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By Glenn H. Kipps Choices! Choices! Do you leave Fido home on this sunny weekend to be tended to once or twice a day by a kind neighbor? Or do you learn all that you can about camping with your dog and take him along to explore nature with you? Camping with your dog can be an enjoyable experience, but it takes planning to be sure an oversight does not interrupt or cancel your outing. Before leaving home with your dog, there are considerations – besides water and food – that can be taken care of ahead of time to avoid sticky situations after you arrive at the campground. Since you are taking your dog, there are additional items you must add to your camping gear list as well.. 1. Most importantly, be sure you and your dog are in good physical shape to endure lengthy hikes or whatever other outdoor activities you are planning. 2. Make sure the campground you choose allows dogs, and whether or not they must be leashed. 3. Make sure your dog has all shots required by law, and prepare documents to take along to verify this, if necessary. 4. If you know you will be away from a natural water source, or are aware that such a source is not safe for drinking, plan on taking plenty of containers of water - and, for heaven’s sake, don’t forget the water dish! 5. Take along flea and tick powder (one of the extra dog items you need to add to your camping gear list), insect repellant, and a small first-aid kit if your dog’s exploring causes cut or scratches, etc. (Your vet can advise you further in this area.) 6. Your dog’s familiar toys – especially rawhide – will help keep him near you. Take favorites – but replaceable ones – in case they get lost in the terrain. 7. Take pet waste bags and scoopers (two other extras to be added to your list) to avoid confrontations with other campers. 8. If you know the terrain is going to be rough or sharp, to avoid damaging your dog’s paw pads, consider special boots (Another extra to add) that can protect your dog’s feet from injury, or in winter keep them from getting too cold. 9. Learn to distinguish between safe and unsafe plant life, some of which are poisonous to your dog or, at the least, can cause irritation or injury, and avoid them. Take a list with pictures with you. 10. Be sure to include bright and reflective clothing for your dog as well as yourself that is distinguishable from the natural surroundings. 11. Make sure you have proper identification on your dog in case he gets lost – preferably a tag with a cell phone number so that you can be reached immediately. After you arrive, there are other considerations for your dog, such as: 1. Always have your dog in sight, or on a leash (which some campgrounds require). Widlife such as snakes, skunks, bears, etc., can be a problem for a roaming pet. 2. You will be sharing the trail with hikers who may become anxious or scared if they see a dog on the loose without its owner nearby. Do not assume that they “love” your pet. 3. Finally, do not assume that your dog is “Superdog”. Watch for signs of fatigue. Take adequate rest breaks. Dogs, especially, tire easily, since they have no sweat glands and can overheat very quickly. In short, camping with your dog can be a very rewarding experience if you take the right precautions and add the appropriate items to your camping gear list. You and your dog will have a good time and your camping neighbors will be very appreciative.
by Glenn H. Kipps
Camping can be fun if you take the right precautions and have all you need on your camping gear list. Here is an example of how a Camping Trip can go totally wrong (extreme worst case scenerio) and a few tips on how you can prevent these things from happening to you. Your food tent is torn to shreds. A family of racoons is snarling at you. Your kids are trembling in the car with your wife. You are standing behind the car banging a stick. However, it is too late. They got to your meat and everything else that is not secured in a can or jar. So, you figure, for tonight, you still have your canned goods. What was that? You forgot the can opener. After walking a quarter a mile to various campsites, you realize no one has a can opener. They opted for steaks and shish-ka-bobs – nothing in cans. The camp store is all the way at the entrance to the campground (about 1.5 miles away in some instances). You have already walked a good ways. By the time you get back to the campsite, you have lost all motivation to drive to the camp store to get a new can opener. So, you end up borrowing some bread from a neighbor (the racoons already got into your bread) and have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner. Your stomach is growling with hunger. After you and your family eat the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, you have a couple of beers. A little while later, you go into the woods to relieve yourself (at this point, the bathroom is just too far to walk). On the way back to the campsite, you step on an in-ground bees’ nest, and your legs are twice their size and hurt like you know what. There is no stream or even a puddle to jump into to relieve the pain. Your back is burnt to a crisp. Your feet are bruised from the rough terrain. Your arms are covered with mosquito bites and bee stings from when you stepped on the bees’ nest. Your ripped up t-shirt is binding a gash in your leg caused by your tripping over a sharp stick. Your dog has disappeared over the horizon chasing a squirrel. You took off his collar to make him comfortable and don’t know how you’ll find him. You stepped in his droppings and ruined your moccasins. The campfire spread to dry leaves around it and melted one end of your cooler, exploding the cans of beer inside. You have hot beer all over you as a result. At least the canned fruit and the grape soda are fine. They are in the other cooler away from the fire. The kids are crying and your wife is sulking, because they are hungry. Remember, the only thing you all had to eat was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You drop down in dispair on a tree stump. What went wrong?! First of all, you should have stored your food a little ways away from any of your tents. That way, if an animal takes an interest in your food, it won’t destroy your campsite. Also, do not take any food into your tent. If you want a midnight snack, eat it outside. As for the can opener, you seem to be a good candidate for those folding ones that fit on your key chain, providing you don’t lose your keys. As for the bees and mosquitos, you should invest in insect repellant. It really works. Also, a first-aid kit should be a given for campers. Both fo these items are important items that should be on your camping gear list. Do you know if any member of your family is allergic to bee stings? People die from bee stings. An antidote exists for that, too, and can be made part of the kit. Also, a good kit has an ace bandage for such things as the gash in your leg (Weren’t you watching where you were going? Hope it wasn’t a favorite t-shirt.). Oh, no! You didn’t bring something most people wouldn’t leave home without? Sun block! You had better hope your good old buddy next door doesn’t slap you on the back and say “Welcome home!” Did you really think the collar was uncomfortable for your dog? Under no circumstances should you take the ID off of your dog. He can’t say his name and phone number. Ever hear of a leash? Also, wild animals often see them as prey. Your moccasins are probably history. Don’t you know that good campers bring waste bags and scoopers? You’re lucky your neighbors did not meet the same fate. You might have been history! Wearing moccasins, to a camp out is not bright anyway. You will probably be soaking your feet for a week. Hiking boots exist, you know. As for the fire, what did you think would happen with dry leaves all around the flames? The word “dry” is a clue. Did you think there were tiny little firemen hiding in the leaves waiting to put out the inevitable fire? Get rid of any dry leaves before you start your fire. Also, have the [tag-ice]beer cooler[/tag-ice] in reach but not so close that the fire can get so much heat to it that all the ice melts and the beer explodes. Camping can be fun and extremely rewarding as long as you use common sense and have a well-equipped camping gear list. Remember to check over all your gear before you go and make sure your first aid kit is equipped for every possible scenario. If you do these things, you will have fun with very little consequence. |
