Traveling Companions and the RESTRICTIONS

[FrankNJulie]

We travel with 3 Pomeranians, and they are pretty well behaved. All dogs bark, all dogs poop, and even some will bite, when provoked. Ours do all but the biting thing... We carry a pen like enclosure. It is very neat, matches our rig, and we have done some renovations to make it comfortable for our dogs, and that fits our rv. We have made a short wall that goes along the underside of the basements, and the outside is 2 feet. We have been told at several parks that enclosures or fences are not allowed. We use this to keep from having to run 3 leads (that inevitably tangle upon hook up), but also to protect the ever running, peddling, and vocal children at play. We also clean up after them and our enclosure is not in any way going to destroy any grass or site. We have been told that the reason that some parks do not allow these enclosures is that people will leave the pets outside unattended. This is a no-no in any camp setting. I say that if these "people" do this, then that would be a reason for their immediate dismissal from the park. I personally don't think that is the reason, but if so, let us Good dog owners have our comforts of the road, and kick those non-animal lovers out of the park! I would love to get these parks to change their policies, and just pay more attention to the ones that are breaking the rules.

[FrankNJulie]

We have double leashes, we use them while walking campgrounds. I think my point has been missed. I am not arguing leash laws. I am a firm believer in them. When we have to tie them at our campsite, we use the retractable kind that go with them and come back. The point is that the pen that we sit in also, is safer, it keeps kids from rushing up to the dogs and lets us enjoy our camping trip a little more. Another point is that it does far less damage than a big dually pick up parked on the grass or concrete blocks stacked under the trailer. As far as too many dogs... it wouldn't make a difference if it was one or ten, if I hadn't mentioned my quantity of dogs in the first place some of these comments wouldn't even have been made. We would be having the same problem no matter how many there are. It's like me telling someone with 4 kids to leave some of them at home, that's too many to camp with..You have what you have. As far as the benefit of the campground, it is one less fee they get out of us. This wasn't about leashes. It was about the real reason some don't allow pens. Thanks for the info toed.

[FrankNJulie]

Realistically. True. Most of them are campers that just "do what the owner tells them"... they are just nice folks that offer their time to stay at the grounds. The ones that actually have owners on site have been very good about it, and some even impressed with our set up. Sooo many fellow campers stop by and ask us about it. We are just surprised at how many reroutes we have had to do because of it.

[toedtoes]

FranknJulie - have you tried the double leashes? I use one almost exclusively with my 2 dogs. It makes things so much easier. With 2 on the double leash, the leash never tangles. When I had a third dog, I simply used a single leash for her in addition for the double for the two. Made it very easy.

The way my double leash works is: I use a regular leash for my end. That leash clasps onto a hard metal ring. Then I have 2 equal length leashes that each have the clasp on both ends - one end clasps onto the hard metal ring, the other end clasps onto the dog's collar. For my end, I have a 6ft leash, an 18" leash, plus a handle only. I have to put together new short ones for the dogs' end - currently I have just the 2 foot leash for both. I used to have the 1 foot leash for both and really liked that.

With the double leash, I find it very easy to hook it around my chair arm/leg while I sit, attach it to the RV's side mirrors when I'm moving around. I can even attach one of the dog's to the handle of the long leash so that they are one either end of it, run it through something sturdy (step handle, etc.) so that the dogs keep each other in check - when one sees something and starts for it, the other one follows and that pulls the first one back. I don't even bother with tie outs anymore because I have more control and no tangles.

[Lantley]

Leash rules are simple and not subject to interpretation.
Enclosures open up another can of worms that the CG's would rather not deal with.

I understand why CG's ban the pens simply because they don't want to deal with/monitor another set of circumstances.
Stick with the leash rules it's easier on everyone involved.
While I do believe you are a true dog lover with good intentions, K Charles point is that 3 dogs are hard to confine at once using leashes.

Rather than change /invent new rules you may want to consider camping with fewer dogs that will allow you to confine them with a leash without a lot of challenges.
I'm not trying to be critical/offensive,but there can be a point where one can have too many dogs in a CG setting.
You are trying to change the rules to make it easier to deal with 3 dogs, however the CG's are not interested in changing their policies to accommodate you.
Unfortunately it's their CG their rules. I can't imagine the CG changing their rules. Allowing pens only creates more work/policing/headaches for CG management. Pens do not benefit the CG at all. There is no upside for the CG.

[FrankNJulie]

K Charles. We are everyone. It would be just as easy for someone to tie the dog to a tree, ON a leash. We do leash our pets wherever we go, but just sitting on our patio, it does make a difference. And as far as having less dogs... I guess we could have left the one at the pound, the other at the puppy mill, and the third out in a small pen in the snow where we found him.

[K_Charles]

If the leashes get tangled mayby you should have less dogs. There is a leash law almost everywhere and we keep our dog on a leash. The law and the no fence rule is for everyone not just everyone else.

[toedtoes]

I'd love to see that also, but realistically it isn't going to happen.

The owners don't want to patrol. With enclosures, they walk by, see the dogs in the enclosure and no person about - violation. Except that the owner was standing outside talking to a neighbor 5 ft away just off his site - no violation. Easier to say "no enclosures" and not have to get into arguments as to what exactly does "unattended" mean. Does it mean I have to bring the dogs in to go to the bathroom? To get a drink? To talk to the neighbor? and so on.