Agonising decision (1 Viewer)

[timdownieuk]

When we purchased our van we expected to take our dogs away with us on domestic holidays more often than not. However, we've found taking the dogs with us really quite stressful and not at all conducive to a relaxing time away. Staggering out of bed at 7am on a windy freezing morning to allow the dogs to answer their calls of nature is most definitely not something I enjoy!

In addition, every decision of where to go, where to park, how long to park etc. seems to be dictated by our pet's needs, not ours.

Of course this is what kennels were invented for but there's a limit to how much heart-break per year I can cope with on this score! I find the separation and reunions very painful emotionally and I can't bring myself to put the dogs into kennels too often.

This leads me to my dilemma. Should I give up my dogs for re-homing rather than subject them (and me) to repeated separations/reunions or just harden my heart about the whole kennel business and enjoy them when we're at home? Am I selfish for wanting to keep a dog and also wanting to go away frequently without them? Would it be kinder to make a clean break and find them a better home with owners who don't travel as much?

Has anyone else given up their dogs to enable them to travel more freely?

Tim

 

[movan]

No, could never have given up my dog to travel .. she was like part of my family.

If I were you I would work on encouraging the dogs to meet the needs of being away in a motorhome. I never had any hassle at all with my Sasha.

You can leave them outside the van on a length of rope with water and make sure shelter from sun if it comes out..... At the rallies and meets people will always keep an eye on them when passing. My Sasha was quite happy to sit on the front passenger seat and sunbathe, as long as I left the van ventilated and water for her , whilst I went out for the afternoon. Many Funsters got to know her and if they knew I was going to be away for a few hours would gladly take her out of the van and take her round the field ................ I left her lead and poop bags for them

You just need to train them to fit in with your lifestyle in the van which will be like a home from home to you if you intend to go away regularly.

Many of the meets have dog walks included in their itinerary and so you can enjoy those too as long as the dogs are trained to mix well with other dogs.

 

[Badknee]

I would dearly love a dog but we both work all day and I am like you, there is always somewhere I want to go that is not dog friendly so for those reasons we don't have one.

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[Deleted member 29692]

Ours come with us 90% of the time - they seem to love being in the MH and one of our main reasons for buying one was so that they could travel with us. I'm always up early so letting them out isn't an issue for us. They are also OK being left in the van for short periods, for example if we go for a meal. Are you finding that your dogs are stressed out too or is it just you? As Joy says if it's them then maybe just a bit of encouragement and training will do the trick.
I hate the idea of kennels too so on the few occasions we go somewhere without them we use "home boarding" where the dogs stay with someone in their home. The people that do this do it full time and know what they are doing so it's not just dropping the dogs off with someone random. Would this work for you rather than kennels?

 

[weekenders]

We would never leave our dog in kennels whilst motor homing, Toby goes everywhere with us, even got his pet passport and travels abroad with us, he loves meeting new dogs and really enjoys walks along river banks, canals etc.
Try and get your dogs used to going away with you, they will get used to it after a while.

 

[Puddleduck]

My dog loved to be away with us - actually preferred to be on the road to being at home. She went to the kennel in the sky many years ago.

My friend's dog hated the car but after perseverance did get used to it and would eventually jump in with no problems.

If you really can't take the dog(s) with you do you have a friend who would have them whilst you are away? I often have my friend's dogs and they settle very well - saves her hundreds in kennel fees and I love having them. They bounce into my house but are always delighted to see her when she comes home.

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[Dawn B]

I would give up my MH before I gave up my dogs

 

[Phill D]

i have often said its easier travelling with babies / infants than dogs. at least they are allowed in most places. however, we travel all the time with our dog and both we and he loves it. yes we have to adapt our locations and travel patterns but we are ok with that.
i guess it depends how old your dog / dogs are. if they are young dogs then they will adapt to the changes; which they will if you set the routine not them. also, a young dog is often easier to re-home if thats the final answer for you.
you have a difficult decision to make and comments from the form are all they are. the answer is what you and the dogs are comfortable with.

 

[TheBig1]

SERIOUSLY???

You are really that selfish that you see your pets as an inconvenience to your lifestyle?

We spent years working in dog rescue as volunteers finding loving homes for the dogs that selfish people "threw out with the rubbish"

when you take on any pet, it is for the lifetime of that animal that your obligation lasts. animals have feelings too and it breaks their hearts to loose their loving caring owner.

most dogs have a lifespan limited to 13-16 years with a few exceptions. they wont be an "inconvenience" for too much longer. 7am toilet opportunities is something they get used to. however like ours, they can be trained to expect a later time when in the van. theres plenty of places you can travel and visit that are dog friendly. maybe its you that needs retraining?

I really cant post what I am thinking of your suggestion. the forum rules are stopping me

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[treetops1]

We could never leave our dogs at home part of the family even take the cat now ,she loves it all got pet passports ,where we they go. would not have it any other way lol.

 

[Dawn B]

Thank you @TheBig1 you've just said what I was too angry to formulate into polite sentences

 

[DuxDeluxe]

SERIOUSLY???

You are really that selfish that you see your pets as an inconvenience to your lifestyle?

We spent years working in dog rescue as volunteers finding loving homes for the dogs that selfish people "threw out with the rubbish"

when you take on any pet, it is for the lifetime of that animal that your obligation lasts. animals have feelings too and it breaks their hearts to loose their loving caring owner.

most dogs have a lifespan limited to 13-16 years with a few exceptions. they wont be an "inconvenience" for too much longer. 7am toilet opportunities is something they get used to. however like ours, they can be trained to expect a later time when in the van. theres plenty of places you can travel and visit that are dog friendly. maybe its you that needs retraining?

I really cant post what I am thinking of your suggestion. the forum rules are stopping me

Well said!

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[angusboy]

give up my motorhome for my dogs , but dont have to just got to work on it,

 

[chaser]

You go away without your friends, kids, parents and all manner of humans, so why not pets,

 

[Larby]

How awful for you. What a predicament.
We are lucky that our Staffie (now 7) has always been a good traveller. Life is a compromise though.
We went to France for 9 weeks, couldn't leave him that long in kennels. Dogs not allowed on beach, but we, like others, took him on 1st thing and late evening. I see the morning walk as healthy excercise, not had a proper cold since we have had him.
A lot less hassle than children...............!!

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[angusboy]

forgot to say had dogs before mh regards

 

[timdownieuk]

SERIOUSLY???

You are really that selfish that you see your pets as an inconvenience to your lifestyle?

We spent years working in dog rescue as volunteers finding loving homes for the dogs that selfish people "threw out with the rubbish"

when you take on any pet, it is for the lifetime of that animal that your obligation lasts. animals have feelings too and it breaks their hearts to loose their loving caring owner.

most dogs have a lifespan limited to 13-16 years with a few exceptions. they wont be an "inconvenience" for too much longer. 7am toilet opportunities is something they get used to. however like ours, they can be trained to expect a later time when in the van. theres plenty of places you can travel and visit that are dog friendly. maybe its you that needs retraining?

I really cant post what I am thinking of your suggestion. the forum rules are stopping me

Yes seriously. I love my dogs but recognise that our lifestyles have diverged and what we want and what they need now longer match.

I think it could be kinder to them to consider their needs before thinking about my emotional dependence on them. I sorry you find this concept so challenging.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Well said!

Should have perhaps mentioned two things......

1) our van was purchased specifically with the dogs in mind.
2) Mrs Deluxe like the Big1 spends a lot of her days trying to find suitable homes for unwanted dogs cast aside for all sorts of reasons, some of which make our blood boil. We also foster dogs

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[Allan & Loren]

I could never consider re homing my dogs whatever the circumstances. I chose my dogs, they did not choose me and I would never betray their trust in such an appalling way. There are so many beautiful sites that allow dogs and at the end of the day I have had some fabulous short walks and chats with complete strangers, both of us in pj's, dogs in tow, early morning on many sites. I suggest you concentrate on the great deal of love, affection and loyalty your dogs give to you for the small inconvenience of getting up for a comfort break early in the morning and rethink.

 

[Lisa]

Are you for real? I can't believe what I am reading!

How can you consider rehoming your dogs when you say that you find it too emotional when separated/reunited with them? I'm afraid that doesn't make sense to me.

You chose to change your lifestyle, and because those poor dogs don't "fit" in anymore you are just going to discard them. Don't pretend you are doing it for them.

 

[Scattycat]

We have a similar problem with one of our cats.
The 2 females are no problem as long as someone is there to feed them, but the male is a totally different story.
He seems to sense when we are going away and becomes very needy and grumpy. He's like it now. All over us, following us around, sitting outside the MH door when I'm inside storing clothes or food and then miaowing pitifully when I come out. He also takes it out on the other cats.
He does his best to make us feel guilty.
We couldn't take him with us as he is used to hunting over a wide territory and we think we'd never get him back when we're ready to move off from a given stop-over.
Are we being heartless by leaving him behind?
He probably thinks so, but when it boils down to it, although he is an intergral part of our family, he is, when all said and done, just a cat, and he just has to cope with it.
To be honest it only takes a day or two when we return for him to be back to his normal playful self and if he felt that bad about us going away for extended periods I'm sure he'd be off to find another mug to look after him.

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[brynric]

One of the key reasons for us motorhoming is so that we can take Beth The Dog with us. It isnt always easy. We often avoid visits to big cities and some day trips have to be curtailed. Venice was visited in 4 hour blocks.
We have been invited to a family gathering in a hotel this summer. I am considering taking the van so she can stay with us on the car park. I'm certain that camping/caravanning/motorhoming is the best way of travelling with dogs. When Beth pass on we may decide not to have a dog for a while, but when we do motorhoming will be ideal.
Have you thought that travelling may not be for you?

 

[DuxDeluxe]

I could never consider re homing my dogs whatever the circumstances. I chose my dogs, they did not choose me and I would never betray their trust in such an appalling way. There are so many beautiful sites that allow dogs and at the end of the day I have had some fabulous short walks and chats with complete strangers, both of us in pj's, dogs in tow, early morning on many sites. I suggest you concentrate on the great deal of love, affection and loyalty your dogs give to you for the small inconvenience of getting up for a comfort break early in the morning and rethink.

We deliberately rehome most of our dogs with other people's homes. They are foster dogs. Just successfully rehomed a couple of Lhasa Aphsos and another one goes next week. We permanently foster a Jack Russell who at 15 can't be rehomed.

Thanks to the OP for looking to adding to the surfeit of unwanted dogs out there and keeping people like Mrs Deluxe fully occupied. Without people like you Dawn would become really bored and perhaps do something else.

 

[Carol]

It's for you to decide other people can only put what's best for them have a think your own thoughts then make the decision. Some people put their dogs before everything and that's their prerogative but it's your life and your decision.

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[Minxy]

When we purchased our van we expected to take our dogs away with us on domestic holidays more often than not. However, we've found taking the dogs with us really quite stressful and not at all conducive to a relaxing time away. Staggering out of bed at 7am on a windy freezing morning to allow the dogs to answer their calls of nature is most definitely not something I enjoy!

In addition, every decision of where to go, where to park, how long to park etc. seems to be dictated by our pet's needs, not ours.

Of course this is what kennels were invented for but there's a limit to how much heart-break per year I can cope with on this score! I find the separation and reunions very painful emotionally and I can't bring myself to put the dogs into kennels too often.

This leads me to my dilemma. Should I give up my dogs for re-homing rather than subject them (and me) to repeated separations/reunions or just harden my heart about the whole kennel business and enjoy them when we're at home? Am I selfish for wanting to keep a dog and also wanting to go away frequently without them? Would it be kinder to make a clean break and find them a better home with owners who don't travel as much?

Has anyone else given up their dogs to enable them to travel more freely?

Tim

I to some extent understand where you are coming from but, before I respond one way or another, perhaps you could explain more what the actual issues are:

How long do you usually leave them in the van for?
Why is parking your MH influenced by your dogs?
Why is where to go influenced by them?
Why is it stressful when they are with you?
How many and what type/age are they?

Perhaps we can instead offer suggestions to improve your situation rather than go to the very drastic route of trying to re-home them.

 

[maison]

We have had dogs all our Caravanning/motor homing lives.

A little prior thought cures many of the "problems".

Choose where you holiday. France is especially dog friendly with them being allowed in most shops, bars , hotels and restaurants. A good walk settles them down to be left in the M/H if we wish to go without them. Closed blinds and ventilation provided allows them to settle down to sleep.

Personally I love the early morning and late evening walks when things are quiet although I appreciate not everyone does.

Dogs can be trained to wake later in the morning . Remember, they are pack animals and look to their leader for guidance. Train them!

 

[Chris]

Can't believe the OP is getting slaughtered in some posts

He / She isn't harming the dogs after all.

I feel much the same about children sometimes., but it doesn't mean I don't love them.

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[Dawn B]

Can't believe the OP is getting slaughtered in some posts

He / She isn't harming the dogs after all.

I feel much the same about children sometimes., but it doesn't mean I don't love them.

But I guess you won't be re-homing them

 

[Chris]

But I guess you won't be re-homing them

No, I will probably struggle on, but let's keep the debate in perspective .

 

[MikeD]

And not personal

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