But the problems only start when the dog owners don't realize that not everyone loves their Fido as much as they do.
I'd say that 99% of the people here who camp with dogs are good at picking up after them. In fact, I haven't seen one dog poop on the ground that wasn't being picked up, but Ruth says that she had to pick up one. So that part of it hasn't really been an issue so far this year.
Our dog Whiskey, taken back in November of 2007.
We miss Whiskey, but we don't miss owning a dog!
I have had to tell several people to make sure they had their dogs on leash, even around their personal trailer area. But it wasn't like the dog was running around the park loose. Everyone receives a copy of our dog rules, so I don't know what it is that makes them forget. But again, it hasn't been a big deal.
And I haven't seen any dogs being left alone. So far, this hasn't been a problem.
Our park's dog rules.
But the problem we have had relates to dogs barking. Not badly...just enough to be slightly annoying to some people.
And it turned out that one lady was camping with three dogs. For most people, one dog is enough. Two? Okay, I suppose. But three dogs? Why would you put yourself in that situation? Isn't life difficult enough?? Lol.
Each to their own, I suppose, but it sure does make it hard to control. Because one starts barking and they all follow suit. It is certainly not music to everyone's ears!
Anyhow, I had to have a chat with this lady regarding her dogs, and I guess she simply didn't realize that they were going to be a problem. She's made other arrangements and two of the dogs are going home. Hopefully the third one isn't the instigator, but I guess we'll see.
Whiskey loved the motorhome.
Anyhow, happy to see that this year people who do have their dogs with them seem to be pretty good on an overall basis at following the rules. I think that what we learned from last year was that you have to be very strict with people, otherwise they will feel as if there are no consequences to their actions.
Stay tuned for our next giveaway. It's coming, I'm just not ready yet. But it will definitely be of interest to our RV'ing readers!
Amazon has a 128 GB USB flash drive on sale...almost free, today only...I've never seen them this cheap!
Know what you mean..Riggs is our furkid but traveling with him definitely has minuses. Fortunately he really doesnt care to be outside long because he is a barker, everyone and everything that goes by, and if a dog really wants to bark you cant stop him, so we try to hustle him in and out as quickly as possible. also in our favor is that he can go long stretches without being out so there isnt any 5am potty breaks
ReplyDeleteAgreed! Whiskey was a small dog compared to Riggs and although she was very good there were still things we couldn't do because we had her. We miss her dearly but we are also happy to just enjoy other people's dogs. we were also very lucky that we could leave her if need be by herself in the motorhome and she stayed quiet.
DeleteYes, we try VERY hard to never let our dogs be an inconvenience to anyone else. I hate to be parked next to a barking dog... argghhh! When tied out on ropes, it's ONLY when we are out there with them. Flyswatter in hand for a quick tap on the nose if they do bark. Now it just takes a shake of the swatter in our hand and they don't even THINK of barking! LOL When we do leave them in our motorhome (not very often if ever) we close all the blinds, we turn up the tv or radio loud enough to drown out any outside noises. Also, set up a video camera to film your dogs for 2 hours or whatever limit you have on your disk. You will then know what Fido is up to while you are gone!
ReplyDeleteI think for the most part people are very good with their dogs but it's the ones that aren't that seem to cause a problem for all dog owners. Yes, dogs can be talk at a young age not to bark or at least to stop barking when told too and yes, you have to work with them but it can be done. We never videoed Whiskey but when we would come back we would always ask our neighbour if they heard her or not, the answer was always, no.
DeleteI like dogs. Really I do. As long as they're quiet. Same goes for kids I suppose. And motorcycles, and skateboards. But let's not get carried away.
ReplyDeleteTypically, "camping" of most any sort involves some sort of "rest and relaxation". Hard to do that with a dog yapping within earshot. AND, dogs can be taught not to bark. I know! Who would have thought, but it is possible. You just have to be someone willing to train the dog. Most owners haven't a clue.
Oh, and I like what Karen had to say above. Very clever. Dogs need to know exactly who the "Alpha" is.
You are right Bob, it's is always the dogs that are noisy! That is one of many reasons why we love boondocking out in the middle of nowhere with no one around.
DeleteI got lucky with Sammy, he's the rare dog that does not bark. I don't know if it's because I scolded him when he was little or he just doesn't care for making noise. We can be walking and see other dogs and they bark like crazy and he just ignores them and carries along on his way. I could leave him leashed up outside the rig for hours and since he doesn't bark I tend to forget he's there! I guess he's the exxeptiom to the rule
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky, if you can go walking and he doesn't bother with other dogs. Whiseky, always wanted to see other dogs until she got up to them, especially the big ones and then she would be a total chicken. And unless we were out in the middle of nowhere she would be on a leash because she didn't always listen to us when we would call for her to come. In a campground she was always on a leash.
DeleteWe have had dogs and cats and horses and burros and a long string of other animals all our lives UNTIL we started RVing. We waited until they had all passed on and I'm very glad. I love animals but I do expect people to make sure they are well behaved and that includes no barking if they are going to bring them out in public. Good for you for having rules that are actually enforced. Most parks we go to have rules about all kinds of things including generator hours, quiet hours and dogs but no one enforces them so they might as well not have them.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you Sherry, it is up to the people to make sure they behave if not then they should keep the dogs at home. We have to enforce it otherwise there is a possibility that they could ban dogs from the park. It would make our lives easier but we do like to see the dogs in the campground, especially when they are well behaved and happy.
DeleteThey don't "forget" -
ReplyDeleteThey simply don't care
That is sometimes very true!
DeleteIt's a tough situation. Just like Whiskey, we have loved our fur kids over the years and have always traveled with them except for our four month Canada trip. Mexico seems to be a lot more pet friendly for us. Now that we only have one 15 year old cat left, that's it until we decide to settle down for old age, if that ever happens. If you;re the type that's on the move, likes to hike and sightsee, it's very hard on both pet and owner as well as the neighbors.
ReplyDeleteYep we really love animals but they sure can tie you down.
DeleteThat particular 128GB drive has a read speed of barely 10 MB/s, which is ridiculously slow. Given the long lifetime of these things, nowadays the focus should be more on the interface, eg USB 3.0, USB 3.1, or even the newest USB-C. Similar sized drives are now up to 30 times faster. Do you want a backup to take 10 minutes---or 5 hours?
ReplyDeleteGood point Doug. But for those retired folks with time on their hands...? lol
DeleteEven us retired folks have better things to do with our time, such as watching paint dry ;) At 3 MB/s it would take 12 hours to fill up this thing
DeleteIt's been my observation that people who own barking dogs don't hear them barking! How that's possible, I do not know. Incessant barking sends me right over the edge. Good for you, taking care of the problem. For all of us with tender tympanums, I say thank you!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't get how it can't drive them nuts too! By setting out the rules from the get go, they know they have to toe the line or risk having the dog sent packing so it certainly seems like it is working out better this year.
Delete