Any Dog Owners Experience Prejudice From Caravan Sites When B...

Sep 20, 2008
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Hi,

Just looking to see if we're alone here.

My wife and I caravan with our 4 dogs (2 x German Shepherds & 2 x Mongrels (both about the size of a Springer Spaniel).

What we love so much about caravanning is that we get to visit places that we wouldn't normally go to and explore different areas and head off for long walks/hikes with the dogs. Generally the only time we are in the caravan is night time when we're all pretty tired. I would describe us as responsible dog owners, our dogs are always walked on the lead, any mess cleaned up and we have them all trained well, no problems with barking etc. Unless there is a dedicated dog walk, we always try to exercise them off site.

Obviously we avoid caravan parks which clearly state from the outset that they don't accept dogs, but it's the ones which do state that they accept dogs that we have had on occasions problems with.

As a courtesy when booking, we always let them know that we have 4 dogs and normally there are no issues with this but out of the 20 or so caravan parks we've stayed at, we've had issues with 4.

I'll not name names but one private site just outside Hillsborough in Co Down states on their website that dogs are welcome, yet, when we phoned to book and stated that we had 4 dogs, they asked what size then politely turned us down.

Another private site, outside Galway also states that dogs are welcome. Again, when we booked we advised them that we had 4 but when we arrived, a whole fuss was made over this fact and we were bombarded with questions re size/noise etc. etc.

A private site outside Portrush, Co Antrim also states dogs welcome and we advised them of our circumstances when booking, again when we arrived, the owner seemed to be a bit taken back but took us ok and put us in a quite spot away from the park which was fine by us.

Finally, we just booked a Caravan Club CL for this weekend. Again, web-site states dogs welcome but when we booked and advised them that we had 4 larger dogs, the owner himmed and haa'd but eventually agreed to take us but they are charging us extra for the dogs despite there being no facilities there for them. Two dogs are free and the other two, £1 each per night.

My feeling is that either you accept dogs or you don't. If there is a limit, I wish they would post same on their web-site and likewise if they are going to charge more, this should be clearly advertised too.
 
Aug 24, 2009
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Hi,

Sorry to hear you have on occasion experienced some prejudice, we have only the one hound and can honestly say that we never encountered a problem.

On another tack we are starting to feel an increase in prejudice from a large number of the non dog owning public and I have to say I have a lot of sympathy as we all know what the problem is - yes the "Poo" problem.

I am sure you lift and bin as the vast majority of us do but is is the minority that causes all the problems.

I have now decided that any dog owner I encounter who allows his dog to foul without cleaning up will be politely asked to do so - just pray the first one isn't six foot six and built like the proverbial.

Any way rant over and hope you have just been unlucky and that on all your future travels the dogs are welcomed, they sound a great mix.
 
Aug 22, 2009
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Hi SF,

in respect an extract of your post. ( see below)

Hi,

Just looking to see if we're alone here.

My wife and I caravan with our 4 dogs (2 x German Shepherds & 2 x Mongrels (both about the size of a Springer Spaniel).

Can i start by saying that we have been without a dog for the last 3 years but prior to that have succesively had A German Shepherd for the last 35 years .

On that basis i hope that you can see that i am neither against Dogs, or Large Dogs!

Why does anyone one NEED 4 dogs?

I will almost certainly anger some on here but i have DEFINITELY seen, on a regular basis, at varyig sites, SOME owners "exrcise" their dogs on the site ( Very Early ) in the fond belief that no one sees the POO being left, where deposited !

If this P*****S us off , imagine how non dog owners /lovers feel.

Sometimes you can have TOO MUCH of a good thing.

Darryl
 
Nov 7, 2006
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We also have 4 dogs, 2 border collies, 1 lab and a shih tzu. When its stated on the web site that they take dogs and I ring up to book, quite a few turn us down saying "too many dogs" we,ve been trying to get a seasonal pitch and the same things happened there, only one site in Scarborough was "more than happy to take the dogs" Our dogs are all exercised off the sites and are very well behaved. We,ve had comments on how good they are from fellow campers. We now do Caravan and camping club sites if we can they dont have a problem with the dogs. Just wish that if they state they take dogs on their web site or brochures that they do what it says and not keep on refusing us. We do have a few good cl,s that take the dogs and we,ve never had a problem at these. So I just hope that this problem can once and for all be resolved. After all thats why we love caravanning the life and so we can take the dogs with us and not have to put them in kennels.
 
Oct 22, 2009
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Hello,

yes we have come up against similar regulations but only once!!!It was a commercial site near Brixham.It was out of season and we paid for our 2pomeranians when we booked.The problem arose when my sister and her husband came to visit us for the day.They were in a rented holiday caravan on a nearby site.They came with their 2 very elderly shelties but were refused access because only 2 dogs were allowed per caravan.We spent most of our holiday at their caravan as they were quite happy for us to bring our poms on the site.The only satisfaction we had was that we did not spend any money on the site.It was the most expensive site we had used too as we always use CLs in UK.

OH WELL THERE YA GO!!!RULES IS RULES!!!

Thursdays Child
 
Sep 20, 2008
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Thanks for the replies folks ... good to hear I'm not alone.

Like Wanderer says, I'm sure we've all come across inconsiderate dog owners who don't lift up their dogs mess or tie their dogs up outside the awning who proceed to yap all day/night. Unfortunately it's the minority who give us a bad name.

Darryl, I know how 4 dogs can sound like a bit of a handful but we manage the best. We're both still young(ish!), I'm 31 and my wife's 28, so we still have plenty energy to give them the time they need. Without them we probably woundn't do half the walks/hikes we do and while we enjoy walking ourselves, we get so much enjoyment out of seeing the dogs enjoy themselves too. All our dogs are simply pets though we are members of a local German Shepherd Club and do more advanced training with our two Shepherds.

Shaun.
 
Mar 4, 2006
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I don't own a dog, but I don't mind A dog, but 4 dogs per caravan!

If I turned up on a small CL and found the other 4 caravans had 16 dogs between them!

Well! what would you feel.
 
Dec 2, 2009
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Hi,

I hope that you don't mind if I jump in here. We are 100% new to caravanning, recently bought our first caravan, never used it yet & this is my 1st post.

We have 3 border collies, & will probably get another at the end of next year. My wife & I both compete in dog agility competitions. The main reason we bought a caravan is staying over night at agility competitions. Most of them offer low cost camping in an open field with extremely limited facilities. Also, you try camping in a tent with 3 dogs !!!

We hope to enjoy long weekends at regular caravan when we are not competing, & we are planning a couple of longer trips as after buying the caravan we want to use it for our main holidays. What we are afraid of more is the problem we will have with out towing vehicle. Most people who compete in agility transport their dogs in specially adapted vans, i.e. caged in the back so that the dogs are 100% safe - just like most police forces do it. We have a Vauxhall Vivaro - plain white, no signage etc. & I am geting the distinct feeling that a substantial number of caravan sites won't be happy with it on-site as they will class it as a commercial vehicle.

What would you find the worst, staying next to us with a white van, or the dogs? I'm curious to get a feeling of people's opinions.

Thanks,

Jim
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Jim

I don't think you would have a problem on a CC site. My only issue with any large vehicle (and I have a 4X4) is whether it encroaches on the next door pitch especially if an awning is put up as well. As for dogs it is clearly an issue at the moment because the CC have just run an opinion survey about dogs Not sure what will come of it. The main issue for us non dog owners is that despite rules some people seem to allow their dogs to foul on the site. Even if this is cleaned up all traces won't be removed and it is this that most non dog owners are uncomfortable with. As an example we were on a site in Spain and once we had set up we noticed the pitch smelt of dog urine. Fortunately we had a big storm that night which seemed to solve the problem!

David
 
Jan 19, 2008
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We now have 3 dogs, recently got a pup because sadly I don't think the 15 year old will be with us much longer. Because of the old girl we try and get a pitch as close to a dog walk as possible because first thing in a morning she needs to do her dumps straight away. For this reason I carry her and thankfully, as Miniature Schnauzers, they aren't heavy. Our last outing was at Rookesbury Park CC and luckily we got a pitch next to the dog walk entrance. The first morning after getting there some dirty git had allowed their dog to dump by our A frame while cutting across the corner of our pitch.

Now my greatest enigma. No matter where you go, who you talk to, either in forums or face to face everyone picks up their pooches dumps. Really? I have yet to go to ANY site, be it private or club, without there being loads on the dog walking area. Some places, like Dornafield, even had bags and spades around the place but there was still enough to keep you alert where you trod and to get you walking like a demented crab.

I personally have never caught anyone, God forbid, but obviously some are doing. While at Rooksbury it was surprising to see how many come out of the dog walk first thing in a morning without putting anything in the only bin which was by the gate.

I believe most of the culprits are the late night walkers who cannot be seen.

Nothing, as a dog owner, p*$$*$ me off more than selfish, anti-social ***** who are too bone idle to clear up their dogdumps while some people categorise me as the same as them.

Rant over, feel better now ... heh! heh! heh!
 
Dec 2, 2009
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Jim

I don't think you would have a problem on a CC site. My only issue with any large vehicle (and I have a 4X4) is whether it encroaches on the next door pitch especially if an awning is put up as well. As for dogs it is clearly an issue at the moment because the CC have just run an opinion survey about dogs Not sure what will come of it. The main issue for us non dog owners is that despite rules some people seem to allow their dogs to foul on the site. Even if this is cleaned up all traces won't be removed and it is this that most non dog owners are uncomfortable with. As an example we were on a site in Spain and once we had set up we noticed the pitch smelt of dog urine. Fortunately we had a big storm that night which seemed to solve the problem!

David
David,

Thanks for your feedback. Good to know about CC sites & the Vivaro - it looks like we are going to have to join!

I can't agree more about dog owners who don't/won't pick up - I have been at agility events & witnessed owners do this - my approach was to be completely un-subtle & pull them up about it very loudly, so that others could hear, embarassing them in the process. Re the issue of not picking everything up, we do try. When camping in the tent I've been known to return with a bucket of water & wash away any "residue" when it's been sticky. Difficult to do much more really......if you've got any ideas, I'm open to suggestions.

Jim
 
Sep 20, 2008
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Jim,

Hope you, your family and the dogs get as much enjoyment out of caravanning as we have.

Personally, I would have no problem with you pitching next to me. A few of the people in the German Shepherd Club I go to have a similar set-up to your Vauxhall Vivaro. I drive a Kia Sorento myself and have a standard Kia dog guard plus a special boot guard made by Bajro fitted in the boot which basically makes it a cage. Three of my dogs go in there with the other going in the back of the car in a large plastic crate secured with two seatbelts.

I guess it's possible that some people might look down on you initially when pull into a site towing with the Vivaro. Perhaps the thought, 'Surely commercial vehicles aren't allowed', or 'Oh, no, not travellers' may spring to a few peoples minds. But after a while I'm sure it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that you tow with the Vivaro because it's specially adapted for the dogs which you bring with you.

Like I say, I'd be more than happy if you pitched next to me, as I would be with any responsible dog owner. I'm sure you'd let me have a nosey at the set up in the back of the Vivaro and maybe exchange a few agility training tips.

Shaun.
 
Dec 2, 2009
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Shaun,

We're more than happy to talk dog-training tips with anyone & everyone we meet - that's how we all learn. I can also talk all day about different cage configurations in vans. We've actually just got a new Vivaro & we're getting 4 cages fitted as I type - 2 up & 2 down which go from the back as far forward as the front of the wheel arches. This leaves plenty of space for all of our other junk - I mean equipment!!!

My other 1/2 has a Vauxhall Zafira with a Barjo tailgate guard - they're very well made, but not cheap. Worth every penny though.

Thanks for the encouraging comments about using the van to tow. I've now just got to come to terms with reversing the caravan with the van - something I'm not looking forward to !!

Cheers,

Jim
 

LMH

Mar 14, 2005
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Hi SF

The only prejudice I have encountered is breed specific. As usual, the mornons ruin it for the all the others.

We have two dogs and wouldn't consider having more than two.

If you pitched alongside me and got your four dogs out. To be perfectly honest, I would look and I would think to myself 'I hope they're trained and come back on the first recall'. Once I saw how you handled your dogs and saw how the dogs responded to you, I'd base my opinion on that.

One thing I cannot stand, even more than people not picking up, is yapping or barking dogs. My younger dog will only bark to warn us there's something in the area and that's fine, that's his job.

Lisa
 
Jan 19, 2008
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Hi SF

The only prejudice I have encountered is breed specific. As usual, the mornons ruin it for the all the others.

We have two dogs and wouldn't consider having more than two.

If you pitched alongside me and got your four dogs out. To be perfectly honest, I would look and I would think to myself 'I hope they're trained and come back on the first recall'. Once I saw how you handled your dogs and saw how the dogs responded to you, I'd base my opinion on that.

One thing I cannot stand, even more than people not picking up, is yapping or barking dogs. My younger dog will only bark to warn us there's something in the area and that's fine, that's his job.

Lisa
C'mon, try and keep up. The threads been going a day now and this is your first response. The dog do do's are beginning to get a crust on them ... heh! heh! heh!
 

LMH

Mar 14, 2005
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Hi SF

The only prejudice I have encountered is breed specific. As usual, the mornons ruin it for the all the others.

We have two dogs and wouldn't consider having more than two.

If you pitched alongside me and got your four dogs out. To be perfectly honest, I would look and I would think to myself 'I hope they're trained and come back on the first recall'. Once I saw how you handled your dogs and saw how the dogs responded to you, I'd base my opinion on that.

One thing I cannot stand, even more than people not picking up, is yapping or barking dogs. My younger dog will only bark to warn us there's something in the area and that's fine, that's his job.

Lisa
LOL! It's the first time I've looked on here for a few days.

Lisa
 
Oct 22, 2009
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With reference to dog protocol.My personal view is that all manner of creatures,including MAN,should not, or be allowed to, encroach on others. My little "bears" can be yappy but they are not allowed to yap uncontrolled.However sometimes it is difficult when small children are chasing each other around the van.I would never think to curb a childs play but I would ask for a little patience if the "bears" voice THEIR disapproval.To all those who may have been irritated by them I have to say I am sorry. Any advice on how to stop them would be gratefully received.They may not be perfect but they are never left unattended or off the lead and YES we DO clean up after them and have special bags and wipes for the purpose.Even at 3am HIMSELF takes torch and bags with him.And I have to say I have seen bigger deposits left by birds!!!

Not everyone likes dogs and not everyone likes children.I like both but the one should not be allowed to harm the other.

We all share a love of caravanning so lets not spoil that for each other."RESPECT" is the gospel!!!!

Thursdays Child
 

LMH

Mar 14, 2005
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The one and only time I exhibited one of mine at Crufts, I booked in at Chapel Lane CC site. I paid someone to stay at my house to look after the other dog and our other pets.

I got talking to a woman in a two berth van opposite ours. She worked on one of the trade stands. She closed her house up from spring to autumn and went round the country with the company she worked for.

She had 18 dogs in her van. All yappies!!

Lisa
 
Aug 22, 2009
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Hi Shaun,

nice photo.

Shepherds really hit the spot for me although i don't think we will have another dog for the forseeable future.

How old is the Shepherd pup on the far right? Dangerous me looking at something as cute as that because i will end up wanting one again.

Cheers Darryl
 
Sep 20, 2008
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Cheers Darryl,

Young 'Zeus' on the far right was 18 weeks when this was taken. He's 20 weeks today and even bigger still!

Definately has the 'cute' factor!
 

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