puppy is only good for about 4 hrs so we have been taking the dogs with us as we have been exploring about 10 hrs each day. Hope this helps.  Mark
 
Grand Canyon allows dogs on paved trails and the rim trail is mostly paved. They are not allowed on non-paved trails. There is a pet boarding facility located at the south rim inside the park. We have a cat and she does just fine inside the motorhome, even when the temperature inside the motorhome gets over 100. But domestic cats are all decended from desert cats and so they handle high temperatures much better than dogs do. If I had a 98 pound dog and a camper and I was going on a two week vacation I would board him at a local pet boarding facility so I could enjoy my vacation and now worry about walking the dog or having the dog overheat.
 
marcb said:
We're planning to take some 2-3 week trips next year and see some sights like Yellowstone, Grand Canyou, Mount Rushmore, etc, and am wondering what you guys do with your pets while you are sightseeing? Short sightseeing jaunts I wouldn't see as a problem, but what about something that could take a full day, like the GC? I guess we could would leave our 98Lb Yellow Lab in the camper, and just stop back every 3-4 hours, but was thinking there might be instances where we could leave him at a doogie day camp so he could have some fun too. Any insight will be appreciated.
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What you do with the dog depends on the RV you get and whether or not it is sited at a campground with power to run the A/C.  

I have a 23' travel trailer.   At a campground with good 120VAC power, in hot weather we simply leave the dog in the trailer.   Even at short lunch stops we will house the dog in the trailer even with the A/C off rather than leave him in the truck.

Note I said trailer.   A trailer does not have a windshield and it is insulated and is usually light in color -- ours is white.  Motorhomes and vans have large, curved and slanted windshields to magnify greenhouse effects.    I would not leave a dog alone in an motor vehicle unless that vehicle was on 120VAC power and the A/C was running, and the windshield was covered by a reflective mask.  

Do places like the YS and the GC even permit pets?
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Read the rules: Go to  www.nps.gov and search on pets.
 
What about Work camping at Yellowstone ?
I was thinking about this in 2011 as a work camper can you have a dog or 2 ?
 
Here is my rule for taking care of my dog, simple really, If the dog can not go with me I don't go.

He is small dog, 6lbs.  However if I had a big dog I would do as someone suggested earlier in is thread, board the dog close to where you live or better yet hire someone to dog set so the dog is in his own environment.  Someone to feed and water him and take him for a walk a couple times a day. If something was to happen to the dog setter deal then I would have a back up plan arranged with a boarding kennel.
 
papahog said:
Here is my rule for taking care of my dog, simple really, If the dog can not go with me I don't go.
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Amen, Ken.

Now I'm not going to leave my dog on the east coast while I go to the west coast.  He does go with me even when I don't know exactly where I'm going.  The decisions to board or crate him are made by the day while we are traveling.  The dog is about 65lbs.  He's had two $2.5k ACL operations since January.  That should give you some idea what I think of this "free" rescue pound hound.  He has owned me for 12 years.
 
Roy, I am workamping in YS this year with our dog. He stays in the MH connected to shore power and a fantastic fan in case power goes out.  Up until recently we had to be more concerned with the furnace however. 

SnowDog, sorry we missed you, I was at the fly fish course when you stopped by.  Working Tues, off Wed Thu.  Maybe if you are back in the area. 

 
Roy said:
What about Work camping at Yellowstone ?
I was thinking about this in 2011 as a work camper can you have a dog or 2 ?
Click to expand...

It rarely gets very hot at Yellowstone so a dog should be no problem there.

http://www.wunderground.com/NORMS/DisplayNORMS.asp?AirportCode=KP60&StateCode=WY&SafeCityName=Yellowstone_National_Park&Units=none&IATA=WEY&normals=on
 
I can't imagine not taking our 85-pound yellow lab with us when we travel. He loves to go and we love to have him along. Parks vary on where dogs can and can't go so be sure to check the rules. We return to the motorhome (yes, motorhome) periodically to check on him. How often depends on the weather. If it's absolutely horribly hot, we don't leave him alone in the motorhome. If the coach is parked somewhere without hookups and it's warm, we leave all the windows open. He usually sleeps on the bed where there's a nice breeze. And we always make sure he has plenty of water. So far, we've had no complaints from him :)

Wendy
Dillon Reservoir, Colorado
 
One of the main reasons we still have a motorhome is to take our dog (Maltese).  We go to the National Parks alot and dogs are not allowed on the trails.  Buddy stays in our air conditioned motorhome while we take the car.  He patiently waits for us to get back to him and take him for a walk so he can show off for the girls!  ;D
 
Wendy said:
I can't imagine not taking our 85-pound yellow lab with us when we travel. He loves to go and we love to have him along. Parks vary on where dogs can and can't go so be sure to check the rules. We return to the motorhome (yes, motorhome) periodically to check on him. How often depends on the weather. If it's absolutely horribly hot, we don't leave him alone in the motorhome. If the coach is parked somewhere without hookups and it's warm, we leave all the windows open. He usually sleeps on the bed where there's a nice breeze. And we always make sure he has plenty of water. So far, we've had no complaints from him :)
Wendy
Dillon Reservoir, Colorado
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I have noticed that some  RV parks have a rule that dogs cannot be left in the RV unattended. Others with a rule of how large the dog can be. In all previous trips we took our two fifty pound mutts with us. But we are considering NOT taking them on our next RV trip into Alberta in about six weeks. Seems there will be less to worry about without the mutts and a lot more freedom. Have you ever tried NOT taking him along for a good comparison?

We still have not decided if we are taking the doggies or not.

                                                                 
-Don-​

 
We have left the dog in the local kennel when traveling places that we were going to stay in a hotel. We have also kenneled the dog for brief periods during our travels. But I hated it and worried about him every minute. Like Mark, one of the reasons we have a motorhome is so our hairy kid can travel with us.

Wendy
Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado
 
We have a 50 pd Husky/mix and we keep a collapsible kennel in the basement. If we're going to be gone for a while, out comes the kennel and in goes the hound.
We only do this when there is shore power available or we're close enough to keep an eye on the generator. I've never seen the rule about not keeping an unattended dog in an RV-how would they know?? The dog has never minded this arrangement and we've been gone for 8 hours at a time.
 
mdbass said:
I've never seen the rule about not keeping an unattended dog in an RV-how would they know??
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Clearly your dog is not like mine.  The neighbors, the camp staff, the police, people flying overhead in airplanes, and possibly the astronauts on the space station would know if I left mine in the RV. My mutts don't just bark. They howl. And I think Dolby engineered their voiceboxes, 'cause they howl LOUD.

 
mdbass said:
I've never seen the rule about not keeping an unattended dog in an RV-how would they know??
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I think it was  one of the several RV parks I checked in Alberta which said "pets could not be left in the RV unattended", but I cannot remember which one.

But I assume what they don't know will make it  okay anyway. ;D

-Don- SSF, CA​



 
I've seen a lot of RV parks that said pets could not be left outside unattended. I've seen a bunch that said not to leave pets unattended but didn't specifiy inside or outside. Only a handful have said not to leave pets unattended inside the RV. I figure, if the dog is quiet, it's ok to leave them inside alone but if they're mouthy, you'd best take them with you when you go out. And Good Pet Owners should know if their hairy angels are quiet when they're gone (try sneaking back at odd times to see if they're making noise or ask your neighbors - they'll tell you and you should believe them).

Wendy
 
PancakeBill said:
Roy, I am workamping in YS this year with our dog. He stays in the MH connected to shore power and a fantastic fan in case power goes out.  Up until recently we had to be more concerned with the furnace however. 

SnowDog, sorry we missed you, I was at the fly fish course when you stopped by.  Working Tues, off Wed Thu.  Maybe if you are back in the area. 
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Bill,I too am sorry we missed you, your co-workers were very nice. We enjoyed our trips into the park, we did have our dogs with us in the truck, they had ample opportunities to get out and stretch thier legs, granted there were some things we missed because we had the "kids" with us but we did see alot and would rather miss a few things than leave our dogs at home. We bought our first motorhome a few years ago and gave up cruising and flying around the world so we could have the dogs with us, it's been very rewarding. Since we left Yellowstone we have been to Mt. Rushmore, Estese Park, Co (Rocky Mtn Nat. Park) and are now in Littleton, CO. at Chatfield State Park (probably one of the nicest campgrounds I have ever been in). Hopefully our paths will cross in the future.  Mark
 
One idea I read that I thought was great, on a day when you need to be gone from the RV for a fairly long time, schedule a grooming appointment for your dog. Grooming is almost always an all day event, your dog is cared for, safe AND clean.
 
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