TAKE YOUR PET WITH YOU

For many RVers, leaving home without their beloved pets would be unthinkable, and some indicate that they purchased their home on wheels for this very reason.
By Mike Wendland

http://www.fmcmagazine.com/plugins/c...26d777e7f9.jpgWe who travel the country in our motorhomes sure do love our pets. When Jennifer and I took up the RV lifestyle a year ago, a big reason was because we could bring along our dog, a 70-pound Norwegian elkhound named Tai. Pretty much wherever we go in our motorhome, Tai is welcome. That is certainly not always true at rental condos, bed-and-breakfast inns, resorts, and hotels.

Tai loves our motorhome. He sits by it in the driveway — right next to the door, so that if I happen to open it, he can jump in. He loves new places and considers each rest stop a reward; each campsite his own private property; and each walk a delight of new scents, adventure, and possibilities. Just as we do.

But as much as traveling with Tai has enriched our motorhoming experience, even I was surprised by what we found at the big Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa this past January. Because the show offered on-site camping, more than 1,000 people, mostly in motorhomes, turned the show into a giant RV rally. Many brought their dogs, which often accompanied them as they strolled the crowded walkways and aisles of the show. But some canines have short legs and needed a little help. So, long after many of these folks have raised their own families, some are back to pushing strollers. This time, the strollers contain their new “babies” — dogs.

Many of the folks I met had two dogs; some had three. More than a few said the main reason they travel in an RV is so they can bring their dogs.

“Go to an RV show or rally, and if there are 100 coaches there, 90 of them have dogs,” said one man I interviewed via video. His dachshund didn’t have a stroller. His wife had a harness around her shoulders and neck that held a dangling dog in a sling-like contraption at her waist.

For their part, the dogs looked happy. Some had bows on their heads. A miniature poodle wore a Harley-Davidson puppy-size T-shirt. Several had fancy collars with lots of doggie bling.

We didn’t bring Tai to the show. Nor do we dress him in costumes. And he’s too big to push in a stroller. Besides, with that thick double coat, unique to his sled-dog breed, he wouldn’t have liked the crowds or heat. He much prefers the air-conditioned motorhome when it becomes too warm outside. But that visit to Tampa in January got me thinking about how many RVers travel with their pets. And not just dogs.

At a state park campground on the shores of Lake Huron near Port Austin, Michigan, this past summer, we met a couple who travel with two cockatiels in their 36-foot motorhome.

At the Addison Oaks County Park in Oakland County, Michigan, in June 2011, a 32-year-old Auburn Hills, Michigan, man reported that his 5-foot-long pet boa constrictor named Houdini had slithered away from his pop-up camper. Poor Houdini never was found and would not have survived the Michigan winter.

Most pets found in RVs are not so exotic. A full-time RVer who goes by the moniker “Campskunk” (he is a retired high-profile government worker from the state of Florida who doesn’t want his real name used) travels with his wife, Sharon, and a cat named Fiona the Fearless.
“She thinks the motorhome is hers and we are her servants,” Campskunk said as Fiona, a Ragdoll-breed cat, patrolled his lot at the Tampa RV show at the end of a long retractable leash. “We call her Fiona the Fearless because she hunts small game all over North America. She’s never caught anything yet. But she tries.”

Many single RVers travel with their pets. Ginny Evans, F426703, wouldn’t think of leaving her Missouri home in her Type B Roadtrek without her dogs — Sissy, a miniature white schnauzer, and Nikki, a small mixed breed. The dogs have traveled more than 10,000 miles with her across the country. This summer, they’ll travel to Alaska.

“They have their own high-rise car seat with seat belts,” she said. “It puts them next to me and high enough for them to see out and sleep. And I was told you get tickets in some states if animals aren't restrained in a vehicle. It gets them up where they can see and cuddle, and when I shop, they use the side mirrors to watch for me.”

Her latest purchase is a small inflatable kayak. She has little life vests to put on the dogs and plans to take them paddling as soon as the weather warms and they can set out in the motorhome for some beach.

“They go everywhere with me,” she said. “They come first. As a solo RVer, they are family for me.”

Not everyone is glad to see pets, especially dogs. That’s because of a few irresponsible pet owners. Fran, from Tennessee, who works at a campground, wrote on my Facebook page: “I work hard at keeping the shrubs and flowers in the campground looking their best, and I’m sure employees at other campgrounds do the same. I watched seven people let their dogs pee in a flower bed or on the shrubs within a 30-minute time frame this morning when they could have walked another 100 feet and been in the pet lane. This eventually kills the shrubs and flowers. If we say something to them, they get all huffy, defensive, and rude.” Uncontrolled barking from a neighboring RV rankles many a camper as well.

While most places are pet-friendly, some are not. Some campgrounds restrict dogs by size, allowing only small pets under 10 pounds. Others restrict RVers with dogs and cats to certain campsites. Many national parks do not allow pets on trails or in special wilderness areas. Most waterfront parks prohibit pets on the beaches.

But pet problems, for the most part, are the exception. Most RVing pet owners are considerate, and while they indeed often do pamper their pets, leaving home without their animal companions is as unthinkable as going back to staying in hotels.

Lorena and Bunny Sikorski, F354148, from California, have been motorhoming with big dogs for years. “RVs are made for taking your dogs,” Lorena said. “We once traveled with two Dobermans in a 22-foot Type C. It was tight, but we made it work because we wouldn’t leave home without them.”

The Dobermans have since passed on and the Sikorskis have changed breeds. And motorhomes. They now travel with a 75-pound Weimaraner in a 30-foot Type A Itasca. I’ll bet they don’t have a dog stroller, either.

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Gracy

I am not certain but believe we have the most unusual pet story that is truly authentic. At Buckhorn RV Resort in Kerrville, until about 18 months ago, a couple had a 40 foot two slide RV and inside the RV the couch was removed to house their 350 pound pot bellied pig named Ernest. Ernest was the pet of the entire park and one day when a Vet was administering some shots to him, Ernest screamed. The people in the park came out in huge numbers and gathered around the RV to see if Ernest was indeed o k. He was truly appreciated.
Ernest shared the RV with his two human parents, a parrot, an Iguana lizard and a Cockatoo.
I'll put up with anything except snakes. To me, all snakes are "shovel heads". By that I mean that if I see them first, their head will look like a shovel.

Pres

Wondering if anyone has used a cat tracker? We want to take our cat with us but she is very independent and only comes when called if she wants to. Fearful of her getting away from us and not coming to our call. She is very skiddiest