Dog-centric Park With Doggy Day Care

We have two medium-sized dogs and have yet to hit the road in our RV. Counting down the days though. Online, we've noticed several parks catering to dog lovers, complete with large fenced in dog runs, dog wash stations, dog agility training options, etc. Haven't noticed any with doggy day care or kennels onsite. Since we really haven't "been there, done that" yet in terms of going out on the road in our RV, just wondering (as a potential business venture) if people would pay more for an upscale dog-centric RV park complete with a nice doggy day care? Thanks in advance for your input.

 

Well, we definitely seek out dog-friendly parks whenever we can find them. The best we've found is Four-Paws, in Rutherfordon, NC. Having large fenced yards, one for large dogs and one for small ones, is a plus for us, since we all sleep better when our Welsh Terrier has a good solid hour chasing her frisbee each day. By all reports and signs, our dog is not a "barker" in our absence; so I am not certain that we would use day care. For those who have dogs who bark (or become distressed) when they're gone, a day-care option might be of value.

 

QUOTE(NotThereYet @ Jan 30 2010, 11:52 AM) [snapback]20788[/snapback]

We have two medium-sized dogs and have yet to hit the road in our RV. Counting down the days though. Online, we've noticed several parks catering to dog lovers, complete with large fenced in dog runs, dog wash stations, dog agility training options, etc. Haven't noticed any with doggy day care or kennels onsite. Since we really haven't "been there, done that" yet in terms of going out on the road in our RV, just wondering (as a potential business venture) if people would pay more for an upscale dog-centric RV park complete with a nice doggy day care? Thanks in advance for your input.




I would pay more for a park that did not allow dogs. I have yet been to a park that some of the dog owners do not pick up behind their dogs and could care less where the dogs do their business.

 

QUOTE(trailmaster @ Jan 31 2010, 04:08 PM) [snapback]20802[/snapback]

I would pay more for a park that did not allow dogs. I have yet been to a park that some of the dog owners do not pick up behind their dogs and could care less where the dogs do their business.



Good point.

 

QUOTE(trailmaster @ Jan 31 2010, 04:08 PM) [snapback]20802[/snapback]

I would pay more for a park that did not allow dogs. I have yet been to a park that some of the dog owners do not pick up behind their dogs and could care less where the dogs do their business.



I have two small dogs. We only go to dog parks that are "dog friendly" of course. I have YET to visit a park that has a lot of dog messes! I walk them all over the park every day and MAYBE see one or two messes that were not picked up. My question to you would be, WHY are you staying at parks that take dogs? There are TONS of parks that don't accept pets! You sound like a grouchy old person to me.

 

I would **definitely** pay for a doggy day care service at an RV park. We travel with our two dogs and have utilized onsite dog-walking services quite often, but we have never encountered an actual doggy day care onsite. I have found that many RV parks do not advertise their dog-walking services on their website--you have to just ask when you make the reservation. At the RV parks near major attractions, we have always lucked out and found that they do indeed offer dog-walking services, and usually at surprisingly low rates. I would however prefer the doggy day care that you mentioned--fabulous idea.

QUOTE(prodrifters @ Jan 31 2010, 07:23 PM) [snapback]20805[/snapback]



There are TONS of parks that don't accept pets! You sound like a grouchy old person to me.




LOL! Good point!

 

TrailMaster: I think your idea is a good one........i.e., "paying more" for a park that does not allow dogs. Given that (in my unscientific observations) about 2/3rds to 3/4 of RV families travel with dogs, I am happy that you have a plan to find parks that are appropriate for your needs. Dog "unfriendly" parks across America take note.

And, by the way, we always clean up after our dog.

 

QUOTE(prodrifters @ Jan 31 2010, 06:23 PM) [snapback]20805[/snapback]



I have two small dogs. We only go to dog parks that are "dog friendly" of course. I have YET to visit a park that has a lot of dog messes! I walk them all over the park every day and MAYBE see one or two messes that were not picked up. My question to you would be, WHY are you staying at parks that take dogs? There are TONS of parks that don't accept pets! You sound like a grouchy old person to me.




wish I could find those parks you are talking about. I am not grouchy just hate seeing people not take care of their animals right.

 

QUOTE(trailmaster @ Jan 31 2010, 05:08 PM) [snapback]20802[/snapback]

I would pay more for a park that did not allow dogs. I have yet been to a park that some of the dog owners do not pick up behind their dogs and could care less where the dogs do their business.



Being fairly new to camping that is one thing I worry about the most when picking a sight, barking dogs. I am also sure there is nothing better than stepping in dung, then tracking it in your camper as well.

Pets are just like family, unfortunately it is the 1% of dog owners who DON'T care. The other 99% are fine folks.

There is someone on TrailerLife with a Mickey Mouse T@B who goes to the parks...

 

I saw this dog setup when we were camped in Deming, NM. The camper had several small dogs and had built in a door in a lower compartment that lead into bedroom of the camper. The dogs spent a lot of time outside and went inside without any assistance from the owner. They were quiet and the owners would set this up in the morning and leave the dogs unattended all day. Setting up the fences just tool several minutes and it was a neat setup. We have had plenty of times when a barking dog been a real problem both during the day and at night. This can happen with or without the owners knowledge.

http://www.linandnancy.com/demingsilvercity1.html

 

QUOTE(trailmaster @ Jan 31 2010, 04:08 PM) [snapback]20802[/snapback]

I would pay more for a park that did not allow dogs. I have yet been to a park that some of the dog owners do not pick up behind their dogs and could care less where the dogs do their business.




Did you ever consider that some of the "dog mess you see could be from maybe a dog that was not one of a guest? Maybe depending on where you stay, ie National Forest, State Parks, or maybe close to wooded areas, that it could be coyotes or other four legged critters. Majority of people tend there dogs, or cats mess.

We carry extra bags and pick up the occasional mess left behind by other critters or of someone elses dog.

But if you think it is that bad and want to pay more money then go ahead and waste it and help to stimulate the economy.

 

Okay, all trailmaster said is he would pay extra to stay somewhere that doesn't allow dogs. Some people pay extra to stay somewhere that doesn't have kids. Some pay extra to stay at places where there are no clothes. To each his own.

What he said is true - there are always some who don't clean up after their dog. I see it anytime I go somewhere where there are lots of campers with dogs - there is always someone who doesn't clean up - not many, but it's that 1 percent that ruin things.

There's the 1 percent of parents who don't discipline their kids at a CG.

There's the 1 percent of those having adult beverages who get rowdy and loud past lights out.

 

QUOTE(NorthernIllinoisPlumber @ Feb 1 2010, 08:37 AM) [snapback]20815[/snapback]

Being fairly new to camping that is one thing I worry about the most when picking a sight, barking dogs. I am also sure there is nothing better than stepping in dung, then tracking it in your camper as well.

Pets are just like family, unfortunately it is the 1% of dog owners who DON'T care. The other 99% are fine folks.

There is someone on TrailerLife with a Mickey Mouse T@B who goes to the parks...




that one percent must go to all the parks that I have been to.

 

QUOTE(trailmaster @ Feb 1 2010, 05:57 PM) [snapback]20831[/snapback]

that one percent must go to all the parks that I have been to.



OK Trailmaster, I will have to agree with you this time. I have a small dog and it irratates the crap out of me (pun intended) when owners don't pick up after their dog! That is just so rude and disgusting! :angry: If you're not going to take care of your dog, and that includes picking up after it, then you shouldn't have a dog. For those dog owners who try to be sly and think that no one knows that they didn't pick up . . . EVERYONE knows!!!!

 

QUOTE(trailmaster @ Jan 31 2010, 05:08 PM) [snapback]20802[/snapback]

I would pay more for a park that did not allow dogs. I have yet been to a park that some of the dog owners do not pick up behind their dogs and could care less where the dogs do their business.




Trailmaster,
I totally understand you. Dog owners who don't care ruin everything for the ones who take good care of their pooches. I'm a dog lover and get bothered by careless people all the time myself.
What the heck is the problem to get a bag out and clean up? Lazy, dumb jackasses get dogowners a bad name, shame on them!

To get back to the topic. I would definitely appreciate a place with a doggie day care. Sometimes we want to visit places, look around, have dinner which can take about 6-8 hrs. but we never do because of our lil' dogs. In this country you can't take your dogs everywhere so I'd like an RV Park where experienced people could take care of my dogs for a certain time. A large dog run would be paradise for them as there are hardly any places where they can run off leash. We try to walk'em at least for 3-4 miles each day though (on leash of course).

Just my 2 cents.

 

We stayed at a park in Louisiana last January where the owner allowed his three medium sized dogs to run loose in the park. They were well behaved but I know that there was no way that the owner was cleaning up after his own pets. The park rules specifically stated that dogs had to be on a leash and cleaned up afterwords, but being the owner does have it privileges. I gave the park a 7 rating mainly because of this.
Since we have a large dog I would not use a dog day care. She does not cause any problems when left alone in our coach and I would hate to leave her in the care of someone else, especially if she was going to be kept with other animals that I do not know. Being a large dog, altho very friendly around us, other humans, especially children, and most other dogs, I do not want to risk any problems that could result if some small ill-trained ankle biter decided to take an aggressive posture to her. Her breed, a Great Pyrenees, are very easy going and affectionate but they are also used to protect herds of sheep, etc. They have been known to kill wolves and bears and other predators that intruded on their area. I would hate to come back to the park after a day of sightseeing and hear about the small dog that she bit in half. It seems that the only dogs that we have ever had problems with in any park are the small dogs that, for some reason, think that it is prudent to bark and lunge at large dogs. It also seems that most of the owners, whose small dogs exhibit this type of behavior, seem to think that it is "cute". It is not!
Since I do not know how other people have trained their pets, I would not only not pay extra for it, but even if free, I would not use a doggy day care service where the dogs are all mixed together. I think it would be a recipe for disaster at some point in time.

 

QUOTE(rgatijnet @ Mar 12 2010, 07:26 AM) [snapback]21272[/snapback]

...would not use a doggy day care service where the dogs are all mixed together. I think it would be a recipe for disaster at some point in time...


Well said!
If I ever have the opportunity to own or manage an RV park, I would attempt to separate the dog from non-dog RV'ers. Dog side would have a nice park view with several runs and play areas. Benches where one could sit and watch the pups play, etc. Part of daily maintanence would have to be some KP to clean up after that one RV'er who thinks they are above this pet duty.

Non-dog side would have a different view...perhaps a golf course or natural area. No loose dogs or poop allowed.

Ah, dreaming.

 

QUOTE(FosterImposters @ Mar 12 2010, 11:32 AM) [snapback]21273[/snapback]

Well said!
If I ever have the opportunity to own or manage an RV park, I would attempt to separate the dog from non-dog RV'ers. Dog side would have a nice park view with several runs and play areas. Benches where one could sit and watch the pups play, etc. Part of daily maintanence would have to be some KP to clean up after that one RV'er who thinks they are above this pet duty.

Non-dog side would have a different view...perhaps a golf course or natural area. No loose dogs or poop allowed.

Ah, dreaming.



We would like a site in the dog friendly/no barking dogs/no kids/no early risers/no late night partying/no smoking/no foul odors from cooking/no senior citizen in a speedo/ lots of shade/ lots of sunshine/ clear line of sight for satellite/close to restrooms/not on a busy road/no one cutting through my site/free wifi, unless I didn't bring a computer in which case don't charge me for something I am not going to use section. The ideal site would overlook the victoria secrets model's swimming pool and changing room with a privacy fence that is short enough for me to see over while the wife could not. I might even forgo staying at Walmart for this site.

 

kcmoedoe,

If you ever find a place like your specifications, tell me about it, I like it! ;-)
Now if we try to improve on it, how about the same specs, but 200 yards from the beach, 20 minutes from the rockies, 15 minutes from 5 star restaurants and at least from two different world class cities (question of having a choice you know) and all that for 11$ with TT rebate? Wouldn't that be fun?

 

QUOTE(wprigge @ Mar 13 2010, 08:51 AM) [snapback]21279[/snapback]

kcmoedoe,

If you ever find a place like your specifications, tell me about it, I like it! ;-)
Now if we try to improve on it, how about the same specs, but 200 yards from the beach, 20 minutes from the rockies, 15 minutes from 5 star restaurants and at least from two different world class cities (question of having a choice you know) and all that for 11$ with TT rebate? Wouldn't that be fun?



Even for $11, and all of those amenities, some would still want the Passport America and Camp Club 50% discount.