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Post Info TOPIC: Traveling w/ Dogs


RV-Dreams Family Member

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Traveling w/ Dogs




Hi, we are Larry & Lee Ann, recently retired from Las Vegas. As you can see from the pic we have a black dog named Onyx. She is 3/4 pomeranian & 1/4 poodle. She is 3yrs old & spoiled rotten! We got her at 6 weeks and she was just a handful. We hoped she would stay around 10 lbs because her dad was small but no such luck! She is around 18 lbs now but seems to have finally stopped growing. She was accustomed to a 2500 sq ft home with 1/3 acre back yard & a doggy door. Now she has a 35 ft, 400 sq ft home but she has adjusted beautifully...in 3 months she has not had one accident, even when we leave her to do a bit of sight seeing.



The problem is she loves to go & she screams like crazy when she finds out she has to stay behind today. We have the back seat made up for her with an extra bed & of course food & water & she is as good as gold. She also loves watching out the window & has become a real expert at locating the wildlife & announcing it loudly! All but the buffalos! Seems she lost her voice then! LOL. But, when we say do you want to go bye-bye, she knocks us down getting to the door! We are very fortunate in that we have made some very good friends here in Custer Park & on the few days we have been gone just too long to leave her alone, they have checked on her for the food, water & potty thing. And she has grown to love them sooo!



So, for our first 3 months of fulltime RVing traveling with Onyx has worked well for us. But, the 3 of us are perfectly good natured so that helps! Seriously, I wouldn't hesitate to bring your pet along. We are very happy she is in our rig journeying with us. You never know when a little bark alerting you of something amiss might come in handy also. The rules are, pick up after her, keep her on a leash, let her visit with the neighbors when THEY feel like it & take her home when they don't! Actually, I think they like her better than us...LOL...I say go for it! 



Larry, Lee Ann & Onyx too



-- Edited by Howard at 14:32, 2006-08-19

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We travel with our long haired chihuahua (15 lb.) My husband, Paul, says he has big bones like us! We will not stay in a camp ground if they do not allow pets. He attracts more attention than you can imagine. He is an unusual Chihuahua. He has such a calm personality because I take him to work with me once a week and he has been socialized since he was 3 months old. My students are adults with developmental disabilities and they have spoiled him so much that he gets insulted if people don't stop to talk to him. The first summer we traveled 3,000 miles with him sitting in my lap. He didn't like it when I put him in the back of the Chevy Tahoe because he couldn't see out the window and besides, he liked having someone holding him. I must admit, it made it a little hard for me to read or do crossword puzzles with a bundle of fur in my lap. When I found a doggie car seat, it didn't take me long to order that thing!! I get a lot of teasing about having a car seat for my dog, but the turth is, it is safer for all of us. It has a little suitcase under it so I can keep his treats and bottled water and any toys that may be special to him. The suitcase keeps the seat high enough for him to see out the window. It has a leash type strap to hook to his harness so that he won't fly out the window if we have to slam on brakes but he can move around to get comfortable. Most of the time he sleeps when we are traveling, but when we start to slow down, he starts looking out the window. When we stop for gas or potty breaks, he gets out with us for his walk. It has not been a problem at all. In fact, we have met a lot of nice people who stop to talk to Gizzy. (His name is Gizmo but was nick named Gizzy by my students) In fact, we have been staying at the same campground in Pittsburgh for three years and the owners keep forgetting our names, but they always ask to see Gizzy!! I guess we just aren't cute enough. Gizzy is a "Canine Good Citizen" and does very well when traveling and is unusually calm for a Chihuahua when around a lot of people. He does get a little noisy when there are a lot of squirrells around though. He also warned us about a bear coming to visit our campsite one night in Shannandoah VA. He softly barked, and we heard a russel, russel, clump! coming toward our campfire. (That was the bear walking through the leaves and turning over big bolders looking for whatever bears eat under bolders!) Paul thought it was a deer, but Gizzy knew better. When Paul looked into the woods with a flashlight, he was a few feet away from a bear. It didn't take Gizzy and I long to get into the camper!!! I think the bear ran just as fast in the opposite direction. On another occassion in the same campground a Doe tried to adopt him. She just looked at him and coocked her head like she wasn't sure what he was. She jumped some hedges to get a closer look!! We chased her away. Gizzy didn't even bark at her until Papul shooed her away.
Gizzy likes to run along side us when we ride our bikes or our TRIKKEs so we try to take him for a run every day. In the summer he can only run 1/2 mile then he gets to ride in the doggie backpack which I get to carry on my back. When it is cool, he can run farther than that. He loves it! When he gets his exercise, he doesn't mind staying in the fifth wheel while we go places he can't go. Potty problems are less a problem in the fifth wheel than they are at home. We had a hard time house breaking him at home (he is good now) but in the beginning he would potty in the house, but would not do it in the fifth wheel. Maybe because he is outside more when we are camping.
There is a web site called petswelcome.com that will tell you about places that are pet friendly. They will let you know about hotels that accept dogs so you can prepare ahead before you travel. There is nothing like taking your own bed and pet with you when you travel though

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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We also travel with dogs.  We have a boxer named Baxter and a chihuahua named Lacy.  Both are very well behaved.  Lacy runs the show though and baxter is the big baby. I can't agree with Judy and Bob more... the dogs love the new places as much, if not more than we do!!! Wouldn't even think about not having them with us when we go somewhere in the RV...



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I travel on occasion with our dog Zoe (the brain dead dog) when I can't get a dog sitter.  She regularly decorates the RV with her hair, seems she sheds more in the camper than when at home.  She paints the front passenger window with her nose slobber, too.


She is a 6 year old English Foxhound.  She is not nervous traveling, just way too excited to be going along.  Any suggestions on ways to calm her down?  What ways have you found to pick up dog hair out of the carpet, her hair seems to defy the most powerful vacuum? 


Best Regards!



-- Edited by Old Snipe at 20:37, 2006-08-25

-- Edited by Old Snipe at 21:12, 2006-08-25

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Hi, I'm Ellie.  I've been following Howard & Linda for a couple of months now.  My husband & I recently retired and we're hoping to go full time next year.  We're on the road right now.  We travel with our 2 mini schnauzers, and they are great travelers.  They are both crate trained and actually like staying in their crates at night and while we are away from the motor home.  This keeps them and the motor home safe, and also prevents the barking they like to do if strangers walk by the rig.  They each have a harness and are seat-belted into their very own spots on the sofa while we are going down the road.  A friend told me about an RV park in Amarillo, TX that has pet yards at some sites.  We stayed there for 10 nights, it was really quite nice.  The name is Overnight RV Park, it's right off I40 on the east end of Amarillo.  The downside is that it's on the flight path for the airport. 


I'd like to know more about how RV Parks treat pets.  The one we're at right now is only semi pet friendly, in my opinion.  They don't have a good dog walk, won't allow our expen (exercise pen) and require us to walk our dogs only at their "designated" area.


Happy Travels,


Ellie



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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Old Snipe wrote:



I travel on occasion with our dog Zoe (the brain dead dog) when I can't get a dog sitter.  She regularly decorates the RV with her hair, seems she sheds more in the camper than when at home.  She paints the front passenger window with her nose slobber, too.


She is a 6 year old English Foxhound.  She is not nervous traveling, just way too excited to be going along.  Any suggestions on ways to calm her down?  What ways have you found to pick up dog hair out of the carpet, her hair seems to defy the most powerful vacuum? 


Best Regards!



-- Edited by Old Snipe at 20:37, 2006-08-25

-- Edited by Old Snipe at 21:12, 2006-08-25



The best thing I found was a clothing roller , like this one here it does a much better job than the vacuum.

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"HONEY" whats that noise ??? Ken and Cindy---- 08 MONACO CAMELOT 43'



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Ken and Cindy,


Thank you for the tip, I'm ordering one now.  Now if I can just get rid of the nose "paint"...


Best Regards!



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RV-Dreams Family Member

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The nice thing about schnauzers is that they don't shed or have a "doggy" smell.  Now, the nose "paint" is another story.  Mr. BoJangles loves to pace the dashboard area of the motor home and  leaves quite the picture.


Speaking of pacing the dash.  Dog toenails are not the best thing for the leather dash.  I remodeled a cheap wool blanket to fit our dash and that helps keep it from getting messed up from all the activity up there.


Happy traveling,


Ellie



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RV-Dreams Family Member

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We recently adopted a Aussie/Pyreenees(?). She is bigger than a normal Aussie( by 20% ) and has a LOT of hair. But, she is a sweetheart. Smart as can be, and travels really well. I am teaching her to send email ( LOL ). We had to get a new vac, and picked a bagless Eureka at WMT for $49.95. Works well so far.

They do shed a more when traveling, I am told it is a psychological issue regarding an unstable environment and pretty universal. We were thinking of spinning the hair and weaving an afghan but didn't want 2 dogs.

Mike

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We usually stay at state parks and have found them to be pet friendly. We enjoy taking our pooch with us. He is a well behaved dog. Our biggest problem is his obsession with squirrels. He goes crazy when he sees a squirrel (or a cat) but he loves people. He is usually very quiet. If you go to the petswelcome.com site, they list campgrounds that are pet friendly. If someone goes to a place that is not pet friendly, they encourage you to let them know so they can post the information. Those of us who love our pets want them to be treated with respect. Of course it is those pet owners who do not pick up after their pets that cause the rest of us a problem. Most of the state campgrounds provide pooper scooper bags so they make it easy for us.

Bonnie

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 IS THIS THE THREAD WHERE I CAN BRAG ABOUT MY FURKID?   IT IS?  OH - GOOD!! 


As you can see from the signature pix PASCO is our pearl white schnauzer.  We take him everywhere with us.  He loves to go bye-bye and check out new territory.  The back seat of the VUE is down and covered with old carpet and he goes from side to side exploring and viewing just like the two of us.  We take a doggie-care bag with us containing water, food and yummies, also a favorite stuffed animal or other toy choice of the day.  He loves picnics on the road, as much as we do.  If it is HOT outside, one of us stay in the VUE with PASCO and the other runs in and shops. 


When we sit at the campsite, Pasco has a doggie cot to lay on and he enjoys watching the action in the campground.  Making new doggie buddies is a favorite past time.  Inside the MH, he is allowed (he won the fight!) on the dash and will jump up there and people watch for hours.  We got a custom made dash cover to save the leather!  I cover the middle console with a rubbermaid mat so he can jump on the dash.  If we have to leave him in the MH - it is only for a short time.  He will usually just lay down and pout until we come back. 


PASCO has helped us through some rough times over the past few years, with his constant love and funny antics.  He is very special to us. 


JUST HAD TO BRAG!



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PASCO is really cute!! I can't imagine going camping without our Gizmo so I know how your feel. He would never let us leave without him.


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Thank you Paul and Bonnie.  Would love to see a picture of Gizmo. 

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OK there is our "Gizzy" I had a hard time getting the picture small enough, but I finally did it! Yeah! He was bear watching while we were looking at the sunset on Loft Mountain in VA. He was going to use the flashlight to give us a signal if he saw a bear. I know it is hard to believe he is a Chahuahua, but he is. He is very hairy and 15 lbs. and very handsome and very well behaved.

Bonnie

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Paul and Bonnie,


Can see why you named him GIZMO!  He is a real cutie.  "Gremlins" was a good movie.



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We will be traveling with our fur-babies, Cosmo and Belle. They are both wired-haired fox terriers. Cosmo is male and about 2 1/2 years old. He loves everyone and is truly a momma's boy. Little Belle is our female and about 7 years old. She is a little more timid around strangers, but usually makes up with everyone in her own time. The two of them usually get along well, but on occasion we do have to pull them apart. Cosmo is at that age where he wants to be in charge, but Belle is not about to give up her place as "Queen" to a young whippersnapper!!

Belle is my concern when it comes to our change in lifestyle. Right now, she refuses to go "potty" anywhere but her backyard. Last day trip she waited 14hrs till we were back home. I talked to the vet and she told me not to worry---eventually she will go, but it may not be where we want her to go! At this point, I don't care as long as she goes!! We have not had an overnight trip with her--I just know she is going to be a basket case. We are taking lots of Bye-bye rides and long walks, and she does seem to be a bit more relaxed so hopefully this will all work out.

I so appreciate all the travel tips I'm finding here, plus I love to hear about all the pets traveling out there and loving it!!

Debbie

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