Sharing My Passion For Lacrosse

Your Pet, Your RV, And Your Site: Ensuring You And Your Animal Friend Have A Good Vacation

by Terra Fuller

An RV, the open road, and your furry friend—what a great vacation, right? It can be if you ensure your pet is welcome wherever you go. RV parks usually have some regulations regarding pets, and you need to be sure that the parks you want to stay in will allow your pet to be with you. You face immediate removal from the park if you try to stay somewhere that will not allow your pet.

Weight Limits

In an RV park, where you're bringing your own hotel room, so to speak, a dog weight limit might sound unnecessary. But parks do have weight limits on pets for good reason. One is that heavy dogs can damage benches and potentially break play equipment, if you let the dog near a park playset. Pool furniture could also be broken if the dog jumps on it.

Dangerous Breeds

There is a long-standing movement dedicated to reforming the image of breeds like pit bulls, and it's true that a lot of "dangerous" dogs are actually sweethearts. But that RV park has to have liability insurance, and those policies often bar certain breeds of dog. The reasoning is that if the dog suddenly loses it and injures someone or causes damage, the park could be partly liable for letting the breed in. That being said, this policy varies from park to park, so be upfront about the type of dog you have, whether it's had obedience training and what its demeanor is like.

Emotional Support Animals

If your dog is an emotional support dog—even if you have a legitimate letter from a psychiatrist saying you benefit from having the dog—assume it won't be welcome at no-pet parks. Those parks must allow actual service animals, but emotional support animals that are merely companions likely won't be allowed. (Remember, this is an RV park and not housing, so rules regarding emotional support animals can be different.) If the park management says not to bring an emotional support animal, don't push it.

Cats

If you've noticed that the previous sections all dealt with dogs, you're not imagining things. For the most part, the pets that RV owners bring with them do tend to be dogs, and the pets most likely to go outside are dogs. What if you have a cat or another pet? Pets that stay inside the RV and in cages should be OK, but always double-check with the RV park management. As for cats, who might want to stretch outside a bit, check again with the RV management and see if having the cat harness-trained makes a difference. Your cat won't be welcome in a no-pets park, but even in an all-pets park, you have to be careful. Many friendly dogs can suddenly turn into chase-hungry fiends when they see smaller animals.

Don't mess around with RV park pet rules; they're in place to ensure everyone has a safe, good time. When your pet meets park rules, your vacation will go a lot more smoothly. For more information, reach out to companies like Snowbird Haven.

Share