RV With Pets?

Ned said:

We do have a dog that listens to us, most of the time  

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Yeah, right, you just keep telling yourself that Sasha listens to you 

Ok, some of the time?  She does come when we say "FOOD"

My cat Tarzan has lived in his motorhome since he was 6 weeks. He loves it. He loves going for a ride. When I start the engine he hops up in the co-pilots seat and helps me navigate. I am only his chauffeur and litter box attendant.

Make no mistake. RVing with pets is a pain in the butt. If you are willing to accept the trade off, then you will be fine. Just realize that they will have to go "out" when it's raining, when it's freezing cold, and when it's dark.  Accept that you can't leave rover when it's hot, when it's cold, or when it's wet. I have been RVing with pets for 13 years. It's just reality. They will make a mess, chew stuff up, and are expensive to keep.  Shots, license, food, and grooming.  If you are willing to accept all that goes with it, then they can be great companions.  But it's not free.

No cats here either; I'm extremely allergic. I don't need to know there's a cat on board but, in the worst case, I carry a pill that would be dispensed on the way to the ER.

.... so are husbands and I wouldn't classify either as a PITA.

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Hey Wendy, I need you to talk to Chris  ;D

Not trying to be harsh, just realistic.  Like I said, 13 years with a dog. There are requirements that can't be avoided. I believe in going into every situation with as much info as possible. Only then can you make an honest appraisal of the situation. If the OP asked about RVing with pets, they should know all of the pluses and minuses. Then they can make a judgement as to their own situation. And husbands can take themselves to the bathroom.........

Ok, Tom, I'll talk to Chris about PITA husbands if you tell me what you did with my post ???  ;D

Wendy

Oops Wendy, I edited your post instead of quoted it. Soooory.

We travel with our pekingese dog and a African Grey bird. They seam to enjoy the experience. They just want to be with the wife and I where ever we go!

pourme said:

We travel with our pekingese dog and a African Grey bird. They seam to enjoy the experience. They just want to be with the wife and I where ever we go!

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I almost cried when I read your post. My best friend for 23 years was Winston, a Congo Gray. No other bird can compare.

seilerbird said:

I almost cried when I read your post. My best friend for 23 years was Winston, a Congo Gray. No other bird can compare.

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Gonzo is 13 years old. We enjoy her tremendously!...

Sorry for your loss..... :'(

thanks pigman,
he is feeling pretty sorry for himself right now, and to make matters worse the vet thought she was doing me a favor and trimmed his claws...........now he can't get a grip on anything to climb........i hope in the next few weeks things will change for him...........we'll start the MH training tomorrow .....

your kitty looks happy and healthy...........

Ned said:

No cats here, we're both allergic.  We do have a dog that listens to us, most of the time

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Ned,

Are you sure you didn't mean to say, "We do have a dog that listens to us, sometimes?"

R

RLSharp said:

Ned,

Are you sure you didn't mean to say, "We do have a dog that listens to us, sometimes?"

R

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I have a dog that listened to me.... once... but what a great day that was!

SargeW said:

Make no mistake. RVing with pets is a pain in the butt. .... Just realize that they will have to go "out" when it's raining, when it's freezing cold, and when it's dark.  Accept that you can't leave rover when it's hot, when it's cold, or when it's wet. I have been RVing with pets for 13 years... They will make a mess, chew stuff up...

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I am sooooooooooo glad I haven't had your rough "pain in the butt" pet experience! 
I am avoiding the freezing weather and if it's raining, well there is the umbrella.I've taught my pooch not to tear up or chew MY toys aka the RV.  I keep him stocked with plenty of toys of his own.

Yes, you can leave your pet when it's hot or cold or wet. That's what the A/C, the heater and the fan and windows are for. I happen to like the fresh air, so as often as weather permits, I have all the windows open and sometimes the overhead fan going.  If it's pretty warm, I also run the exhaust fan, to keep the air moving. Puppy has been taught not to mess with the screens on the door or window. If it way too hot for open windows, or I don't have time, like I was in Orlando, it was 100 degrees and I had to shop, so I parked at the far end of the lot, and ran the generator for puppy with A/C while I shopped.

But this past week, I was gone 1-2-3 times a day for 1-4 hours at a time. I made sure puppy got a good walk before I left him alone. Then I showed him all his toys, put out some dry kibble and fresh water in case for any reason I ran late.  I left all the windows open, but they all have screens.  Then I told him STAY and locked the doors. He is not relegated to a crate, but he does have a cozy bed, that gets moved all over the RV and doubles as his car seat when we travel. I do put his harness and leash on when I am driving. I put his bed in the passenger seat and use the seatbelt to keep it there. Then I tie his leash to the armrest.  he can sit up and look out the window, or curl up in his bed. He often prefers a toy or two in his bed/carseat with him. Whenever I stop, even for gas, I unhook him from his leash, and let him roam freely in the RV, then after a "water the bush" break, I hook him back in and we drive away.

One day he woke up while I was driving,  and started whining, so I pulled over at the next exit and sure enough, he needed to water a bush. Afterwards I bought gas, while he ran around the motorhome inside, untethered, then I hooked him back in his seat and off we went again.

At the campgrounds, I often set up a super simple tether outside with a piece of clothesline that runs along the ground (not up in the air)  from my handle by the door to a tree or the picnic table. It's not taut, but rather really loose, so he can run back and forth.  Then I toss his play balls while he fetches. He is able to run back and forth chasing his football or softball or tennis ball or golf ball.  I recently added two soft frisbees to the outdoor mix and he loves playing frisbee too.  After a while, he finds a comfy spot and plops down, sniffing the grass or chewing on a stick.  I often go back inside to catch up on work and let him play outside,  if he is quiet. If he gets noisy, then I take him for a walk or bring him inside while I work.

Dogs can be trained to be well mannered and not a "pain in the butt." My puppy was only 5 months old when I rescued him 7 weeks ago. He had never had a harness or collar or walked on a leash before. I was told he was house broken, but he wasn't.He was severely undernourished.

I have spent time every day training him and he is slowly (very slowly) getting the hang of it all. In 7 weeks, we have been to 8 states, and camped in 14 or 15 different spots, including several "driveway" invitations at friends' homes.

I live in my 28 foot motorhome, year round, full time, I bought it to keep from being homeless. Every day I work at training him to be a great dog.

He has NOT torn up or chewed  a thing in the motorhome except he found a loose paper towel and shredded it, then I taught him that is a NO. I bought him TOYS and I play with him while training him. I taught him the word NO right away. He is also learning STOP, COME, SHHHH, STAY, DOWN BOY, SIT, and so on.  I toss his toys all over the motorhome and he fetches them and plays with them.

When he grabbed the throw rugs to taste test, I told him a firm NO and then tossed his toys at him to play with. When he tried to play with my shoes, I said NO and again, tossed his toys around and played with him. So now he knows, he can't tear up MY toys, but he has plenty of his own to play with.

I leave shoes by the door, shoes in the bedroom, shoes under the seat, and he knows they are NOT his toys.

One day while out with friends and the puppy was left alone, my friends speculated that the motorhome would be torn apart or chewed up. I said "Oh no, the only thing he will do is scatter his toys everywhere."  When we got back to my motorhome, I invited them in. What we found surprised them. Of course we had one super excited puppy (he is always like that when I come home.)  Not a thing was torn up, but there were toys on my bed, toys in the hallway, toys in his bed, toys scattered around everywhere.

Just for grins, I pointed out my shoes.  A pair was neatly parked by the door, right where I left them, another pair was neatly parked in my bedroom floor, untouched and the open garbage container, under the table, was sitting right where I left it, also untouched.

When I first got him, he was confused about where to pee and poop. So I began walking him every hour for two days and praised him lavishly when he did his business outside.  By day two he was acting embaressed at me making such a fuss over him everytime he did his business outdoors. Now I only need to walk him out to do his business 2-3 times a day.

He did have an accident, but it was sort of my fault.  He was over-served by well meaning friends,  at a steak cookout party and that night, he laid on his back, his belly overstuffed with steak treats.  Some time in the night, he made a booboo but he isn't even 7 months old yet. I am careful now that he doesn't get overserved at night.

I am thrilled to have him and he is not a "pain in the butt."

I am getting much needed exercise and we are both getting lots of love and having fun.  In many campgrounds you have to take out the garbage, so it's a good excuse to walk the dog, and take the garbage.

I keep a carabiner on the end of the leash, in case I have to hook the leash around a pole or something while I step inside the "no dogs allowed" office or laundry. Some places don't mind if he walks in the laundry room for 30 seconds while I toss the clothes in the wash, then we go back outside and play or walk or go back to the RV. Some campground offices, don't mind if he walks on his leash inside with me for the few minutes it takes to pay my camping fee.  Different places have different attitudes towards dogs.

Here are 2 pictures of my playful companion!

http://dearmissmermaid.blogspot.com/2010/06/over-hills-and-through-woods-to.html

Two border collies, one bearded collie (a foster dog, so very temperary), one parrot and one snake. No problems here. It's all about what your willing to work with 

RLSharp said:

Are you sure you didn't mean to say, "We do have a dog that listens to us, sometimes?"

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I said she listened, I didn't say she obeyed

in2adventure said:

Two border collies, one bearded collie (a foster dog, so very temperary), one parrot and one snake. No problems here. It's all about what your willing to work with 

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What type of snake?