Full-Time RV With Pets

RV Living with Pets can be very difficult for both you and your furry friends. Or it can be the best thing ever! It all depends on how you prepare. Plus having some products with you to help make RV living with pets easier.

Bring Them Or Leave Them?

We’ve been traveling in our RV for 4 years now and for the first few years of travel, we did NOT travel with our pets. We chose to have a pet sitter during our travels that would stay with our animals at our home base. This was expensive and our pets didn’t always handle us going for long periods of time very well.

Then, we had about an 8-month period of time during 2020 when we became Full-time RVers. So we had no choice but to bring our furry friends with us in our RV.

It’s Easier To Bring Pets In The RV

We now again have a home base. But, since we’ve learned how to make travel with pets easier, we now always bring them with us. Plus, we use our home base as a vacation rental when we travel on an extended basis so the pets HAVE to come with us. 

We had to figure out how to make it work to travel with our pets. And we kind of learned a few things that did and did not work in pretty quick order!

The Top 10 Tips & Products

We have a large Great Pyrenees dog – AKA, Alaska. We also have 2 cats. Now, Alaska is not exactly your typical “RV size” dog. So we frequently step over him to get to the bathroom at night or when moving around in the RV. Convenient? No. But, we love having him with us.

He’s also a great companion for our son, who really needs something consistent as we travel. RV life means things change a lot. The places change, campgrounds change, etc. Having Alaska along helps him to always have the same friend day in and day out in the midst of the constant change that RV Living brings.

So, here are our top 10 tips & products that we’ve found to make RV Living and Travel with pets possible.

Making Stops On Travel Days

Pet-friendly Stops. Find rest areas with a pet walking area, a grassy area, etc. Most of the truck stops we stop at don’t have the most friendly pet areas and we have to improvise. Or sometimes walk around a concrete parking lot. You’ll have to let us know if you’ve found some great pet-friendly stops for travel days (other than rest areas) in the comments below. 

Pet Policies At RV Campgrounds

Check the campground’s pet policies before making a reservation. We’ve not run across a campground yet that doesn’t allow pets BUT there are some out there. Make sure there are no pet restrictions such as size and breed before you book. It’s also a good idea to keep a vaccination record on hand. Not that campgrounds would require this, but should you need emergency vet care, the vet will want a copy of these records. 

Pet Monitors For RV

Use a Pet monitor. We have a few ways to monitor the temp of our RV, but we have found the pet monitor from Waggle does a fantastic job.

The Waggle RV Pet Temperature Monitor works via built-in Verizon 4G cellular data to monitor Temperature and alert you via App, Text & Email about any potentially unsafe conditions for your pet in an RV, Car, or Home. The best part is no Wi-Fi is needed since it’s using cellular data.

 I can check the temp of the RV at any time with our GoVee temperature monitor but with Waggle I don’t need to worry about checking in. Waggle will send an alert if the temp is out of the ranges we set. It also sends an alert if the RV loses power. Since we can’t take Alaska with us everywhere we go and for sure are not going to take the two cats along when we go exploring, Waggle provides peace of mind. We know the environment in the RV is comfortable for all our furry friends. 

Crates & Kennels In The RV

Foldable Kennel – Alaska is an opportunist (show Alaska with a sign around his neck – “I ate the trash” – So when we leave the RV for more than a few hours, we use a crate for him. He is a very low-energy dog and tends to sleep most of the day even when we are around. Having a crate that can fold up and be out of the way when not in use is perfect for RV Living.

No products found.

Pet Fencing For RVs

Pet Fence – Speaking of Alaska, funny story. When we were camping in northern Wisconsin this summer, one day early in the morning, Alaska needed to go out after being inside with us all night. I was still in my PJ’s no glasses or contacts (I have distance vision issues).

Alaska saw some people sitting outside their camper and decided he wanted to say hi, Then he bolted for these folks enjoying their morning coffee. He would NOT come back when I called him (of course) and I was running around barefoot, blind in my PJs, no brushed teeth chasing a 105-pound white fur-ball. So, because I do NOT want a repeat of that, we have a pet fence we can set up around the RV. He is not one of the dogs who try to break down a fence and any sort of barrier serves as a great deterrent. 

No products found.

Easier Walks Around The RV Campground

Hands-Free Leash – I enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning (once I am fully dressed with my contacts in) and walking around the campground. Trying to carry my coffee AND have a leash in my hand means I need a 3rd hand when picking up the poo. Having a hands-free leash helps with being able to enjoy my coffee while walking the dog and still have a free hand for whatever I might need it for.

Spill Proof Water Bowl – we use this for both the cats and the dog. Even on travel days, this design keeps the water in the bowl and not all over the floor. 

No products found.

Flea & Tick Collar – traveling from place to place means different types of fleas and ticks. You want to make sure your furry friend is protected. And that you don’t have any hitchhikers that get brought back in your RV on your pet.

Know where the closest emergency vet is located. So you know where to get help if you need it. VCA has a network of vet hospitals in 46 states and 5 Canadian provinces. They can be a good option for emergency vet care.

Research Before You Travel

Know before you go. Many national parks only allow dogs in the visitor center or parking lot areas but NOT on the trails. You can use the NPS app or website to check the rules at national parks for dogs.  State parks or other areas can have similar rules. There is a great website called Bring Fido that will help you find dog-friendly locations. 

RV Life is Better With Pets!

There are SO many great Benefits of Traveling with pets. They can be conversation starters for one. Every time we take Alaska for a walk in the campground we are always asked about him. He’s a big boy and people are naturally curious about traveling with such a big dog.

Having a pet along gets you out and moving. You will find yourself taking walks around the campground more often, getting movement in during travel day stops. And let’s not forget the companionship aspect. Even though RV Life with pets can take some extra effort, we totally think it’s worth it. 

Be sure to check out our partner’s page for great deals for RVers. And then let us know your thoughts or tips on RV travel with pets in the comments!