Dog Friendly RV Parks

RVers Travelling with Pets Find a Welcome at Most RV Campgrounds

Oct 4, 2009
Thomas Alan Gray

Class A RV Family Camping With Dog - RVIA

Camping with a dog? RVs and pets seem to go together. Here's what to look for in a pet-friendly place and how to find a dog friendly RV park.

Six million dogs! That's the number of RVing dogs in America. "According to the RVIA, some 1 in 12 US households now own an RV. Some 63% have a pet. That equates to around 6.2 million dogs...traveling with their owners in RVs. It's a dog's life ..." (roamingtimes.com, retrieved 4 Oct 2009).

RVs and pets go together, it seems. The 2007 RVIA "Campfire Canvas" survey (Reston, Va., May 3, 2007, PRNewswire) found that:

"RV owners appreciate the control that RVs offer in today's travel climate. Unlike air travelers, RVers can bring anything they want onboard, including pets. According to the survey, 57 percent of RV owners bring pets along on trips."
"Most RVers traveling with pets are bringing dogs (88 percent), but some are also bringing cats (18 percent) and other pets such as parakeets, parrots, ferrets and even horses."
87 percent of pet owners surveyed agree that RVing is the best way to vacation with family pets.
"RVing makes it easier to travel with a pet as we don't have to look for dog-friendly motels," says John Collari of Glendora, Calif.

Pet-Friendly Rules and Regulations

Many RV sites accept dogs and other pets with certain restrictions. The most frequent rule is that all pets are not allowed to run loose, but must be on a leash when outdoors. There are many reasons for this and they are the same in an RV park as they are in any municipality

for their own safety (esp in wildlife areas where they are in danger)
helps to prevent them chasing local wildlife
keep them from digging into trash
helps prevent their jumping up on people, or approaching people who might not like dogs or have an allergy.

Other common regulations in "Pets Welcome" parks:

Pets must be supervised (don't leave them tied up and go away, or leave them in a closed trailer to bake in the sun)
Sometimes there is a size restriction (under a certain weight)
Breed restrictions (no dobermans, pit bulls and other "attack" breeds), for insurance reasons and perceived public safety
Owners must clean up after them
The pets must be reasonably quiet
Must be socialized to people & other pets.

Some camps accept pets but charge a nominal fee ($1to $5 is common). The reasons for this might include:

Potential nuisance
The need for extra cleanup (everybody says, "Oh, yes, I clean up after my dog" but in the end the camp staff deal with it)
Extra insurance coverage.

How to find a Pet-Friendly RV Park

Some groups such as PetFriendly.com, sister site DogFriendly.com, and RoamingTimes.com keep online lists of pet-friendly RV parks and campgrounds. These sites and others also publish books listing the campgrounds and hotel/motel/B&B accommodations and tourist attractions that accept pets.

Here is a sample listing from DogFriendly.com:

Open from the 1st of May through the end of September (weather permitting), this riverside camp area [Red Deer Lions Park] offers 126 sites, restrooms with showers, a laundry, playground, a dump station, and a variety of land and water recreation. Dogs of all sizes are allowed for no additional fee. Dogs must be leashed and cleaned up after at all times. This rv park is closed during the offseason. The camping and tent areas also allow dogs. There is a dog walk area at the campground.

Here is an example of a listing from RoamingTimes:

Alabama – Mobile – Magnolia Court

Small, quiet dogs welcome (on leash when outdoors) Cats welcome (please keep indoors)

Walking the Dog, Dog Friendly Trails and Beaches

Many camps have a dog-walk area and perhaps an off-leash area. If not, they will have directions to off-leash parks or walking sites in a near-by municipality or park. In wildlife areas, dogs are sometimes allowed on trails only if leashed and sometimes not at all. HikingWithDogs.com focuses on "tail-friendly trails", dog beaches, national and state parks as well as some campgrounds.

Camping With Pets – Dogs Allowed!

Last word goes to advice from a fellow RVer:

"…We always travel with our little dog. I generally ask when I make reservations if dogs are allowed. I can't remember a park that did not allow them. There are so many many people that travel with pets an RV Park would lose a lot of business not allowing them. They all have rules that we abide by." (Sarah Garrett - 2/15/2001 allexperts.com)