by D.M. Simonds

Created on: May 20, 2009

Unemployment is on the rise along with home foreclosures, and where will all those people go with their families and pets? Some will shift to the rental market while a stubborn percentage will hitch up what they have left in way of their RV to their remaining vehicle, say goodbye and hit the road for campgrounds near job opportunities. What this article will give you is a view of both sides of the fence from information gathered during this author's travels as full time RV'er, interviewing campers and campground managers concerning the campground etiquette of Fido.

Most campers are good stewards of their pets, keeping them on a leash, picking up after them on their walks through the parks, even teaching them not to bark unless needed. Let's face it, dogs are great four legged companions and burglar alarms. Tour any park where Full Timers tend to gather and you'll find campers are known mostly for their pets before a coach or tow vehicle is recalled. In turn those dogs and sometimes cats stop at a campsite where an RV'er has a treat waiting and an exchange of jokes for his owner.

That's the happy side of Fido with his responsible mom or dad. But change that picture to a camper with large breed of dog that is aggressive or poorly trained where the owner doesn't have good control over his one hundred and fifty pound rottweiler and you now have Fido with an attitude. This is not criticism of pet owners that go out of their way to care, train and be attentive to their dogs. This is a plea for campers to think about taking their large dog with them. In the eyes of a campground manager they have to deal with safety concerns of all campers.

Case in point: What if Fido charges through a portable doggy fence his owner put up and mauls a child riding his bicycle down the lane. Fido's owner, the campground manager and owner could be in a position of liability to a degree depending on what state and county they were located in. "They just don't understand our position," one campground manager stated. "Those people said they'd never come back here because we hated their dog. Their neighbors complained, as did others and we had to act."

Ignoring this campground rule has caused an increase in: "No Dogs Allowed Parks." Others have given in to their regular pet campers while protecting their legalities, hopefully keeping expensive liability insurance premiums low to stay in business. So one may find new rules limiting the length of leashes, size, number of dogs or banning certain breeds of large dog. But remember this isn't a dog bashing article. The solution is to train your dog in a local obedience course, or read one of many books that will teach you and your dog who is leader of the pack, and how to get your point across. The last thing any camper wants to find is that their favorite park has raised their rates due to law suits from dog bites, or worst scenario, closed their gates.

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