I recently originated a thread pertaining to a campground operator telling us that Florida law prohibited leaving pets unattended in RVs. I just returned from Florida and while I was there I contacted the Sheriff in Brevard County and asked if there were in fact any such prohibition. I was told that there is no law, either for the state or for Brevard county, generally prohibiting leaving pets unattended in vehicles. Florida has a general animal cruelty law that would prohibit leaving a pet in any vehicle under conditions that subjected the animal to inhumane conditions (such as a vehicle parked in the hot sun) but he never heard of that law being applied to an animal in an RV and couldn't imagine it being applied unless conditions in the RV were intolerable.I didn't do any further research, but since I know many readers travel in Florida with pets, and may have seen the original post, I thought I'd pass along this information for what it's worth.Skip

Thanks for the info....however, you might tell us the name of the cg. Perhaps the owner had a problem with a barking dog one time....and this is his way of stopping his customers from leaving the animal inside, unattended.Listing the name of the cg might save someone problems. (His cg, His rules)

What the Sheriff told you is correct...there is no law against leaving a pet in an RV. Every year many pets die in the Florida sun when their owners leave them unattended in an automobile/suv where the temps can easily reach 120 degrees during any time of year when the sun is out. Doing this is against the law in most states.

Yes that may be the law, but what I have found full timing with my pets is it is the PUBLIC not law enforcement that starts screaming and causing problems with pets in RV's.I had a breakdown with a tire in Texas and the temperature was 112 degrees out and I had pulled into a gas station and was waiting for a ERS tow truck to arrive.I left the MH to go inside the gas station to get a cup of coffee. The dogs started barking in the MH and when I turned around a crowd of people where heading for my MH literally screaming,"OMG there are dogs in the RV let's go get them out before they die". :SYa like they were going to die inside the MH with the gen running and the AC on.

Animal lovers, in general, mean well and will quickly become vigilante when they see an animal in distress. Unfortunately, what they don't realize in the case of RVs is that the animal is just as safe in my RV as it is in my house. The A/C or heat (depending on what season it is) will be running to give climate control and the pups will have food/water available anytime we stop for more than a stoplight. Glad you got clarification from a Florida law enforcement officer. I suspect the campground in question just didn't want the dog barking while you were gone. We have one dog that will NEVER travel with us for that very reason. We have to hire a pet sitter to stay at the house with the remaining non-travelers.

Did a google search and found a site that provided information on state laws to protect animals left in vehicles. Only 16 states have such laws (Florida is not one of them) and the laws are written to state that in order to violate the law the conditions have to endanger the animal.That said, various counties may have laws that the state does not have, so...https://www.animallaw.info/topic/table-state-laws-protect-animals-left-parked-vehiclesI believe that most RVers are like me. The reason they are not bringing a "pet" along with them but another family member, and are going to take care of them as such. Don

Pets in RVs | Good Sam Community

24 Replies

carp65
Explorer
Feb 20, 2015
If you have ever been on a site next to an owner who leaves its dog
alone in the RV and it barks constantly you will understand the rule.
Almost every park we stay in has "dog" rules, including not to be left
alone in the RV. Unfortunately, most parks do not enforce their
"dog" rules. That is why we spend our winters in a "No Dogs Allowed"
RV Park. It is the owners responsibility to see that their pet does
not create a nuisance for other RV'ers. Unfortunately, this is usually not the case!
Executive45
Explorer III
Feb 19, 2015
Remember the OP is talking about Jetty Park...It is a huge complex and the RV park is but a small part of it. The entire area the park encompasses is controlled by the Canaveral Port Authority. They can make and enforce any rules they deem necessary. They even have their own enforcement officers.....it's not your ordinary campground....Dennis
bshpilot
Explorer
Feb 19, 2015
I created a sign that i put inside our windshield -
its on RED construction paper with YELLOW lettering (really stands out).

"In case of emergency - call CELL#"
Flanz
Explorer
Feb 17, 2015
I think it's been summed up very well here with all of the posts.

We use to travel with dogs all the time. We also left our dogs behind when we went out to do whatever....But, we made sure we did things so that the dog would not bother others. ALL of our dogs were good, no barking or causing any issues at all. Just very well trained.

When we would leave we left the heat/AC on. ALL blinds were closed. TV OR radio on so that the dog could not hear what was going on outside. We always came home to our dog sleeping on the coach and happy as a pig in sh$$t. No issues what-so-ever. I use to be able to walk in and use the bathroom and not wake the dog up. Now, somebody knocking on the door.....That's a different issue that I think nobody can help.

-paul
msmith1199
Explorer II
Feb 17, 2015
The solution is simple if you travel with pets. Don't go to RV parks that have rules like this. My Golden Retriever goes with us everyplace, but clearly this RV park is not pet friendly as they claim so I won't go there. And by the sounds of it they are perfectly happy with that as it sounds like they have had issues with dogs and probably would rather not have them at all.
westernrvparkow
Explorer
Feb 17, 2015
mowermech wrote:
Remember, when somebody asks a difficult question, the easiest answer is always "IT'S THE LAW!". They know that very few people will make the effort to research the statutes and prove them to be a liar, so they are generally safe making that claim.
It doesn't matter what the issue is, whether it be brakes on a toad, leaving pets unattended, filling a propane cylinder, whatever, "It is the law, we HAVE to do it THIS way!" will usually get fewer arguments than "It is just company policy!"
....BINGO!! Laws, lawyers, insurance companies, fire codes etc. get lots of usage when it comes to trying to explain why something is the way it is. Frankly, it is no one's business why an establishment has this policy or that policy, so long as that policy doesn't violate the law. A logical explanation often just doesn't sit well. I can explain a "no open fires" policy till I am blue in the face. I can go on about how it is too dry to safely have a fire. How the winds are too high and unpredictable, how the smoke from those fires are bothersome to others, how people do not properly extinguish fires, how the sites are too close to safely have fires and all you get back is "my fire isn't like that". Saying there is a fire ban or ordinance or insurance policy against open fires stops that argument in it's tracks.
Often it is just the best policy to take the path of least resistance. Then again sometimes the only answer is "because I said so".
haydoracin
Explorer
Feb 17, 2015
Executive wrote:
haydoracin wrote:
Executive, Are you saying you stayed there for three weeks and never left your dog in the coach while you left? Or you left your dog and never had a complaint?

I never leave my dog in the coach or in the car unattended....Dennis

Dennis, not trying to argumentative, just curious. I believe you are a full timer. How do you go out to eat, sight see etc. without leaving your dog in the coach? I'm asking because we have a dog and would prefer not to leave it unattended but don't want to spend the winter sitting in the MH.

Hayden
mowermech
Explorer
Feb 17, 2015
Remember, when somebody asks a difficult question, the easiest answer is always "IT'S THE LAW!". They know that very few people will make the effort to research the statutes and prove them to be a liar, so they are generally safe making that claim.
It doesn't matter what the issue is, whether it be brakes on a toad, leaving pets unattended, filling a propane cylinder, whatever, "It is the law, we HAVE to do it THIS way!" will usually get fewer arguments than "It is just company policy!"
Executive45
Explorer III
Feb 17, 2015
haydoracin wrote:
Executive, Are you saying you stayed there for three weeks and never left your dog in the coach while you left? Or you left your dog and never had a complaint?

I never leave my dog in the coach or in the car unattended....Dennis
bshpilot
Explorer
Feb 17, 2015
This is EXACTLY why we added the Onan EC-30W (wireless autostart) if the interior of the coach gets too hot or too cold (user defined) and there is a loss of Shore Power, the generator will automatically start.

We travel with our Old English Sheep Dog & we want to make sure she's comfortable & safe. If the camp ground has a loss of shore power we know the generator will take care of her.

We have the added benefit (w/ the EC-30W) of ensuring the batteries don't get too low (the generator will automatically start, in such a condition to charge the batteries (if there is no shore power)).