Boondocking with dogs?

[sarahfeld]

Hello,

My husband and I are considering making the change to full time RV living. We are trying to get a company running so we are partially doing this for the potential savings along with the chance to travel. My question to you is...have you ever boondocked and if so what did you do with your pets? We have 2 small rescue dogs that are our babies and of course they will be coming. My concern is that we plan on doing a lot of boondocking to keep costs down which means no park manager, gates, etc. I am not worried about the heat/cold since we will follow the weather but more about security for my pets in an unsecured location. Of course the RV will be secure but my concern is with break ins, being towed, etc. Any suggestions or experiences would be great!

[sarahfeld]

Thank you 2lazy4U (awesome name by the way) we have been told it is much more RV friendly as you move towards the west coast so thank you for confirming that.

[2lazy4U]

I'm in Colorado and Utah and it's almost unheard of for an RVer to be hassled unless they're basically living in a spot for a long time and breaking all the rules. I was camped in national forest last summer in W. Colorado and had a tire ruined. The shop had to order out to match it, so I was driving on my spare and didn't want to pull my trailer. I was on day 16 in a two-week restricted spot, so I just called the FS and they said no problem, stay till it's fixed.

[Happytraveler]

If we dry camp, boondock we never camp in extreme heat unless we have a generator and a portable generator for backup. In extreme heat you have to have the air on at all times. Actually that's when we get full hookups.

[sarahfeld]

Thank you for the information. We are not planning on stealth camping at all but since we are new to this whole idea I wanted to make sure I double checked about our dogs. For the most part they will be with us but there are times when we might need to grocery shop, visit a museum, etc. where the dogs are not allowed to come and this was my main concern. I only ask about Police due to the police forces I am use to, they are notorious for hassling people in RV's even if they are parked in a legal area (they will not let you stay in the rest stop more than 4 hours, just enough time to nap and move on they tow from rest stops here after 8 hours)and while traveling I feel we would utilize these a lot for overnight sleep spots until we reach our destination or find nice places to boondock so I just wanted to see what it was like away from here. I have heard towards the west coast/Colorado areas that they are much more friendly to RV travelers.

[JiminDenver]

We boondock because of the dogs. They will bark at anything they can see or hear, so we go where there isn't anything to get them going. The benefit is the silence, beautiful views and we may not see a soul for weeks. The dogs are never ever left alone inside or out. There are critters up there that like tender morsels like the dogs.

We don't really worry about someone breaking in for a few reasons. First a thief would really have to be desperate to drive hundreds of miles on low grade 4x4 trails hoping to find a rig, hoping it was empty and hoping something worthy was inside. the second is with all of the target practice we hear, I don't think it would be a good idea getting caught in some ones rig out in the middle of no where. You may never be seen again.

We also never worry about being towed. We can't stay longer than two weeks due to water and food limitations. So we would dump the tanks and reload as we moved to a new spot.

So true boondocking is a blast. Make sure your rig is up to the task as well as the trails it will be on. It took us 45 minutes to travel 4 miles this morning.

[GordonThree]

Sounds more like you're looking at stealth camping rather than boon-docking???

Stealth camping, lots of goody-goody types out there that will stick their nose in your business and call the man claiming your pets are in danger - some going so far as to vandalize your property to rescue said pets.

Boon-docking out in the woods, nobody is likely to bother you or your dog. Parked off the road down some 2-track fire / logging road is excellent, but I think you're still limited to X number of days and then you have to move X number of miles. FYI Get a Wilson sleek and a roof top antenna if you need Internet while out in the woods, cell phone towers are everywhere it seems these days at least in the lower 48.

[2lazy4U]

I boondock with my dogs all the time, I mean probably about 300 days/year. I NEVER leave them in the rig when I'm gone. If they can't go, I don't go.

[Old-Biscuit]

sarahfeld wrote:
Thank you for the information. Like I said our biggest concern is our dogs. Have you ever experienced a situation where you were camping somewhere and came back to your RV being towed, police waiting, etc? I am afraid we will park somewhere and come back to find that we were parked illegally or something along those lines and our RV has been towed away with our dogs in it (does this even happen?)

YEAH that can happen anytime you are illegally parked.......

Residential areas, private property, over staying your welcome in public parking lots etc.

*Boondocking is going out in undeveloped areas and camping....BLM/National Forests etc.

'Stealth Camping' is hiding out in towns/cities trying t avoid police/rules/regulations and not pay

First one......no real issues provided you don't overstay limit ( usually 14 days) and don't litter/dump

Second one........always issues of illegal parking


Your statement implies some 'stealth camping' due to your concerns over being towed/police waiting upon your RETURN

[3oaks]

Worried about police or being towed. Where are you planning on boon docking? You just can't boon dock anywhere. Privet property is definitely out, without permission from the owner. Even public lands have their limitations.

[sarahfeld]

Thank you for the information. Like I said our biggest concern is our dogs. Have you ever experienced a situation where you were camping somewhere and came back to your RV being towed, police waiting, etc? I am afraid we will park somewhere and come back to find that we were parked illegally or something along those lines and our RV has been towed away with our dogs in it (does this even happen?)

[donn0128]

Boon docking with pets is no different than a full hookup park with pets. Same exact rules should apply.
Remember, boondocking usually means, no running water, no electricity, no sewer except what you bring on board your RV. It also means likely no internet.