Pets

• Collar with ID Tags
• Leashes
• Tie Out
• Food
• Dishes
• Toys
• Crate or Bedding
• Waste Baggies

Who wants to go on an adventure without their best friend? Dogs can make camping and hiking more fun. What would a hike be without my Freddy to help pull me up the hills? Watching them explore and smell and get excited about every new thing…letting the kids run around with their dog and knowing that the dog won’t let anything bad happen to their kid… You know you would hate to leave the dog behind. But it does take some planning to make the experience a good one.

Dogs are all about their people. If you have dogs, you know this. They want to be where their people are. But I will put one thought out there that some people don’t want to hear…Not every dog is appropriate for camping. I have had a friend join us who brought her dog. The dog was aggressive toward people and other dogs, nervous even with her person, and barked and cried all night in the tent. It was not a good experience for any of us, people or dogs. If you think your dog will be upset by going to a new place with new people you might want to make other arrangements for the dog while you are gone.

The first time out will still be very exciting for everyone. Routines are interrupted. Things can slip your mind. Your dog can slip its collar. Do make sure you have a collar or harness for your dog. Make sure you have tags with your name and contact info on your dog. Even better, make sure your dog is microchipped. our favorite dog was stolen from our front yard and was missing for 18 months, but when he was recovered clear across town his microchip led to a phone call and he came home. (Love our Bruno!) Leashes are a necessity. The kids don’t get to take the pup anywhere without one that they hold on to! Because you are in an unfamiliar environment your dog might not know what is a real threat and what is not. It’s best to make sure you can control the situation as much as possible.

A tie out can be as simple as a rope tied between trees, between your car and the picnic table, or anchored anywhere that allows your dog to be close to you without risk of tangling up with trouble. I like to use a cable tie out with clips on both ends and thread it through the loop of a 4′ nylon leash. I have put two dogs together on a single tie out, but it works better if they can have space to not tangle their leashes.

Bring your dog’s regular food. Measure out enough for the days you will be gone. I usually put it into a grocery bag, but be careful about leaving it out. Chipmunks and Jays like to steal dog food and can be surprisingly aggressive! It does make for good photo ops…but remember you are feeding your dog, not the local wildlife. Don’t forget to leave out water for whenever your dog is thirsty!

I would not recommend bringing a lot of dog toys. There are always sticks and such to chew and play fetch. Too many toys are too easy to misplace. I would probably limit dog toys to a good chewy and a floating toy if there is a lake. Our Bruno hated water at first, until he discovered that we could throw his toy into the lake for him to swim out to fetch over and over and over and over again. We finally had to put him in timeout because he was so exhausted we were worried he might not make it back out of the lake if we threw it again. He still wanted more.

Crates… Everyone will have a different opinion on crates. I have found them to be useful. Our two older dogs came to us as puppies and we trained them in the same crate. I know that is not recommended, but it worked for us and them. I do like to bring a crate along. It makes a good place for them to relax where I know they are safe. I can put the crate in the tent overnight if I don’t want them on my bedding. I like to put something in there that is familiar to help calm them. Of course make sure they aren’t stuck in the sun to overheat and that they have water available while they are in there.

And finally, absolutely make sure to pick up after your pet. If you would hate to have it show up on your lawn or front porch, don’t leave it out for your camping neighbors. These days many campgrounds provide waste bags in case you forgot to bring your own. Be sure to have one or two available on every walk and teach your kids this important part of responsible pet ownership.

I think that does it for camping with pets. As always, feel free to comment if you feel like you can add something I forgot.