The RV Life for a Dog

We are living the dream, so our Chippy dog is too.  His favorite thing is to sit here in this chair looking out the window hoping that some squirrel will come by and he can bark them to death.

Most of the time Chippy the 6 pound miniature curly haired Rottweiler (aka Toy Poodle) has free run of the house, but there are times when he needs to be crated.  Sometimes it is for his protection.  Once I ran a quick errand and came back and he had hopped onto the kitchen counter (he used the couch as a ladder) and ate a plate of almond pancakes.  Six pound dogs don't need to eat five almond pancakes.  So, I typically put him in the crate to avoid potentially vomitous situations.

Sometimes, it is for our neighbor's protection.  He barks less when he is crated. So if we are parked in an RV park where others could hear him barking, into the crate he goes.  

He has been crated since he was little bitty and it is his safe place.  

If he isn't feeling well, he voluntarily goes to the crate.  

If he's feeling guilty, he goes to the crate.  

If he needs a timeout, he is sent to the crate.  

Sometimes he even hides food in the crate for a later snack (that's where we found the rest of the almond pancakes).

Ray at LoveYourRV.com has this to say about crating your dog.

Many times the dogs will have to stay behind in the rig. Sometimes it’s because we are going shopping and they can’t be left in a sunny truck or it’s a hike in National park and no dogs are allowed. We have found the best way to do it is to leave them inside their kennels in the rig. This really made sense after the carpet eating incident. If they are in the kennels they feel secure, won’t be trying to see out the windows causing stress or if they fall an injury, and most important with beagles…. won’t eat stuff. When leaving the less fuss the better soon they will know the drill and if properly exercised will likely curl up and sleep till you return.

Now, when we lived in a 3801 sq ft house, there were plenty of places to keep a crate.  After all, that 1 extra square foot over 3800 came in handy!  BUT, in a RV, space is limited.  In fact, if there is unused space then the RV designer did not do their job (another post for another day....finding all the hidey-holes in an RV).  So, where would I put the crate?  We had to have that safe, timeout, bark-less crate and I really didn't want to trip over it in the middle of the night.

So, I found a hidey-hole.  Since there are only 2 of us living here, I took one of the chairs and put it in the basement (Yes, RVs have basements - another post on another day) and put the crate in its place!  (I'm especially proud of this discovery/idea).

If you are looking for a hidey-hole in your home, I recommend purchasing the Midwest Life Stages Folding Metal Dog Crate.  It has a door on the side and the end, perfect for odd spaces.  You can click here for the link to this crate.  

If you need help finding that hidey-hole, I am available for consultations.

Traveling with Dog Disasters

Occasionally, traveling with a dog is quite disastrous.  Like the one time that the RV door didn't get closed and our daughter found our dog ALL the way across the park.  She said we were bad parents.  I reminded her that SHE was still alive. Lucky duck.

Sometimes, traveling with a dog is quite hilarious.  Once while driving through New Mexico in a light snow, we stopped to get gas.  Hubby left the keys in the car and the rest of us got out to go to the bathroom (read "get snacks" for the kids).  Guess what? The dog got excited and ran to the window and placed his little bitty paw on the automatic door lock.  Here's what I learned from that little episode.

1.  Onstar considers it an emergency if a pet or person is locked in the car.
2.  When you call Onstar, they are very concerned about said pet and ask if they are ok.
3.  Onstar does not care about the fact that the car was locked because the dog stepped on the "lock" button while you were pumping gas.  
4. Onstar can even talk to the dog while they are unlocking the car and you are standing outside in 32 degree weather with no coat cause it's in the car.
5.  Gas stations in the middle of New Mexico do not keep the phone number for Onstar handy.
6.  When you have an Onstar account, you should put their number in your phone. 


I think that these are good tips for anyone traveling with a dog.  Number one being "Don't leave the keys in the ignition."

Also, please don't leave your dog in the car when it is very hot or very cold.  It's very dangerous and that is exactly why Onstar considers it an emergency.  

If you RV, please don't leave your pet in the RV during extreme temperatures if you aren't heating or cooling it.  AND never put your pet in a crate inside the RV while you are pulling it down the road.  You just never know what might happen.

One time we opened our RV up after traveling and found this:

The knife fell off the magnetic rack and landed point down in the floor.  That could kill a pet.  For real. 

If you have seen the movie "The Long, Long Trailer" with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, then you KNOW what can happen to someone who is riding in the RV while traveling down the road.

If you haven't seen the movie, click here to purchase it.  You'll love it!  It's very worth the 5 bucks.