We do not have a MH yet but will be getting one as soon as I have time from home and yard fix up this year. We have two dogs that we love very much. One of the reasons we want a MH is so we can take them with us when we travel for an extended time. Here it costs about $50.00 a day to keep your dogs in a kennel and then when you get them home they have been sickly for a time. So having them with us seems like a good idea. Questions: 1. Do you take your pets with you on long trips? 2-Do you leave your pets in the MH when you leave the camping area? 3-Do you let them have the run of the MH while you are gone and do they damage anything? Your general thoughts and comments on the subject would be helpful Thanks

We were faced with the same problem when we had our golden retriever, after we'd bring home from the kennel she just slept for several days and didn't eat much; this was from a well respected kennel that walks the dog, etc. Think you're paying too much though, our cost was $15 per day. We took her with us when we could and that wasn't any problem for the most part. An option is to have somebody come to your house once/twice a day and stay with your dogs, walk with them, feed, etc. It would have to be somebody who already knows the dogs, maybe a son or daughter of friends of yours. A good chance for them to earn money and also do other things such as watering your plants or mowing the lawn.

We also bought our first motorhome, in 1991, so we could take our dogs with us.We always stay in campgrounds with full hookups. We leave the air conditioner, or fan on for their comfort, but also to help with keeping them from hear noise from the outside. Our main concern was that we didn't want them barking while we were gone. We had camping neighbors tell us the dogs were quiet until they heard our car pull up.so we made sure we got into the motorhome fast to quiet the dogs, then we went back to unpack groceries, etc. One of these neighbors worked for the campground, so think if there was a problem, she would have let us know. They never chewed or destoyed anything, they mostly slept. (we recorded them a few times). We would take them for long walks before we left to tire them out. I really think that was key.The longest we'd be gone was 5 hours, but usually much shorter than that. Some of these trips were short, 2 or 3 weeks.We did snowbird for 4 or 5 months for a few years. Never had a problemWe're still taking them with us.

We have 3 dogs and take them every time. Yes, We take them on long trips.Yes we leave them in the MH when we leave the camping area.Yes We let them have the run of the MH. Never had any damage or accidents.In warm weather we do use a temperature alarm in the MH linked to a cellphone if their is a problem with the MH AC system or power failure. Im also thinking about getting a Onan EC-30W Generator autostart.

Yes we camp with the dogs. Like you we wanted to take the dogs with us. Had similar issues with boarding at kennels and with the cost to have someone care for them while we are gone. The dogs love the RV. We pull the shades and close off the back room of the Mid Bath (see LD floor plans) so they don't bark at people and critters going near by. Both our dogs (poodles) and the visitor pictured are fine in crates so crate training is a big plus. There are more tips on dog RVing with dogs in the pet section.

w3ozwizard wrote:Questions: 1. Do you take your pets with you on long trips? We have no choice as we full time RV.2-Do you leave your pets in the MH when you leave the camping area?Yes we do. If it is hot, we advise campground management and leave our cell phone number and request a call if the power goes out. (Never happened though) 3-Do you let them have the run of the MH while you are gone and do they damage anything? Yes. But I would advise crate training and starting out with the dog in a properly sized crate. Your general thoughts and comments on the subject would be helpful ThanksBy the way, our dogs have peed in more states than most people will see in a lifetime.:B

Dog or Pets in Motorhomes | Good Sam Community

29 Replies

Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer II
Apr 03, 2015
w3ozwizard wrote:
Thanks to all who replied to my questions. We have two dogs one Cattle dog and one Australian Shepard. Both are about 60 pounds. A good local kennel wants $25.00 each so that would be $50.00 per day and you have to have them there the day before and if you come back on a weekend (Friday) you can not pick them up until the next Monday. At least at the two places we have been. So if we were going to be gone a month you can see that we would probably spend more on them to sleep each night than we would on our camping fees in most cases.

Being separated from "their people" would kill these dogs emotionally. My Aussie wouldn't eat if we had to board him - even over a couple of days (if we had to fly somewhere), we'd pick him up and he'd be pounds lighter :-( On the other hand, they were SO easy to travel with, that it was just a no-brainer to get an RV and take them with us. They adapted easily to new situations and surroundings - and of course I had more fun because I wasn't worried about my dogs ;-)
Rsteelie
Explorer
Apr 01, 2015
We have 2 smaller dogs who travel with us. We leave Az. in June and come back early Sept.Never a problem. We have adopted another for a total of 3 and this will be her first time out, so we will see. We take them with us as much as we can when on stops and don't have a problem leaving them alone for short periods when they can't go along. Depends on the dog.

That being said, we were in Panguich, Utah a couple years ago and a couple a few spots down left their dog for the day to go to Bryce and when they came home, that dog had DESTROYED the interior of that class b. I mean ripped it to shreds. We were gone for the day, so I don't know if it was noisy while doing it or not. Better have a talk with Fido and make sure you're on the same page.

There's a lot of dogs out there on the road. We saw a couple in Oregon a few years ago that had 9 yorkies in a class a. They carried a big collapsible wire kennel they would set up and turn them loose.

Have fun
TragedyTrousers
Explorer
Apr 01, 2015
KristinU wrote:

Our Android phones (Samsung Galaxy S4) have temperature sensors and we can leave one behind and set it to send a text if the temperature goes above or below our set threshholds.

Galaxy S4 has temperature sensors? I never knew that. I have the S4 mini but it doesn't have them. :(
doxiemom11
Explorer II
Apr 01, 2015
We are full-time and our dog has never known any home other than the rv. She isn't by herself much, but occasionally she is left home with air or heat on as needed. Longest we are away is usually 3-4 hours. She has never destroyed or damaged anything and she has full run of the motorhome at all times. Too many of our rescues lived in small confined areas for years, so I personally will never use a crate or kennel.
w3ozwizard
Explorer
Mar 31, 2015
Thanks to all who replied to my questions. We have two dogs one Cattle dog and one Australian Shepard. Both are about 60 pounds. A good local kennel wants $25.00 each so that would be $50.00 per day and you have to have them there the day before and if you come back on a weekend (Friday) you can not pick them up until the next Monday. At least at the two places we have been. So if we were going to be gone a month you can see that we would probably spend more on them to sleep each night than we would on our camping fees in most cases.

The dogs are both rescue dogs the Australian was about 7 years old and had been abused quite a bit. She is afraid of everything and when we are away she tries to claw through the door especially if there is a lot of noise, wind, thunder or most everything. At home we put a gate in front of the door and she does not claw that so we are thinking we may have to use one to block off the outside door on the MH. They are both good to not bark much and stay off of furniture and don't go into rooms we don't want them in so they are used to not being allowed on chars and beds.

Anyway thanks for the great suggestions and we are more confident that we will be able to travel with our dogs and have a good experience. Thanks all.
Pawz4me
Explorer
Mar 31, 2015
1 - Yes
2 - Yes
3 - We crate them. They aren't crated at home when we leave them, but in the RV there's (1) probably more chance of them damaging something and (2) crating them prevents them from being able to see outside, thereby reducing the risk that they'll bark.
ronfisherman
Moderator
Mar 31, 2015
Moved from Class C.
The_Logans
Explorer
Mar 31, 2015
We have 5 fur babies, and generally take two at a time with us. The other 3 stay home and the neighbors watch them. We rotate which ones get to go, and all of them are perfectly happy to hang out in the motorhome while we're out... the AC stays on if it's hot, otherwise we leave a fan running, and there is always plenty of food and water.

One thing I didn't see mentioned is security... we feel good knowing that there are dogs with us who have much better senses than we do. If we are forced to park in a Wall-Mart to get some rest, we are REALLY happy that the dogs are with us!
ron_dittmer
Explorer III
Mar 31, 2015
We do not have pets so we are on the receiving end of this subject matter.

Every once in a great while, someone will leave their campsite in a tow vehicle, letting their dog loose inside their motor home to jump from one window to the next, barking up a storm while we try to enjoy our time at our camp site. Placing the dog in a doggie cage would have been real nice for us neighbors. I would imagine caging the pet would also help to keep the RV in better condition.
KristinU
Explorer
Mar 31, 2015
We have two labs, they are in crates when we are away either at home or in the MH. We tried no crates, but they're young and get silly and destructive when we aren't around. After the second call to the veterinary poison control line for ingestion of inappropriate stuff (trail mix/power bars and then deoderant) we decided that crates are much safer. We leave them for a few hours at a time in the MH with the a/c or fan on as long as they are good and tired and not going to be barking or whining or anything. A morning walk before us leaving is a good thing :)

As previously mentioned, if we're somewhere without hookups we do shorter periods of time if it is warmish out. Our Android phones (Samsung Galaxy S4) have temperature sensors and we can leave one behind and set it to send a text if the temperature goes above or below our set threshholds. Nice for if we want to go swim at a state park lake or something close within the CG. Hikes or anything else they come with us.