Pets

[JuniorBirdMan]

I'm recently retired and the single father of 2 yorkies. I'm looking at getting an Oliver and hitting the road with them on some potentially lengthy jaunts. Would love to hear from some of you about the pros & cons of traveling with your pets.

[bugeyedriver]

JuniorBirdMan,

 

"Up in the Air!!!" and welcome to the Oliver forum.

 

Being another recently retired and single father of a furkid, I have to tell you how great it is to have Oscar as a traveling companion. He & I hit the open road last fall for a 3 month, 12,000 mile walk-a-bout that took us from Florida to Washington state and many points in between. There are few very minor inconveniences, such as the occasional cold early morning walk instead of simply opening the back door at home and the every present "courtesy bags" . If it's hot outside and you need to run an errand, leave the a/c on for them in the trailer or take them along in the car, run inside with the car & a/c on, the doors locked, and an extra car key in your pocket. Their companionship is well worth any minor hassles you may encounter.

 

As you hit the road in your trailer, you'll discover just how many of us are wandering around the country with our four legged friends who seem to enjoy the journey as much as we do. (So many smells to smell, so many trees to water, so many other dogs to sniff . . . )

 

Pete

 

Don't leave home without them.

[JuniorBirdMan]

Sounds encouraging! If I've got my facts straight (ALWAYS a major assumption) they aren't allowed in National Parks. Do you just avoid those parks?

[technomadia]

We adopted a kitten about 2 months ago - figuring it would easier to raise a cat to enjoy traveling, than it might be to convert a house cat. Thus far.. it's been.. fun. Yeah, we'll go with fun Most of our challenges are just dealing with dispersing kitten energy in such a small space.

 

The biggest change in thinking is making sure that if we leave the trailer for any length of time that we're leaving it habitable (instead of just turning everything off - such as heater/ac and lights) and making sure she gets reststop breaks too while we're in travel.

 

 

We haven't tried National Parks yet.. but we do know that we will need to drop her off at kitty sitters when go to things like Burning Man.

 

- Cherie

[bugeyedriver]

Some National Parks are pet friendly. Just at at most RV parks, your pets must always be controlled with a leash, usually no more than 6 feet in length. Also, the awesome wildlife you are able to encounter in the great outdoors may look at your two yorkies as morning and afternoon snacks. NEVER leave them unattended, even for the briefest time. Oscar was resting outside (on a dog tether) in the Sequoia National Park as I read a book nearby and "Wile-E-Coyote" was stalking him as easy prey. You can read about it on my travel blog's Sunday, October 26, 2008 entry.

 

A good explanation about pets in National Parks can be found at:

 

http://usparks.about.com/library/weekly/aaq042589.htm

 

And a book with specific park information can be found at:

[JuniorBirdMan]

Wow! Thanx 4 the info. I've already ordered a couple of the books!

[tumbleweed]

Welcome !!!!

We travel with a Mini Pinscher, a miniture Aussie and a Sheltie....our Oliver is called the 'Phunny Pharm"

A 4 month trip to CA and several "local" 2-3 week trips and wouldn't trade it for anything. Pete's comments are quite true...what he doesn't tell you is that Oscar is the BOSS! We will admit that our three are given a vote in what we do but they are NOT our bosses....yeah right!

You'll be surprised at how well they adopt to life on the road. Ours see us packing and they KNOW.... new SMELLS!!! Try to make your first trips close to home, if possible with friends in another camper. That way they can monitor the dogs barking if you leave them in the trailer. If not, let your neighbors know that you and/or the dogs are new to camping. Many campgrounds are pet friendly because there are MANY folks traveling with their pets.

We think you will find traveling with your dogs will be very rewarding, we sure do!

n

[earthdancer]

Be prepared to lose your bed! Chuck and I never sleep alone in the Oliver! hahaha!

[pam roach]

You definetely need to talk to Jim and Evon Oliver and the Road Crew,,,,,,they have two Yorkies that travel with us and "Let the Olivers live in their trailer!" We have a "Wienie" (dachsaund) - You will have to get your "Ollie" and meet the "pups"- Rags, Abbie and Radar...be prepared to share all people food!

Pam

[KWRJRPE]

MontanaOliver

 

 

 

Those are wonderful pictures!  I have been to Choteau, MT, on three occasions (all in November) and absolutely love the State (my engineering company has a 3-person office in Choteau).  My wife is a true Florida resident and extremely doubtful would appreciate Olivering with me in this type weather.  Anything below 60 degrees and Karren is done with it. So, possibly just me and my lab retriever Magnum visit a fourth time this coming fall.  (will be a fairly long trip from Florida to MT, pulling the Oliver). Once again, your pictures really are great (in my earlier life I must have been a mountain man).  And, what a great looking dog - what breed?  Appears to have a great winter coat.

[Nan]

Mine are Galgos I adopted from Spain.  Since they are in the sighthound family, I would never be able to release them from a leash.  My vision is me being tethered to them 24/7.

[dbp05ret]

Hello,

 

 

 

We travel with 2 Cairn Terriers. They each weigh about 14 lbs a piece. We recently returned from a 40 day trip. The dogs were sleeping on a blanket on the floor between the twin beds. Each morning, we would take them on a walk and pick up their blanket. We noticed that there was moisture on the floor. So, we decided to buy an elevated bed. This is the product that we purchased. Fiksu Pets Heavy Duty Elevated Pet Bed (small) from Amazon. It cost $39.99. We had it shipped to a campsite where we were located. It worked extremely well and problem was solved.

 

 

[topgun2]

Dudley doesn't travel but somehow he always gets this look on his face when I tell him I'm going on a trip - I wonder why?