Pets are awesome, aren’t they? We Americans love our pets almost as much as our family members. Sometimes, we love them more! At any rate, taking pets on the road can make RVing so much more enjoyable. But there is a trick to doing it in such a way as to ensure pets are comfortable and other campers aren’t annoyed. Budget Direct have a great guide on travelling with your pet in various modes of transport. Check it out here to find the best solution for your pet to have a fun and enjoyable journey.
The thing about pets is that not everyone appreciates them. Campgrounds do not necessarily mind pets, either. Yet they do have to be cognizant of the damage animals can do. That is why it’s important to follow campground rules.
Below are six important tips for RVing with your pet, brought to you by the owners of Connecticut-based AirSkirts. In addition to selling a patent-pending inflatable RV skirting product, the owners are avid RVers themselves.
- Make Sure Pets Are Restrained
The number one rule of RVing with your pet is to keep the animal restrained at all times. Not only is doing so good etiquette, but it is also a matter of park rules. Nearly all campgrounds require pets be restrained or contained. This generally means a leash for your dog or some kind of enclosure for your cat. Where the former is concerned, bring an extra leash just in case.
- Don’t Allow Pets on Neighboring Sites
Hand-in-hand with restraining your pet is making sure it doesn’t make its way to neighboring sites. The last thing you want is for your neighbors to discover your dog poking around under their trailer. You don’t want your cat climbing on the neighbor’s truck and leaving dirty paw prints behind. Allowing pets to wander onto other sites is rude. Don’t do it.
- Don’t Allow Damaging Behavior
Pets are animals. They are naturally programmed to behave in certain ways. Unfortunately, their behaviors can sometimes be destructive to campgrounds. Do your best to mitigate those behaviors. For example, do not allow your dog to dig up flowerbeds or chew on the shrubs. Don’t let your cat use the picnic table as a scratching post.
- Be Cognizant of Pet Noise
This next tip pertains mainly to dogs: be cognizant of how much noise your pet makes. If you know your dog spends all day in the RV barking while you’re away, consider making other arrangements. Your neighbors might be annoyed by hour after hour of continuous barking while you are off seeing the sights.
- Clean up After Your Pets
Next, be a courteous camper and clean up after your pets. As far as your animals are concerned, the entire campground is a toilet. That is normal and natural. But don’t be a bad neighbor and leave their deposits behind. Clean up after them and properly dispose of the waste. Your fellow campers will love you for it.
At your own campsite, cleaning up after your pets has an added benefit: you are less likely to step in a recent deposit. How can that be a bad thing?
- Have Your Pet Tagged
Despite every effort to keep pets restrained, they sometimes get away. Do your pet a favor and have it tagged before your next camping trip. There are couple of options. The first is a collar with registration tags attached to it. The second is to have your pet fitted with a microchip.
RVing and pets go together like peanut butter and jelly. After all, animals love to be outdoors. But responsibly traveling with your pet is the best way to go. Be a responsible pet owner and follow the rules. And above all, remember that not everyone loves animals as much as you do.
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