RVing With Your Pet
Pursuing the Pet–Friendly Campground
By Julee Meltzer
When we looked at campgrounds that impose excessively restrictive size limitations (i.e. under 20 lb.) – we often discovered a somewhat different motivating factor. To get listed as "dog–friendly" facility in most campground directories, a campground only has to state that it accepts dogs. Since few campgrounds want to appear unfriendly (to anything), they use overly restrictive pet rules to effectively minimize the presence of dogs without losing their "dog friendly" status. So if you own a dog that weighs more than twenty pounds, steer clear of these places. However, take some comfort in the fact that these campgrounds would also turn away Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, and Charley, John Steinbeck's celebrated traveling companion.
Some campgrounds accept most dogs but prohibit those that are perceived as inherently dangerous. KOA campgrounds are one example. Their website states that they accept all dogs except pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Doberman Pinschers. Consequently, if you own any of these breeds, you may want to take your RV somewhere else. But don't feel too bad as you're in good company. Petey, from the "Little Rascals" TV show was an American Pit Bull Terrier. Good Dog Carl, the hero of 13 award winning children's books was a Rottweiler.
Yet, in spite of all the controversy, the majority of campgrounds in the U.S. readily accept pets of all types. The reason has to do with us. As it turns out, RVers are serious about their dogs. In the United States alone, nearly 75 percent of all RVers take their dogs with them whenever they go. Considering that over 30 million Americans go camping and RVing each year (and that many families have more than one dog), it's been estimated that somewhere between 20 and 40 million dogs go camping and RVing every year. By any account, that's a lot of dogs. And for the campground industry, that's a lot of customers.
My biggest problem with excessive pet restrictions has less to do with dogs and everything to do with people. When a campground owner uses rules to keep out certain breeds or dogs that weigh over a certain amount, they're not just keeping dogs out. They're keeping people out.
It's not unlike the campgrounds that ban older RVs. When an RV park decides that it only wants to accept newer and more expensive RVs, they're effectively controlling the type of people that stay at their campground. From our experiences, campgrounds that are genuinely pet–friendly also tend to be more people–friendly. So whenever we're looking for place to stay, we first call ahead and ask about their pet policy. If we get a long–winded answer, we look for another campground.
The way we figure it – if a place doesn't accept our pets, there's one of two possibilities. The first is that it's probably not the kind of campground we'd want to stay at anyways. The second is that they've already met our dogs.
Emailed for article 12/27/07
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