What we do when staying in RV parks is to take the dogs along. Our dogs are bigger and will stay quiet in their travel cages in the van when we shop, etc. This is based on it being weather permitting. When staying longer term, sometimes a neighbor/friend there will help out but that requires a lot of faith being put in the other person. Some places have doggie daycare available especially in the snowbird areas of the country. When we were living in Pima County, AZ (Tucson-area) it was against the law to have a pet confined alone in your car, tied outside or in a fenced yard unless the fence was dog proof so you need to be careful of local laws not to mention that a lot of people had complaints because they put their small dogs on the long leashes and coyotes, well, we all know what they do and cats need to stay confined also.

We didn't full-time with a cat but we did extended stays with a cat but a smaller one. I can't remember where we kept the litter box but we kept it very clean and used the liners so it didn't present a major problem. I know at one point, the cat had a travel cage that was large enough to have a smaller litter box in the back of the cage which worked out well.

And, yes, barking dogs are the problem and getting two dogs doesn't give them company so that they don't bark. Many people think their dogs don't bark. I once recorded the sounds in our house when we were away and found that our dog had sounds I had never heard before. Another reason dogs are being banned is because people don't clean up after their pets.

Patti,

Welcome to the RV Dreams forums.  You have definitely joined a group of very knowledgeable folks with answers to all kinds of questions on RV's and the RV lifestyle.  Glad to have you as part of the family.

As for pictures, I've not discovered a good way to insert photos without using a photo hosting site.  I happened to choose Photobucket for my hosting site, largely because they are free to join and post photos.  The site isn't perfect in that although they give one the option of preventing someone from "stealing" one's photos by the "right-click, save-as" method, I found a way where the photos can still be stolen by that very method.

Anyway, in the "Guidelines and Suggestions" category of the forums, I posted a thread that describes the process of embedding photos into the body of one's message.  Here is a direct link to that thread:

Guidelines Regarding Embedding Photos into Forum Posts

Terry

Thank you everyone for your helpful (and funny) ideas.   As all dog owners know, the "kids" become the family you can't or don't want to be without.

I know we will figure this out when we start our first trip.  We did a shake down only 3 hours from home and stayed in my uncle's driveway overnight   LOL

Looking forward to chatting more when we get our coach back from the dealer (putting a new dashboard in).

 

We just have one cat. But we have ignored such rules our entire RVing time and not had a problem. Our cat will talk if we leave the windows open, so we leave with the air conditioning running.

Welcome! We have only been in one park where there was an issue with leaving our pup unattended in our rig and it was our fault. We were in a state park in AZ and went out for lunch, not putting the pup in her "box". Got back to the park after being gone a short time and had a Host note on our door. Our bad! If we had put her in her box where she feels very safe, she wouldn't have barked. Since she is 45 lbs her box does take up a lot of space in our living room. (It's a collapsible one and ends up as a convenient spot to dump odds and ends when we're static. :(

We do find traveling with a dog restrictive. This morning we were talking about taking a boat to tour Catalina Island but we can't leave our dog that long. In our S&B, we just called our dog sitter when we wanted to be gone for the day. We've never gotten her a kennel cough vaccine as we've never boarded her but I think we will so we have that option.

In our rig there is just enough space between one of the bath doors and the shower to put the litter box. And we just use the second door.

We've said that we wouldn't get another cat and dog should something happen to one of ours because of the restrictions and because it wouldn't be fair to a pet given our ages. They do make us laugh every day and bring us great joy.

Sherry

We had two dogs and a cat for most of our eleven years of full timing. We ignored the rules and left them in the motor home with the shades down so they couldn't see out. We left the TV on and ran the AC if necessary.
We had one complaint from a woman in a park model a couple of sites over and across the street from us. The woman next door said the complainer was full of crap and the dogs had briefly barked once when the complainer and a friend had walked through our site and the dogs heard them talking.

Due to health and age issues both dogs had to be put to sleep a few years ago and we decided not to get any more until we were finished RVing.

Our first cat passed away two years ago - an aneurysm the vet thought.
We have two cats now (from shelters). We have a covered litter box that sits in front of our closet in the hall when we are stopped for a while.

I have seen openings cut into the space under dinettes with an opening inside that goes down into a basement compartment with a litter box there.

Other people have posted that they keep one in the shower.

-- Edited by Clay L on Saturday 14th of December 2013 01:36:02 PM

We had two cats in several different RVs when we full-timed. Since we never boondocked and used park showers, we used a shower curtain to line the tub so no litter would go into the drain, put the litter box in the tub and, while we were parked kept the door ajar. Our cats were also used to going outside with us and doing their "thing". I cleaned the litter box frequently and had no problem with odors.

Before we met, my husband traveled with his mini "wiener dog" and she would howl when he left her. His solution was to ask for the site farthest away from other RVs and also, if he had neighbors, to explain to them that she would howl for a few minutes and then be quiet all day long.

Since our pets are our children we make small sacrifices to keep them healthy happy. It's worth it.!

Just a reminder that some people do work the night shift when full-timing and there are those that travel to an area in order to receive treatment for an illness, babies/toddlers trying to nap, etc. A barking dog or two can be a real liability in those circumstances and those that don't follow the rules and leave their dogs there alone and barking are the ones that contribute heavily to pets being totally banned.

Additionally, there can be limits on weight often 20 lbs or less or the number of pets and, of course, some have fees for pets.  Some RV parks don't allow certain breeds and the list of those breeds is growing due to insurance issues.  There is also Breed Specific Legislation in play with some cities/counties that do not allow certain breeds, generally pitbulls, and often including English Bull Terriers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers.

Ah, "The Golden Rule", I guess I wouldn't leave my dog to bark and disturb others even if there wasn't a rule against it.

A good article:  http://rvservices.koa.com/rvinformation/rvtraveltips/traveling-with-pets.asp

 

Edit by moderator: Activated link.  Terry

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Sunday 15th of December 2013 05:28:30 PM

Hi & Welcome Patti,

Still in the class as "Wannabe Full-timer", I know my opinion isn't probably as important. But, I work nights and sleep days. Barking keeps me awake, loud music or TVs. Weekends are the hardest because people don't realize that not everyone is a 9 to 5er. I respect people when I am awake at nights and I would hope others would take into consideration of others that don't live their lifestyle. Besides, you want me well rested, I might be caring for your loved one in ICU. Helen

If you're traveling with pets & need a pet sitter or dog walker, I always recommend www.petsit.com.  You click on the Locate a Pet Sitter button, type in the zip code of your location & sitters who cover that area will be displayed.  People who are registered on that site are usually pet sitters who pet sit for a living, not just as a hobby.  You can expect that they are bonded & insured, although I would always verify that.  You could also call local veterinarians offices or grooming shops for a referral, as they often know who the good sitters are in the area.