Deposit fee for dogs

traveylin wrote:
is that a one time charge or per deposit. What do they charge for a shower

seriously, I do not like deposits for any purpose except to hold the reservation. Leaving an open account is just an opportunity for ripoff after you leave.

I just found a RV park in SD that has coin op showers... :h

rockhillmanor wrote:
Don't know where most of you camp but I've been on the road full timing for over 6 years and I have yet to hit a CG that had any type of fees.

I did notice however that most the posts that say they do seem to be in the eastern states. Perhaps it's more of a reginol issue depending on where you RV. and/or maybe popular touristy weekend CG's. Where they can demand whatever they want.

Rock Hill your last statement sort of sums it up. A CG can demand whatever they want.
We can whine, debate rant and protest all day long. But at the end of the day it's there rules and their CG.
In the end our wallets will decide. We can choose to pay or we can keep going in search of a more favorable policy.
Is it our loss or the CG's loss ...only time will tell.
Maybe it's a win for everyone!

It was always a relief during our camping years to go to XXX State Park for 10 days over Christmas wherein they had a very rigid rule: No pets, period, end of story.

Unusual for a state park, but that's why we made the 1500 mile trek for about 10 years....no poop, no barking, no questions.

Just a matter of what's important. I would tend to agree with some of the previous posts that a "deposit" seems unwieldy and difficult to fairly administer.

National forest campgrounds in Northern California mostly charge a pet fee (most often $2 per dog per night). They also charge $5 per day for a 2nd vehicle (in a single campsite - the 3rd vehicle in a double campsite).

Don't know where most of you camp but I've been on the road full timing for over 6 years and I have yet to hit a CG that had any type of fees.

I did notice however that most the posts that say they do seem to be in the eastern states. Perhaps it's more of a reginol issue depending on where you RV. and/or maybe popular touristy weekend CG's. Where they can demand whatever they want.

If it is a decent camp ground where I want to be I'll pay the fee.
If there is a pet deposit I'll pay it. I want to bring my pet vs. leaving him at home. It will cost way more for me to leave the dog at home vs. paying the pet fee/deposit.
The trend seems to be more a la carte pricing. Base price is strictly for 2 adults. Additional kids/adults and pets are charged additional daily fees.

Allworth wrote:
Since I don't recall EVER having a Camp Host, or anybody else, inspect my site as I pulled out to see if there was any "dog damage", I'm not sure just how such a deposit would be administered.

Who decides whether or not I get my deposit back?? My dog?? My wife?? Somebody in the office who hasn't seen my site in a week??

Splain it to me, Lucy!

This would be my concern. I would have no problem putting down a refundable deposit for my dogs IF the policy is well written, logical, practical, reasonable, etc.

My concern would be that the deposit would be forfeited over things outside of my control:

another camper makes a complaint so they forfeit my deposit regardless of whether there is any merit to the complaint;

they find dog poop and blame my dogs for it although no one actually saw what dog made the deposit ("it's right next to your campsite, so your dog must have done it");

the prior occupant of the campsite did not clean up after their dog and the staff finds it after my arrival and blames it on my dogs.

I have no problem paying the $2 per day per dog fee at the national forest campgrounds - at least I can take the dogs on the trails, etc., so I benefit from paying the fee.

At an RV Park, the day after I arrived (with a group rally), the staff announced there was a pet fee. It was not mentioned at the time of booking the rally nor was it mentioned to anyone at check in. I might not have had a problem with the delayed fee, but the garbage cans at the enclosed dog runs were actually overflowing with baggies of dog poop. This was a small park (45 lots total) and there is no way that amount of dog poop could have been created in less than one month's time - 4 full size galvanized steel garbage cans overflowing with poop. I conveniently forgot to stop by the office and pay the pet fee. I bagged my dogs' poop and set it on top of the cans.

It is revenue enhancement just like airline bag fees.

For starters I do NOT give a deposit until I KNOW what it's FOR and
WHAT circumstance would have to happen that I would not get it back.

The "deposit fee" must be a private campground and implies the deposit is refundable. State parks in Calif charge a fee for pets, something like $2 to $5.