Worried about a/c failing and dogs cooking

We set the fantastic fans to come on around 90 degrees and leave a window open about two inches in the front of the coach and another in the back BUT ON THE SHADY SIDE. This way if the power fails the coach won't rise much above the ambient temperature of the air outside. Our pooch has no problem in 100 degrees if he is just hangin out. Where we live he has to get used to that temp anyway.

TNGW1500SE wrote:
I always worry about my a/c failing while we're out and the dogs cooking in the camper. The campground could lose power or any number of things could cause the a/c to fail. Do you worry when you're gone about pets? Any ideas?

I wish my dogs WOULD learn how to cook, in the trailer and at home:B! It would have to be better than mine!

We had to make the choice of whether to take our dog out West.

Though we have never has a problem in the past, we knew that this would be an extended trip in hot weather, so we opted to let him stay with the neighbors.

That gave us the option of boon docking a couple of nights and we did not have to worry about the AC issues. Not all State Parks have electric.

I will be the first to admit it was a hard call.

Acampingwewillgo wrote:
I put to together the temp alarm/cell phone dialer following idea's gathered from this forum. As long as I have cell coverage, I am somewhat pleased(still worried but not as much). I set my warning temp at about 80 degree's which means if you get a call, you don't have to be within minutes to respond. I also like the idea that I can call my system to check on power and temp at intervals while away. I'm pretty happy with it!

Cell phone booster will extend your coverage a lot.

how long are you away from your dogs anyway?

i like francesca's answer best.

THIS should be the post of the day!

After reading this thread, it makes me glad a pet does not own me.

It plain drives me crazy when the campers next door to me LEAVE their "pets" in their camper all alone to whine ALL DAY, they DO bark and carry one WHEN YOU ARE NOT THERE.

At the same time it also drives me crazy to see people taking their pets to the stores, gas stations and so on only to have to lock them in the vehicle.

Honestly folks for your PETS sake find them a good pet "resort" and then you do not need to "worry" about things like the campground losing power or your A/C quitting..

Yeah, but it shouldn't be a worry. Shade, ventilation, and water is what's needed. A pet owner should know what kinds of temperature and conditions the animal will tolerate and not base it off what they like for temperature and air conditioning.

If a pet owner has a stable, comfortable environment for their pet at home and it is likely that the conditions on the road may be uncomfortable, it may be in the pet's best interests to stay at home.

dbbls wrote:
There are so many things to worry about if you are a worrier. Sounds like you are.

Really?! To people that love their dogs, it is a very large " worry ".
If you don't have a dog, or love your dog like it is your child, keep the comments to yourself. Sounds like you should " worry " about other threads than this one.

To the OP, we have made it a habit to not be gone more than four hours or so, leave the a/c on when it's hot, or fans going when we are gone. We also let the front office know when we are going to be gone so they can call us if something happens to the power.
Never hurts to be extra safe!

C

With three vents on top of the MH, and a Fantastic fan with a cover, we can be comfortable leaving our dogs in the MH while we are gone. If we have to be parked in full sun, we are more careful, and usually leave a floor fan running and a big bowl of water. Unless there is an emergency, we never leave our dogs for long periods, but we know that they can do well for up to 8 hours at the most. We try not to ever be away longer than that, but emergencies do happen. Leaving the dogs inside was out primary reason for getting a motorized RV instead of a trailer. Now they can stay in the same space we are in, and if we are comfortable, usually they are also.

You betcha I'm a worrier and my pets being in a dangerously hot environment is way at the top of the list. We never leave Foxy alone in the trailer. Never. If we take a little day trip she goes with us.

For full-timers or even snowbirds, the cell number and letting the office know you'll be gone for a short while is perfect. Doubt that it would work in a regular weekend camping situation, but so great that the staff will help out like that.

The only concern I would have about leaving windows open is on the chance that your pet freaks out for some reason and - size dependent - gets out the window and is gone in a flash.

I know not everyone has the luxury of having an additional person at home when we're camping to tend to the other doggies - only 1 is a camper. On that one time each year when DS#1 will go with is to FL, we have two wonderful neighbors that care for our dogs like they were their own - maybe better. And boarding is expensive, but if it came to it, if boarding were my only choice, I would camp less often to make sure my dogs were safe.

This summer heat death for children and pets is just beyond my imagination. Even at home, our dogs are not allowed outside for more than about 5 - 10 minutes max during the day because their yard gets so little shade. Morning and evenings are theirs to enjoy.