Camping With Man's Best Friend
By Robin Shortt, Fri Dec 9th

Man's best friend your dog , and you, can go and havelots of fun. Look at it as a walk that doesn't end, during whichhe gets to spend all his time with you. For us campers, it cangive us another means of security and another way of bonding.

For those of you who are wanting to get involved in this greatadventure with their pet, there are some things you need to doto make this as fun as possible for both of you.

First time pooches should be shown the wonders of natureslowly. City or urban dogs need to be brought along slow becauseof their tender pads on their paws, and they need to get used toall open spaces and wonders of nature. Start with taking them ona some day trips to state, county and conservation Parks

The wide open spaces will help your dog get used to unpopulatedareas. He wll also find new odours and sights in this stressfree environment. Going on nature and hiking trails will alsohelp your dog gain muscle strength and fitness before you gocamping.

As we enjoy the companionship of our dogs, they become a memberof our families. Going with us on family outings, walks, tripsaround town, just about everywhere we go they tag along with us.Thats fine because we care about them so much. Its not alwaysthe same with camp owners who feel dogs are not man's bestfriend in their area. They have good reason to be. A lotof dog owners are not very good in keeping their pets leashed orcleaning up after them. They also don't abide by the camp rulesthe way they should, but many irresponsible dog owners feel therules don't apply to them and their dogs. Of course because ofthese pet owners , we all suffer, thus there are now manycampgrounds not allowing dogs. Check ahead to see if thecampground you' re going to allows dogs, and if so, are theyallowed on the trails, or have special trails set aside fordogs. Also some campgrounds charge

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two dollars a night for dogsas well.

As loving, caring, pet owners, we need to find a way to takecare of our dogs while we go out on the trails with our otherfamily members. We could take turns dog sitting with family,friends, other campers with dogs. One thing we need to do ismake sure we are good responsible pet owners. Check ahead beforeyou go with man's best friend.

Here are some pre-camping tips:

Try to take your dog for a pre-camping visit for possible neededshots, and a Rabies shot tag for his collar.

Look at a possible Lyme disease vaccine.

Take with you a current copy of his records and his vet's phonenumber.

Pick up a proper dog license & ID tags for your dog with theirname, your name, ect.

Microchips, tattoos and pet registries can be used.

Bring medications and a copy of prescriptions.

Try to get a site with some shade for your dog.

Supervise your dog closely around children, other visitors andother dogs.

Keep your dog quiet. Frequent and continued barking disturbs thewildlife and other campers.

Let your dog have time to adjust to his new surroundings. Givehim time to rest

Try to use ziplock bags to pick up after him and properlydispose of it in appropriate trash containers.

Keep an eye on how weather conditions effect your dog, heat,cold, rain etc.

Consider use of a crate for travel and short term restraint,while you are near. Your pet could be stolen if not watchedcarefully.

You should be aware that your dog will have increased exposureto ticks and fleas. Take the proper tick/flea collars,repellants or use Frontline applications. Other diseases canalso be transmitted by wild animals and insects.

About the author:

Val and Robin Shortt are experienced campers and own threeoutdoor websites For more tips like these and to registerfor their Free newsletter visit: Good NightCamping Equipment