Dogs

[MeandMB]

Failed to state in my original post that my initial question should have read if you folks had any complaints/suggestions while using your generators to assist the animals during the hot weather periods.

[SteSpot]

CoolK9

I googled K9 cooling systems.

[Skater]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

We were clearly in the shade, the windows were obviously open and the vent fan was on. Nonetheless, she clucked her tongue at us and walked off.

People like easy and simple rules to follow so they don't have to actually think. When I adopted my cat, I had to sign a thing saying I'd never leave him in a locked car. I remember thinking, "Even in cool weather?"

One thing not mentioned so far so I will: do keep your pet in a crate while on the road. We got into an accident with our B190 with Snowball (the cat) unrestrained. No damage to the cat, but we noticed - several minutes later - that the side window had shattered during the accident and at any time he could've jumped out onto the interstate. Fortunately he just wanted to sleep in his bed (actually, our bed).

In our B190, I ran the generator while traveling - the dash air in my B190 didn't work, so I'd use the generator to run the rooftop air even on the road. Then when I stopped it would already be running to help keep the camper cool. This never quite seemed to work as well as you'd hope; it had a tendency to shut down while I was on the road for various reasons. It was also a headache at gas stations - I always felt like I needed to shut it down and restart it after refilling (note the gen in the B190 was gasoline fueled, not propane). But once we had it running while stopped, it usually worked fine.

[ROBERT CROSS]

^
X2


"One thing not mentioned so far so I will: do keep your pet in a crate while on the road. We got into an accident with our B190 with Snowball (the cat) unrestrained. No damage to the cat, but we noticed - several minutes later - that the side window had shattered during the accident and at any time he could've jumped out onto the interstate. Fortunately he just wanted to sleep in his bed (actually, our bed)."
------------------------------

Before the AS, we had an accident on a cross-country trip.
Our OES was loose in the back of our Jimmy, not badly hurt, but tossed around pretty severely.
He was always a great traveller and anxious to go anywhere we went, jumped right in as soon as the door opened. After the incident he had to be lifted in, and got car sick on most trips. Not fun with a 100lb furry sheepdog.


We have crated ever since....

Bob

[Silverflames]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

^
X2

"One thing not mentioned so far so I will: do keep your pet in a crate while on the road. We got into an accident with our B190 with Snowball (the cat) unrestrained. No damage to the cat, but we noticed - several minutes later - that the side window had shattered during the accident and at any time he could've jumped out onto the interstate. Fortunately he just wanted to sleep in his bed (actually, our bed)."
------------------------------

Before the AS, we had an accident on a cross-country trip.
Our OES was loose in the back of our Jimmy, not badly hurt, but tossed around pretty severely.
He was always a great traveller and anxious to go anywhere we went, jumped right in as soon as the door opened. After the incident he had to be lifted in, and got car sick on most trips. Not fun with a 100lb furry sheepdog.

We have crated ever since....

Bob

Sounds like a case of doggie PTSD.

[28Argosy]

Love the use of soft crates. When not in use, flat as a pancake.
We should start a thread like post pictures of your dogs

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by 28Argosy

Love the use of soft crates. When not in use, flat as a pancake.
We should start a thread like post pictures of your dogs

Like a pet photo contest?.....

Bob

[Stefrobrts]

I have been putting a lot of thought into doggie restraint lately. Our pups just hop in and ride on the seat, but I am worried about what would happen in an accident. I don't like the looks of the harnesses, I think they would be more comfortable in a crate. Do you think the soft crate would provide any protection in an accident? I was thinking about getting airline type kennels and fastening them down (we have a full size van so there's room).

[ROBERT CROSS]

Stephanie,

The soft one we use has a pretty sturdy frame and the nylon mesh has stood up very well.....BUT, all our K9's have been crate trained from an early age. The soft ones would not be a good choice for a dog intent on getting out.
As long as you can secure the crate I'm sure it will keep them from injury in all but the worst scenario.

We used the folding wire crates and exercise pens long before getting the soft one. A little heavier but if your unsure might be worth trying.


Bob

[Stefrobrts]

I'll have to look into it. Ours have crates in the house to sleep in (if they choose) but we've spoiled them in the car

[SteSpot]

We have always restrained our boxer...first in the Tundra Xtra cab with bars between us and now with a foldable wire crate in the Denali that is fastened down. I sure don't want a 50 pound boxer to become a projectile in an accident let alone what shape he would end up in. I was warned that he should be in a harness in the Tundra....but the space was so small that we sort of left him loose in the back seat. I feel better about him being in the crate in the Denali....he knows it is his place and he just jumps right in. Only problem is we can't open the back door with the trailer hitched....so we have to let him enter and exit from the front of the back (behind the second row seat). We removed the third row seats and put them in the attic....then we fold the second row seats forward....we have the biggest two seater Denali.....and we never let him put his head out the window when moving......too many reported eye injuries. But he is in the crate so it is not an issue. Unfortunately he blew through the soft crate fairly quickly.....so I don't recommend that for active dogs (ie Boxers). He is now 6 years old and we have been told that by the time he is 8 he will mellow out. Here's hoping.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

Thank you, our sentiments exactly.

We did a whirlwind tour of Mount Vernon a couple of summers ago, after having raced to get there in the morning and locating a very shady area under a tree where we could leave Lily safely.

Windows were open, vent fan was running, she had plenty of water, etc., etc.

We came out about 1 1/2 hours later to find a woman standing close to the Interstate, and Lily barking furiously. She said she belonged to "Lab rescue" and was concerned that our dog was left inside the vehicle in the heat.

We told her we had carefully selected the shade, it was not the heat of the day, it was warm but not excessively so inside, the dog had plenty of water, and all that.

We were clearly in the shade, the windows were obviously open and the vent fan was on. Nonetheless, she clucked her tongue at us and walked off.

About 5 minutes later, we had lunch set out at a nearby picnic table, Lily with us.......up comes a park ranger, telling us he had a report of a dog left alone in a vehicle. We explained, he saw, he left.

We were angry and rather insulted by this woman's behavior. People live in houses without air conditioning, and have pets. Common sense should prevail, this woman seemed to have none.

Some people seem to have no life, but to try and cause aggravation for others. I try to pity them.


Maggie

Hi, basically our house doesn't have air conditioning and we have had five dogs since we lived in this house. [we have a small window air conditioner and a portable air conditioner now] A house takes a long time to heat up, a car heats up very quickly, and an RV is somewhere in between, but closer to the car. We will only leave our dog in our trailer for a few hours in cool weather, we trade off staying with him, we hired a pet sitter in Alaska, and we will take him in our air conditioned Lincoln Navigator, if it's warm out. Dusty's safety is a major concern especially since he is now 16 years old.

[SteveSueMac]

Several years ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting Paris. I was amazed at how many people had their dogs with them, including in restaurants.

Is that so bad an idea? It would be great if more places were dog friendly. I know that creates other issues (liability, health concerns, etc)...

Just noodling...

I'm afraid to leave Daisy in the trailer alone for two reasons. First, if she panics in our absence (she is a bit clingy) she'll destroy the trailer and hurt herself in the process. Second, we've been at a park whose electricity wasn't very reliable. We lost power several times during our stay and that shut off the AC. While only a few minutes at a time, if that were an extended delay it could be fatal.

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

Several years ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting Paris. I was amazed at how many people had their dogs with them, including in restaurants.

Is that so bad an idea? It would be great if more places were dog friendly. I know that creates other issues (liability, health concerns, etc)...

We were in Paris last fall, and noticed the same thing.....dogs everywhere, including restaurants.

We are seeing more and more restrictions on pets, as we travel. National Parks, outside venues such as art fairs, campgrounds with no-pets areas and campgrounds with a seemingly arbitrary fee-per-day for pets.

While my first response to no-pet areas was......it really seems only fair that people who don't like, or are allergic to, dogs be able to camp without exposure. That's reasonable.

Fees per day per pet (including a privatized NP campground) are harder to understand. Kind of like resort fees at Encore.


Maggie

[ROBERT CROSS]

Funny.....for some reason when 'Fado' is wearing his life vest he can go just about everywhere.

Bob

[Len n Jeanne]

One issue about pets in public places is sanitation. I once asked a park ranger about the NPS No Dogs on Trails policy, and it was basically a doggy do-do issue. Today maybe more people are educated about picking up after their pets, but then carrying a full doggy-baggy isn't my idea of a fun 5-mile hike. Our local farmers' market banned dogs after they were observed lifting their leg on vendors' bedding plants, being tied up in the hot sun unattended, being let off-leash, and so on.

Also, some dogs are aggressive. We had a cute little border collie once who was pretty scrappy with dogs whom she labeled as predators-- the more wolf-looking breeds. We never let her go up to another dog to "make friends" as she might try to tangle with them; but surprisingly some other dog owners just assumed she was friendly. Also, she wasn't used to tiny children-- I don't know what she read them as, but it wasn't positive. It is amazing how many parents will let their tots walk up to a strange dog and try to pet it when they have no idea how the dog will react. We could keep our dog under control but had little control over other people.

Personally I wouldn't want dogs-- beyond the already permissable service dogs in restaurants or shops. Having two kids with asthma: you don't want the shedding breeds in places where they might aggravate a pet hair allergy.

Sadly, the irresponsible dog owners-- and parents-- can make life more difficult for the responsible ones.

[Stefrobrts]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

Several years ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting Paris. I was amazed at how many people had their dogs with them, including in restaurants.

Is that so bad an idea? It would be great if more places were dog friendly. I know that creates other issues (liability, health concerns, etc)...

I would love that But we've created our own problems here. Since dogs aren't allowed to go anywhere, they don't know how to behave when they do, and bad dog owners make life difficult for everyone.

Service dogs are trained from the time they are puppies, socialized, and look how well they learn to behave when in public. If all dogs had responsible owners and got that kind of training, there's no reason they couldn't come sit quietly under your table at a restaurant while you had dinner, or walk around the store with you while you shop.

Not allowing dogs on trails because idiots don't pick up after them or let them chase wildlife is a pet peeve of mine. I have been on trails where dogs are not allowed, so I didn't take mine, but guess what, those idiots still take their dogs anyway, so who does the law punish? Responsible pet owners

[SteveSueMac]

Excellent points, all.


We just stayed at a campground in Bozrah, CT that identities themselves as pet friendly. That's mostly accurate until you learn that they DO NOT ALLOW you to walk your dog in the campground! I'm not making this up! They want you to DRIVE your dog to their "dog park" to poop. Ok, so day 1 we were outside the park most of the day and Daisy did her business outside the park. I knew a walk around our area wouldn't produce a package so that was the pre-bedtime walk the first night. But next morning fir our first walk of the day, I pack her up and drive - I'm not kidding - the 10 minutes through the park (and 2 security gates) to get to the dog park which is ok, but really too rocky for dogs to run around much. Package delivered and we do the 10 minute drive back to our site.

I opted for 10 minute walks for the rest of the visit instead. I always pick up after her and resented the fact that other people's irresponsibility created such a silly policy. Perhaps a better approach is a $100 fine if you're caught not picking up after Fido or an expulsion...

Pretty campground with lots of good activities for kids and such but felt a bit penalized for having a dog. :-(

I know. First world problems for sure :-)

[SteSpot]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

Excellent points, all.


We just stayed at a campground in Bozrah, CT that identities themselves as pet friendly. That's mostly accurate until you learn that they DO NOT ALLOW you to walk your dog in the campground! I'm not making this up! They want you to DRIVE your dog to their "dog park" to poop. Ok, so day 1 we were outside the park most of the day and Daisy did her business outside the park. I knew a walk around our area wouldn't produce a package so that was the pre-bedtime walk the first night. But next morning fir our first walk of the day, I pack her up and drive - I'm not kidding - the 10 minutes through the park (and 2 security gates) to get to the dog park which is ok, but really too rocky for dogs to run around much. Package delivered and we do the 10 minute drive back to our site.

I opted for 10 minute walks for the rest of the visit instead. I always pick up after her and resented the fact that other people's irresponsibility created such a silly policy. Perhaps a better approach is a $100 fine if you're caught not picking up after Fido or an expulsion...

Pretty campground with lots of good activities for kids and such but felt a bit penalized for having a dog. :-(

I know. First world problems for sure :-)

We stayed at an RV "resort" in Tucson last February for a week.....it was a very long week...when we pulled in there was a sign that said "No Dogs beyond this point". We looked at each other because they advertised themselves as "pet friendly". They meant that we could either walk our dog outside the park (cactus and all) or we could "drive to the rear of the park" and park and walk to the rear where there was a locked gate that allowed us to access a very small chain link fenced enclosure that had "Beware of snakes" signs nearby. They gave us a key to the gate. Oh, I forgot, you could carry your dog inside the park....but our 50 pound boxer was not to be carried...Most of the residents owned small lots with manufactured homes parked there and they stayed for the winter season. They kept a small number of perimeter spots for transients like us that allows them to call themselves an "RV park." We had earlier stayed at the Lazy Days park that was very dog friendly. Upon checking out the other "seasonal" parks in Tucson, we found the unfriendly to dogs more the rule than not.

[SilverGate]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

^
X2


"One thing not mentioned so far so I will: do keep your pet in a crate while on the road. We got into an accident with our B190 with Snowball (the cat) unrestrained. No damage to the cat, but we noticed - several minutes later - that the side window had shattered during the accident and at any time he could've jumped out onto the interstate. Fortunately he just wanted to sleep in his bed (actually, our bed)."
------------------------------

Before the AS, we had an accident on a cross-country trip.
Our OES was loose in the back of our Jimmy, not badly hurt, but tossed around pretty severely.
He was always a great traveller and anxious to go anywhere we went, jumped right in as soon as the door opened. After the incident he had to be lifted in, and got car sick on most trips. Not fun with a 100lb furry sheepdog.

We have crated ever since....

Bob

Thanks Bob for sharing your experiences. Our 2 dogs always travel in crates for safety. Our F-250 nicely holds 2 medium size Vari Kennels on the folded-down back seat. I placed a cushion and towel in each crate. After the dogs go in, the crates are secured with a strap attached to the cab. This setup allows us to visually check on our dogs while traveling.

More information: Traveling and Pet Safety