Camping with pets requires preparation similar to assembling your family’s camping gear and food but on a much smaller scale. Camping with pets also requires you to think about your pet’s safety and well-being while you are on your camping trip.

Until our family adopted a puppy, we didn’t give this topic a lot of thought but we did notice other campers camping with pets. In some cases, our thoughts were good thoughts, and other times our thoughts were not so good. To illustrate what we are talking about in regards to camping with pets, let us share a couple stories.

Not Impressed: We were camping next to a family that had converted a bus into a camper. Also camping next to us was a large porcupine. The bus campers were camping with pets – two dogs. At about 10:00 p.m. on a Saturday night, the two dogs pushed open the bus door and went after the porcupine, or should we say the porcupine went after the dogs because the porcupine certainly won the battle!! The campers ended up driving their large camper bus 25 miles into the nearest city to find a vet. As you can see, camping with pets takes some planning and common sense.

Impressed: There are folks who really think things through when camping with pets. This is an observation at a campground that shows that some owners think of everything. These campers chose a site quite a distance from the busy part of the campground. We are not sure of the breed of the dog but the dog appeared to be the size of a small pony. The owners had a special tent for the dog and they had a twin-sized mattress on the grass, in the shade, for the dog. They had it on a leash at all times and it was obvious they had the dog’s comfort and safety in mind.

In addition to the rules you’ll find posted at most campgrounds regarding camping with pets, we like the following simple guidelines or perhaps we should say etiquette:

1.    Keep your dog on a leash
2.    Pick up after your dog (don’t forget your pooper scooper)
3.    Try to keep barking to a minimum
4.    Don’t take your dog to the beach unless the sign says it is OK, and
5.    Please don’t take your dog into the restroom (we know first-hand that this really scares a young child!).

Camping with pets requires you to put together a small bag of supplies you will need for your pet’s camping trip. 

_____2 leashes                                                               _____1 food bowl
_____1 collar with ID Tag                                              _____1 water bowl      
_____Dog Food                                                                _____Dog Treats
_____Toys                                                                         _____Rug or dog bed
_____Pooper scooper and waste disposal bags     _____Stake
_____Towels or rags                                                      _____Kennel

If you are camping with pets, be sure that all of your pet’s vaccinations are up-to-date. A good product for pets to repel ticks and fleas is Frontline. We use it on our dog during the summer months – it is easy to use and very effective. 

To tell you the truth, we had a really tough time camping with a puppy. On our first trip with our puppy, we listened to her cry all night. Then of course she had to go potty on our sleeping bag. Our puppy also liked anything dirty that she could get into. If it was gross or dirty, she’d find it and proceed to roll around in it. We didn’t get much sleep. After a couple stressful trips, one of our family members offered to watch our puppy so we admit we did go camping WITHOUT pets for awhile.

We are happy to point out that our puppy is now a dog and she is really quite delightful to take camping. Now we can’t imagine going camping without her.

Put together your dog’s bag and keep in mind the simple rules for camping with pets and you will have a grand time camping with your pet!