Yellowstone with pets

wtmtnhiker wrote:
To those of you who have visited Yellowstone with pets I would like to know the pitfalls and how the trip went. I understand the park rules but just wondering how you handled having the dog along. I have a Golden Retriever and want to take him and we'll be making many other stops. I'd rather skip Yellowstone than leave him behind. Thanks.

We had a Golden when we visited Yellowstone. Also the DW's grandmas dog. We took them with us sometimes and left them in the RV sometimes, like when visiting the thermal areas.
Of course you can't take them on the trails.
So it's up to your comfort level. The dogs simply slept while we were gone. They got plenty of exercise at the campground before we left them worn out.

I took my dogs to Death Valley. The first thing I did was personally confirm with the park that the time of my visit was "dog friendly" AND that I would be able to leave them in the suv safely while I visited various sites for photo ops. I went in December.

These are some of the considerations I took:

I kept a water bowl and 5 gallons of fresh water in the suv at all times and provided water regularly.

At each stop, I brought the dogs out for a walk around the parking lot for a bit of exercise and potty breaks.

I incorporated visits to dog friendly areas where I could walk the dogs along the road so they could safely take in smells.

For scenic spots where dogs were allowed and in the campground, I made sure that I followed ALL the park rules. I always picked up after the dogs, I always had them on a 6ft non-expandable leash, I never left them alone outside of the RV. I never took them on paths/trails they were not allowed to be on (it was amazing how many people ignored the "no dogs allowed" signs or feigned confusion about what a trail or path was - if it's unpaved or wooden, that's your first clue).

I got and used these so I could safely have the windows rolled down partially. They allow more of the window to be open while keeping the dog(s) fully inside and hands safely outside. They work better on rear windows that aren't curved at the top.

I never left the dogs at the RV (the cats and bird stayed there) because: 1) if they barked while I was gone, it would bother other campers; and 2) they enjoyed car rides and being able to things even if they couldn't get out and explore. To me, leaving them in an RV all day was no better than leaving them at home.

My dogs were well-behaved in the car and I parked as far away from the crowd/trailhead/path as possible. I had many people ask me about the window guards - they really do work great.

I follow this list wherever I take my dogs. It has worked well. My dogs get to go with me and see/smell new things, and we don't upset our fellow campers/visitors while we do it.

I'm guessing since your staying at Fishing Bridge, your doing so because of the full hook ups? This means you have the opportunity to set your air conditioner accordingly and radio/TV so "Fido" doesn't feel alone.
Having had dogs my whole RV'ing life, this above is generally the way I do things. If you leave the doggies in the RV, be a good neighbor after a full day away and ask if your Pet was a bother to anyone close enough to hear a barking dog.

Just my guess, most people who stay at Fishing Bridge do so for the same reasons as you and chances are your neighbors will be out most days site seeing also. Lastly, if you do make a day of it to Old Faithful, I've always seen dogs in that area simply by staying off the boardwalks. I'm not a big fan of leaving a dog in a car no matter the weather.

We were at Yellowstone with our dog. We stayed at Fishing Bridges. We got up in the morning, fed, and walked her. Then, we got ready to go out for about 4-5 hours. Before we left, we gave the dog a long walk. We left her in the rv while we were gone. She was fine. Actually, the only thing that I worried about was running into a wolf when I gave her a very early walk. We never did. Our dog was fascinated by the buffalo.

Its not that the above posters don't believe the rules are for them.
It's more a spirit of the law vs. the letter of the law.
If your dog is left alone but is well behaved and quiet no one knows the pet is there and no one is disturbed.
If the dog is not well behaved and disturb others the rangers can apply the unattended rule accordingly. There is no need to debate the dogs behavior since just being unattended is a violation.
Very similar to alcohol rules if your group is drinking alcohol and disturbs others you are in violation. No need to debate how loud or how drunk your group is.
In either case the authorities are not actively looking for unattended dogs or alcohol. Only misbehaving dogs and people will appear on the rangers radar.
Those who behave will fly quietly under the radar which is the desired result

Lantley wrote:
Its not that the above posters don't believe the rules are for them.
It's more a spirit of the law vs. the letter of the law.
If your dog is left alone but is well behaved and quitet no one knows the pet is their and no one is disturbed.
If the dog is not well behaved and disturb others the rangers can apply the unattended rule accordingly. There is no need to debate the dogs behavior since just being unattended is a violation.
Very similar to alcohol rules if your group is drinking alcohol and disturbs others you are in violation. No need to debate how loud or how drunk your group is.
In either case the authorities are not actively looking for unattended dogs or alcohol. Only misbehaving dogs and people will appear on the rangers radar.
Those who behave will fly quietly under the radar which is the desired result

Agree whole heartily with the above. It always intrigues me that some folks think dogs bark all the time when left alone and misbehave. We have a cloud cam and a temp stik in our fiver. Not only can we see the dogs but we can hear them and talk to them if need be. The temp stik notifies us if the temp gets too high in case of a/c failure. The way our cloud cam works we can also tell if the cg power goes off. Both our dogs have been going with us from day 1 and we know beyond a shadow of doubt they sleep and patiently wait for us to return.

The issue is that while there are the good owners who have web cams, check with neighbors, etc, to make sure their dogs are quiet when left "home alone", those things are not obvious or publicized. So other owners just see the dog being left in the RV and assume that they can do so too without a problem. But their dogs bark while they are gone and the owners are oblivious.

If you look at this thread, consider how many recommended leaving the dog in the RV without mentioning ways to monitor the dog's behavior while you're gone.

And I think everyone has parked beside an RV with barking dogs enough times to know that "my dog is quiet and no one knows he's there" is not as common as people think.

As for web cams, they only inform you the dog is barking when you are checking it. The rest of the time, your dog may be barking at passerby, wildlife, etc. and you don't know. You also have to have service at the RV AND cell service where you are sightseeing. Many areas in National Parks do not have cell service, so there is no way to be able to check on your dog during the time you are at those "no service available" locations.

I say all this as a dog owner who loves to take my dogs with me. I also know the frustration of having an RV parked next to me with a dog barking every time I step out of my RV and the owners are off enjoying their trip.

We had a special needs dog that could not be left alone. When we were in Yellowstone she went with us everywhere. When we got to one of the attractions my wife would do the tour and take pictures. I stayed in the truck with the dog and I was fine with that. I got to see enough when we were driving and had the pictures.

If you travel with a dog I feel you are responsible for the dog and the neighbors. it worked for us.

toedtoes wrote:
The issue is that while there are the good owners who have web cams, check with neighbors, etc, to make sure their dogs are quiet when left "home alone", those things are not obvious or publicized. So other owners just see the dog being left in the RV and assume that they can do so too without a problem. But their dogs bark while they are gone and the owners are oblivious.

If you look at this thread, consider how many recommended leaving the dog in the RV without mentioning ways to monitor the dog's behavior while you're gone.

And I think everyone has parked beside an RV with barking dogs enough times to know that "my dog is quiet and no one knows he's there" is not as common as people think.

As for web cams, they only inform you the dog is barking when you are checking it. The rest of the time, your dog may be barking at passerby, wildlife, etc. and you don't know. You also have to have service at the RV AND cell service where you are sightseeing. Many areas in National Parks do not have cell service, so there is no way to be able to check on your dog during the time you are at those "no service available" locations.

I say all this as a dog owner who loves to take my dogs with me. I also know the frustration of having an RV parked next to me with a dog barking every time I step out of my RV and the owners are off enjoying their trip.

Understand but you are incorrect on not knowing if you dog is barking. If our dogs bark, it comes thru on our smart phones in real time. Plus it records and keeps until I erase it. We never mute the fiver cloud cam when the dogs are alone.

It can only come through on your smart phone if you have cell service. There are many areas in a National Park where you may be sightseeing that don't get cell service - so you will not know the dog is barking until you head back to an area where there is cell service.

Now if you never travel and stay where cell phone service is limited, then the webcam is very helpful. And spending the majority of your time in places with service can definitely give you a better idea of whether your dog will bark a lot or not.

But not every campground has effective internet service and not every place has cell service. And not every RVer limits their travels to areas with internet and cell service.

So you need to be aware of potential gaps in the reliability of such tools before depending on them.