To Pet, or Not to Pet? Pros and Cons, please!

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We travel now with a small Papillion, great dog :)
but when we full time, that little doggie is going with kiddo to college and husband and I are not having any pets. Too limiting. My hubby is my pet HAHA No more animals traveling period for us, to us while they are fab companions etc. we want total freedom and a pet is a limitation we are not willing to work around anymore. Just us and our stage of life now how we want to hit the road.
 
When I was a teenager I could not get enough petting. Now I could care less. Just want a good meal.
 
Haha Weight...

We have a cat we travel with. If it’s hot I simply leave on the AC while we are gone. If it’s cold I have a coat I put on him. Easy peasy
 
Yes. But Cat insists on coming with me. So I have note from my Shaman listing it as a service animal. But I can't let Cat see that it says animal. Cat rides in a tote bag from a Prehistory Museum. Likes to imitate saber tooth things. I look like a RMf (Retired Bastard) so we are left alone.
 
Traveling with Lucy (my 17 month old puppy) does have its challenges. Especially during the summer when it is too hot to leave her alone in the car. I take her crate in the trailer or the van and pu t her in it if I have to go shopping or elsewhere. She's emotionally needy so I can't leave her alone for more than an hour or two. Otherwise she sounds like someone is torturing her.

I'm fulltiming and in this lifestyle to live. If I were to be doing this for traveling and sight seeing, I wouldn't take a dog. They do limit you greatly. Like kids. They're a pain in the rear, but I still had four of 'em. The same with Lucy.

One thing that I didn't foresee as a positive side effect of having a dog while doing this is how much money I'm saving by not going to restaurants that don't permit animals. If it isn't dog-friendly, I don't go.

With all of the above, if I have to see a doc or dentist, I am obviously in a town large enough to have doggie daycare available. Lucy loves that and gets so excited that her body wags her tail.
Ted
 
oclisa said:
This thread is stale but I still want to throw in my two cents worth. I have been full-timing for only 3 weeks and chances are good that I am going to quit very soon. Why? Because I am traveling with a dog and a cat and that, as others have already stated, can be very limiting. Plus, while I try not to worry about things that haven't happened, I can't help but stress about the possibility of a break-down that requires days in the shop while traveling with my dog and cat. The options in such a situation are likely to be few and expensive.
I can't attribute feelings or thoughts to my dog and cat  but I can sense their contentment. I do not feel as though either animal is very happy being cooped up in a small Class B. Previously, my dog had a big yard to run around in whenever he wanted and the cat loved to roam the house.
If I were not living this lifestyle with my dog and cat, I'd probably be pretty thrilled but I have realized that I will better satisfy my travel urges by going back to a S&B's and using pet sitters when I travel.
I know a lot of people manage to live this lifestyle with their pets but you will be confined by it, i.e., not as much opportunities to explore/hike; limited to temperate weather if you are boondocking and/or visiting urban areas, vet issues if your pet gets sick (esp if it's an emergency) and the dreaded breakdown.

I think some of this should be qualified.  Many pets adapt extremely well to the cold, as long as they aren't too sheltered from it.  And you shouldn't be either.  

And what pets lose in the ability to romp around a house can be made up for by a pet's close interaction with you if you live in a vehicle -- at least if you don't spend long periods parted.  Cats, I dunno, but cats tend not to need the outside unless they've been let roam.  But even dogs ... dogs like YOU better than they like houses.  A dog who drives around town with you and sees you many hours a day tends to be a happy dog.
 
Jack said:
Those of you who do have a dog/cat, what do you think new van dwellers need to consider before deciding?  What are the pros and cons? How much does it limit your freedom when you're stopping to explore different areas? So, when I start the van life, I see advantages and disadvantages to having a pet. 

I no longer have a dog or cat but had both over the years when I was younger. Some were put down due to age or disease by the vet but most of them I buried when their life was ended only to discover that it never gets easier to do, buried nearly two dozen over the years, all were close companions that chose to be with me whenever they could. That said, there's no avoiding the logistics of pet ownership. It's with this in mind that I've determined that the warm & fuzzies one gets from pet companionship does not outweigh the logistics involved in upkeep & care as a nomad. I am & will be without a pet as I travel.
 
I probably think about pairing w/ a dog/pet several times a week and haven't done so yet for many of the reasons given here. I'm still building the rig so I'll wait till I've found my groove, or not, and then decide.

Part of me really wants to, I've even made considerations on the build for future possibilities but I take adopting a 4 footer probably as serious as anything in my life so I'll wait.
 
Dingfelder said:
 dogs like YOU better than they like houses. 
Wanna know who loves you best? Take your dog and your spouse and lock them in a  closet all day. Then notice which one is happy to see you when you let them out.
;)
 
lenny flank said:
Wanna know who loves you best? Take your dog and your spouse and lock them in a  closet all day. Then notice which one is happy to see you when you let them out.
;)

HAHAHAHA that's funny!
 
I travel with my doberman a lot. Its really enjoyable having her along, but there are a lot of things you have to take into account before you do. First off if there is a chance of one device failing and putting her in harm I wont take that chance. That means I would not leave her in the van with the AC running (engine running in my case) without a remote monitoring system. Police K9 units have some of the best monitoring systems/cooling systems and even those lead to death on rare occasions. So relying on just an A/C system by itself is not an option for me.

I do mountain bike with her a lot, where allowed. When I don't she does stay in the van, but for that to happen certain criteria have to be met:

1. Ambient outside temperature has to be acceptable

2. Two fans running non-stop with enough reserve power for them

3. Plenty of water available to her that wont spill

4. Windows of vehicle covered (for heat and anxiety)

5. Signs stating dog is in vehicle with water
 
I have had pets of some sort for over 30 years.  Something I hadn't thought about until recently is this...

When I was 53, I acquired my current lady as a puppy. Now she is 14 and I am 67.  She doesn't walk so good anymore (vet says not much we can do without major surgery on her spine that may not work, not gonna happen).  I injured a shoulder which makes it very difficult to lift her up and down steps and into/out of our vehicle.  At this time, we are managing but I am so thankful she isn't a large dog!  

A friend is having that problem now.  Her very large aging dog can no longer get into or out of her vehicle.  Dog weighs over 100 pounds.  And my friend is older, too, and can't lift the dog.  She relies on the help of others.

When you are younger and strong and healthy, you don't think about how, as the dog ages, so do you! Will you be able to handle that animal when you may not be so strong?  Don't poo poo that idea!  I slipped and fell last spring and injured a shoulder.  Now I understand this whole aging thing. Until then, I could do anything.  Now, it's a challenge to help my little friend just hobble out to do her business.  And when she was younger, she could go out only twice a day if weather or whatever limited us.  Now, it's five to six times a day.  Wonder why this shoulder isn't healing?

The adventures and good times we have had, though!  All over North America, we have chased, run around, travelled, she barked at bears through the van window, met new peeps and dogs, she is fearless!  When my husband died, she licked my tears and loved me unconditionally.  We are so much alike it's scary.  At this moment, she's sleeping on her bed next to me, as I sit in my rocker and listen to her soft snoring.  

I will not get another animal when she is gone. Assuming she dies first...  It would be good for me but not fair to the animal if I can't take proper care of it.
 
When I first met you 7 years ago I knew you were wise and you've proven me right again.
 
I'm lost without a dog. The gain is worlds bigger than the give. Wouldn't even consider being without one, unless there was nothing I could do to make their life bearable. Luckily they are pretty easy to please.
 
^Stargazer. I also have a dog which is aging at a time I'm not in great shape myself. Always afraid I'll hurt myself lifting her up. My next dog will be in the 20 pound range.
 
Top class (and I do mean class) thinking there, Stargazer.

So nice to see people thinking of something besides themselves.

So often I hear people talking as if they are content to die and let their pets eat them.

I know multiple elderly ladies who are thinking of getting dogs to match their age, if they get one at all. I think it used to be more common that people would just get whatever they liked, with no thought to the consequences. Not to be too glib, but there was a little too much of, "Yes, but will the dog match my couch?"

My mother moved from 80 to 40 pound dogs as she grew older. Her next dog won't be a breed that gets over 20 pounds.
 
Owl:  Hello!  Check your PM's.

BigSallysMom:  I know how lonely it will be without a furry friend.  But maybe I will volunteer at the local animal shelter or foster?  Since I'm back in a S&B for awhile.  We'll see when the time comes.  Sigh.

Dingfelder:  Thank you.  Match the couch?  Lol!  Years ago when I had five dogs and two cats in my S&B, I did consider taking a dirt sample from the yard to match new tile flooring I was considering for that house.  Five dogs.  Those were the days, my friend...

Best wishes.
 
"My mother moved from 80 to 40 pound dogs as she grew older. Her next dog won't be a breed that gets over 20 pounds."

Gives new meaning to "downsizing!"
 
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