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Large dog issues or problems?

stamppeddler
Explorer
Explorer
This may sound like an odd question, but does anyone out there have large or restricted breed dogs that they live and travel with? Have you had troubles at parks or campgrounds, or with local ordinances?

My wife and I both retired in early spring, then proceeded to sell our house and most of our possessions in the summer. We bought our new 5'er and started living in it full time in August. Thing is, we have a spayed 6 year old 50lbs Staffordshire Bull cross. They are considered pit bulls. Where we live in Kamloops BC our dog isn't restricted, so we never gave it much thought until just recently. We are in Surrey BC now researching warm places to spend the winter, only to discover that our dog is not welcome in what looks like an awful lot of Resorts, Parks and communities.

If anyone has experience with this problem or knows of anyone else dealing with it, we sure could use some guidance. Giving up our pet to live our dream seems like too high a price, but so is putting her in danger of being euthanized for being in the wrong place.

Thanks in advance

Laszlo & Gail Soltesz
2010 Ram 3500 HD Mega Cab 6.7 Cummins
2013 Mountaineer 295RKD
Laszlo & Gail Soltesz
Kamloops British Columbia
2010 Ram 3500 HD Mega Cab 6.7 Cummins SRW
2013 Mountaineer 295 RKD
54 REPLIES 54

JimM68
Explorer
Explorer
Since the last time I posted in this thread, my wife brought me home (by request) another male huskie.
It has been said (byher) that i love my dogs more than my kids.
Wile I'll never admit this (to her) is it is very true.

They don't say a dog is mans best friend because they like to mke stuff up...
Train your dogs.
Make them familiar with people.
Teach them to mellow out, to allow themselves to be approached, to befriend any and every kid who comes within 50 feet of them.
It's easy, and it is in thier nature.

When you have a good dog, convincing the rv park is not a problem.
Jim M.
2008 Monaco Knight 40skq, moho #2
The "68"
My very own new forumfirstgens.com

My new blog

TechWriter
Explorer
Explorer
bigcitypopo wrote:
You can thank the inner cities for ruining the reputation of a good loyal breed.

Why do you say this?
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stamppeddler
Explorer
Explorer
Wow, thanks again for all the comments and for sharing about your experiences. We left British Columbia 2 weeks ago and have not had any trouble finding campsites that would accept our dog! We are in Vallejo just a few miles from San Francisco in a park with breed restrictions, no problem.
Laszlo & Gail Soltesz
Kamloops British Columbia
2010 Ram 3500 HD Mega Cab 6.7 Cummins SRW
2013 Mountaineer 295 RKD

Francesca_Knowl
Explorer
Explorer
bigcitypopo wrote:
You can thank the inner cities for ruining the reputation of a good loyal breed.

Wow...Gotta hand it to ya, "Big"-

Giants like George Wallace could have learned a few things from you in the "spin it against the right folks" department!
" Not every mind that wanders is lost. " With apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien

bigcitypopo
Explorer
Explorer
Coming from the LE side... It's hard to find a genuinely bred pitbull terrier... Most have been selectively bred for their aggressiveness. I love all dogs.. Pits included.. You can thank the inner cities for ruining the reputation of a good loyal breed.
2014 RAM 2500 BigHorn CrewCab 4x2 ShortBox, 6.7L CTD
2014 Keystone Springdale 294bhssrwe - Hensley Arrow!
The best wife, 2 kids and a bunch of fun

luvdoggiez
Explorer
Explorer
We live full time with two am-stef's in our Allegro bus, along with a boxer too. We live in the Sacramento area. When talking to most resort owners about their policy, it usually boils down to how do the individual dogs behave. One park owner confided in me he only uses the policy when he has a problem with a dog. In most cases I think the park owners are either trying to make other customers happy, but in some cases, they may have a limitation placed on them by their insurance carriers.

DW and I volunteer for a pit bull rescue here in the Sacramento area trying to get out information about the breed. Though we dont have any resources as yet directly related to RV'ers, there could be some useful information on our website for you. Check out www.chako.org.

Please feel free to pm us if you have any questions!

Happy camping!

Eric and Carol
Fulltiming with two great Pit Bulls.
2003 Allegro Bus 40DP that we absolutely love! 🙂
Our Blog

TechWriter
Explorer
Explorer
bertnspike wrote:
Well, for starters, stop calling them "pitbulls". They're American staffordshires or bull terriers or am staff mixes. In some minds the shutters close tight as soon as the pitbull word is heard.

A rose by any other name . . . is still a pit bull.
2004 - 2010 Part Timer (35’ 2004 National RV Sea Breeze 8341 - Workhorse)
2010 - 2021 Full Timer (41’ 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire 4095 DP - Cummins)
2021 - ??? Part Timer (31’ 2001 National RV Sea View 8311 - Ford)
www.rvSeniorMoments.com
DISH TV for RVs

Francesca_Knowl
Explorer
Explorer
bertnspike wrote:
Well, for starters, stop calling them "pitbulls". They're American staffordshires or bull terriers or am staff mixes. In some minds the shutters close tight as soon as the pitbull word is heard.

Puts me in mind of what Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said about pornography: "I know it when I see it...."
" Not every mind that wanders is lost. " With apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien

bertnspike
Explorer
Explorer
I call 'em pibble dogs, lol.

bertnspike
Explorer
Explorer
Well, for starters, stop calling them "pitbulls". They're American staffordshires or bull terriers or am staff mixes. In some minds the shutters close tight as soon as the pitbull word is heard.

RVUSA
Explorer
Explorer
PAThwacker wrote:
Large black lab, hard to transport, and hard to step over in non slide narrow htt.


mines 16 going on 17, I would add that she is really hard to lift up 5 steps so she doesnt have to climb them. Man is that dog heavy.

AppleValley
Explorer
Explorer
We have a few rules about dogs at our park but they are not breed specific. Dogs have to be on a leash at all times. We are inside the city of Kelowna, so have no choice about that one. I would like to add an off leash dog park, and have the space, but the fencing for it is prohibitively expensive!

The only dog I have ever had a serious problem with was a little pomeranian that kept getting loose, aggressively chasing people around the park to bite them, trying to bite anyone that came to her door and barking outside incessantly very early in the morning. I've never had a problem with a big dog, nevertheless, any dog has to be well behaved or is not welcome. It's all about liability and the complaints of other guests.

We also encourage everyone to keep their pets inside at night, even the big dogs, because of the close proximity of a large family of coyotes that come into the orchards and around the edges of the campground at night. It's not a rule, but we do warn the guests about it. The coyotes are a serious threat to pets.
-Sheryl

JimM68
Explorer
Explorer
We camp with our 2 dogs, a 3 year old 55 lb Norwegian Elkhound and a 2 year 75 lb old siberian Huskie, both males.
We've travelled extensively with friends who were partial to dobes.

Many parks have the dobes on the banned list.
None ban the huskie, and few have ever heard of an elkhound.

If you're calling ahead to make reservations, be upfront about your dogs, even tho that puts you in the position of dealing with thier preconcieved notions.

If you just show up, it's easier. Nobody will turn down a nice dog when he is in their face (licking it)

In the end, it comes down to the dog. Campgrounds are "close places" a lot of people in a small area. My dogs, and my friends Dobes, thank goodness, are friendly to a fault. They love all people big and small, and all other dogs. Our Elkhound tends to freeze in place while other people and dogs explore him. The husky is boisterous, and will sometimes jump up or move to fast to please other dogs.

If your dog tends to get aggresive toward, or bark at, strange dogs and people, then... well I'm sorry, he/she just may not be cut out to be a camper.
More training, or lifestyle adjustments may be in order.
Jim M.
2008 Monaco Knight 40skq, moho #2
The "68"
My very own new forumfirstgens.com

My new blog

Lantley
Nomad
Nomad
wannavolunteerFT wrote:
I was reading the rules for Lakewood in Mrytle Beach and they had a list of prohibited breeds... the same ones you see many places, pit bulls, rottweilers, dobermans, etc... but then they really threw me for a loop... by including dalmatians... I know they are stubborn, but aggressive? really?

a county near my home has strict regulations on owning one, requiring specific fencing, insurance, etc.... the county has had a problem with puppy mills and we are in the prime area for breeding dogs for fighting.. the county made it economically un-practical to own one if you don't intend to spend the money to take proper care of it.

Dalmations can certainly be unpredictable. I don't believe in breed restrictions at all, however I have been around a few Dalmatians that were not overly friendly to strangers.
I believe Springer Spaniels are another undercover unpredictable breed.
All unknown dogs should be approached with caution, they all have teeth and the potential to harm.
Just like humans you cannot judge a dog by its cover.
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wannavolunteerF
Explorer
Explorer
I was reading the rules for Lakewood in Mrytle Beach and they had a list of prohibited breeds... the same ones you see many places, pit bulls, rottweilers, dobermans, etc... but then they really threw me for a loop... by including dalmatians... I know they are stubborn, but aggressive? really?

a county near my home has strict regulations on owning one, requiring specific fencing, insurance, etc.... the county has had a problem with puppy mills and we are in the prime area for breeding dogs for fighting.. the county made it economically un-practical to own one if you don't intend to spend the money to take proper care of it.
2015 FR Georgetown 378TS