FT w dog(s) — leaving them in Ollie

[Moonlight Mile]

Hi all,

My excitement at getting an Ollie I and going FT with my Lab had me googling. And I came upon things about monitors etc., so your beloved pet — you HAVE to leave them in the Ollie alone at some points, right? — are safe.

I am very interested in hearing how any FT people w a dog etc. insure that their pet is ok when they run to the laundromat, the market, wherever, and have to leave Fido alone in the Ollie.

Temps can change. Power can go off (whether at a campground or wherever, right?). Too hot, too cold, a lot of things. My dog is my angel, my life. I will do whatever I must to insure his safety and comfort when I have to go “out” without him. Just saw some “monitoring” systems for this sort of thing but not sure how they work (wifi? cell?) and I don’t mind AT ALL paying for a subscription for that sort of thing but if any of you have suggestions or recs, I am all ears here. Thanks!

[VBistro]

I use this in our Sprinter.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M1OPOZB/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_porHFbQRBV7JV

The van is black and heats up like you wouldn't believe without the AC running. The only downside to the Temp Stick is that you need to have access to cell signal because it relies on wifi to transmit temperature data. And even if you camp with some signal (and have a cellular modem), it doesn't do you any good if where you are going without the pups puts you out of cell range....that happens all the time on some of our cycling adventures, so it isn't a Fail-Safe system. 

In reality, when we are out of cell range, we don't leave the dogs in the van unless it is parked 100% in the shade and we can leave the windows open and the Maxx air fan going.

If someone has a better system I'd love to hear about it. 

[ScubaRx]

We have traveled 130,000 miles in our two different Oliver's over the past 13 years. We have always had 3 dogs with us, although only one of our current three has made every trip. Unlike your Oliver you are not dealing with a car or van that will heat up dramatically. If the outside temperature is above 45° F and under 85° F, the inside of the Oliver will be very comfortable for them.  If the temp is toward the upper end we will leave the Maxxfan running and the windows open a bit. We always leave plenty of water. Our personal rule is that if the temp is above 75° F we will not leave them in the truck. If it is extremely hot (>90° F) we will leave the AC running on the generator. The longest we've ever left them was about 13 hours while we rode the train from Williams up to the Grand Canyon and back. They were fine and very happy to see us and ready to go pee. Usually, it's not more than 2-3 hours.

This issue has been cussed and discussed several times here and in other places through the years.  As technology has progressed there probably have been some electronic solutions, I'm just not personally familiar with any good ones. Please follow up with your findings.

[Moonlight Mile]

22 hours ago, VBistro said:

I use this in our Sprinter.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M1OPOZB/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_porHFbQRBV7JV

The van is black and heats up like you wouldn't believe without the AC running. The only downside to the Temp Stick is that you need to have access to cell signal because it relies on wifi to transmit temperature data. And even if you camp with some signal (and have a cellular modem), it doesn't do you any good if where you are going without the pups puts you out of cell range....that happens all the time on some of our cycling adventures, so it isn't a Fail-Safe system. 

In reality, when we are out of cell range, we don't leave the dogs in the van unless it is parked 100% in the shade and we can leave the windows open and the Maxx air fan going.

If someone has a better system I'd love to hear about it. 

I saw this system and it’s on the list for sure. Thank you VERY much for first-hand experience/info!

[Moonlight Mile]

19 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

We have traveled 130,000 miles in our two different Oliver's over the past 13 years. We have always had 3 dogs with us, although only one of our current three has made every trip. Unlike your Oliver you are not dealing with a car or van that will heat up dramatically. If the outside temperature is above 45° F and under 85° F, the inside of the Oliver will be very comfortable for them.  If the temp is toward the upper end we will leave the Maxxfan running and the windows open a bit. We always leave plenty of water. Our personal rule is that if the temp is above 75° F we will not leave them in the truck. If it is extremely hot (>90° F) we will leave the AC running on the generator. The longest we've ever left them was about 13 hours while we rode the train from Williams up to the Grand Canyon and back. They were fine and very happy to see us and ready to go pee. Usually, it's not more than 2-3 hours.

This issue has been cussed and discussed several times here and in other places through the years.  As technology has progressed there probably have been some electronic solutions, I'm just not personally familiar with any good ones. Please follow up with your findings.

Thank you! I searched here — maybe not the right terms — and came up empty, which surprised me. I will try again.

[VBistro]

 

On 10/12/2020 at 11:53 PM, ScubaRx said:

We have traveled 130,000 miles in our two different Oliver's over the past 13 years. We have always had 3 dogs with us, although only one of our current three has made every trip. Unlike your Oliver you are not dealing with a car or van that will heat up dramatically. If the outside temperature is above 45° F and under 85° F, the inside of the Oliver will be very comfortable for them.  If the temp is toward the upper end we will leave the Maxxfan running and the windows open a bit. We always leave plenty of water.

Good to know, and as I suspected.  The van is black and not nearly as well insulated as an Ollie.  Looking forward to a little more "wiggle room" re: the dogs than we have now!

 

[SeaDawg]

As Scubarx said,, if we are camping  in the summer with the trailer in tow, the oliver is the safe place for the dog, not the truck.

Bath window and vent open, bath door propped open, fan on. The trailer is secure. The dog is comfy.

I will say, we don't travel out  west in extreme summer desert heat. 

Edited October 15, 2020 by SeaDawg
Typos

[Landrover]

16 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

As Scubarx said,, if we are camping  in the summer with the trailer in tow, the oliver is the safe place for the dog, not the truck.

Bath window and vent open, bath door propped open, fan on. The trailer is secure. The dig is comfy.

I will say, we don't travel out  west in extreme summer desert heat. 

SeaDawg

 If humans aren’t allowed to ride in travel trailers while in tow, I think the same goes for animals. The Tv would be a safer place. Have you ever seen a trailer trailer in a roll over crash?  Nothing left to it. Maybe not the same results with the Oliver. Tv heavy damage but stayed intact. I could be wrong. My opinion only.

[SeaDawg]

Landrover, 

I certainly wasn't talking about while towing. Only at camp. 

Obviously,  our (princess) dog rides in her prime seat in the back seat of the truck, while traveling. 

I guess I should have made that more clear?

I would never travel with my dog in the trailer. I'm talking about safer place, truck or parked trailer,  going to the store, laundry, etc., which I thought was the topic.

Edited October 15, 2020 by SeaDawg

[Landrover]

1 minute ago, SeaDawg said:

Landrover, 

I certainly wasn't talking about while towing. Only at camp. 

Obviously,  our (princess) dog rides in her prime seat in the back seat of the truck, while traveling. 

I guess I should have made that more clear?

SeaDawg 

my apology’s  mis read when you said with the trailer in tow. My mistake 

[Ray and Susan Huff]

If possible, park the Oliver so it is in the shade during the warmer part of the say, close the shades.  Make sure the dogs have water available.