Camping With Man's Best Friend
by: Robin Shortt
Man's best friend your dog , and you, can go camping and have lots
of fun. Look at it as a walk that doesn't end, during which he gets to
spend all his time with you. For us campers, it can give us another
means of security and another way of bonding.
For those of you who are wanting to get involved in
this great adventure with their pet, there are some things you need to
do to make this as fun as possible for both of you.
First time camping pooches should be shown the wonders
of nature slowly. City or urban dogs need to be brought along slow
because of their tender pads on their paws, and they need to get used
to all open spaces and wonders of nature. Start with taking them on a
some day trips to state, county and conservation Parks
The wide open spaces will help your dog get used to
unpopulated areas. He wll also find new odours and sights in this
stress free environment. Going on nature and hiking trails will also
help your dog gain muscle strength and fitness before you go camping.
As we enjoy the companionship of our dogs, they become
a member of our families. Going with us on family outings, walks, trips
around town, just about everywhere we go they tag along with us. Thats
fine because we care about them so much. Its not always the same with
camp owners who feel dogs are not man's best friend in their camping
area. They have good reason to be. A lot of dog owners are not very
good in keeping their pets leashed or cleaning up after them. They also
don't abide by the camp rules the way they should, but many
irresponsible dog owners feel the rules don't apply to them and their
dogs. Of course because of these pet owners , we all suffer, thus there
are now many campgrounds not allowing dogs. Check ahead to see if the
campground you' re going to allows dogs, and if so, are they allowed on
the trails, or have special trails set aside for dogs. Also some
campgrounds charge two dollars a night for dogs as well.
As loving, caring, pet owners, we need to find a way to
take care of our dogs while we go out on the trails with our other
family members. We could take turns dog sitting with family, friends,
other campers with dogs. One thing we need to do is make sure we are
good responsible pet owners. Check ahead before you go camping with
man's best friend.
Here are some pre-camping tips:
- Try to take your dog for a pre-camping visit for possible needed shots, and a Rabies shot tag for his collar.
- Look at a possible Lyme disease vaccine.
- Take with you a current copy of his records and his vet's phone number.
- Pick up a proper dog license & ID tags for your dog with their name, your name, ect.
- Microchips, tattoos and pet registries can be used.
- Bring medications and a copy of prescriptions.
- Try to get a site with some shade for your dog.
- Supervise your dog closely around children, other visitors and other dogs.
- Keep your dog quiet. Frequent and continued barking disturbs the wildlife and other campers.
- Let your dog have time to adjust to his new surroundings. Give him time to rest
- Try to use ziplock bags to pick up after him and properly dispose of it in appropriate trash containers.
- Keep an eye on how weather conditions effect your dog, heat, cold, rain etc.
- Consider use of a crate for travel and short term restraint, while you are near. Your pet could be stolen if not watched carefully.
You should be aware that your dog will have increased exposure to ticks and fleas. Take the proper tick/flea collars, repellants or use Frontline applications. Other diseases can also be transmitted by wild animals and insects.
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