My husband and I didn’t get to have children, just wasn’t in the cards. But we have a family of 2 dogs and 4 cats. Our cats and one dog are home bodies. They hate the car and prefer staying home. But Yoda, our nine month old puppy, is learning it’s fun to go away with mommy and daddy.
Yoda has been to four state parks now – Bear Creek Lake, Grayson Highlands, Claytor Lake and Chippokes Plantation state parks. At Claytor Lake he learned to open the bathroom door while we were out at dinner and ate the little basket that held the shampoo, conditioner and moisturizer, fortunately no other problems. At Chippokes, if you read my blog post ATrail Through History, you will notice the final sentence reference to Yoda eating the bedspread.
As any pet owner understands, we do charge an extra fee for cabin guests with pets. Between fleas, future guests with possible allergies, and dander, every cabin turnover after a pet requires more intensive cleaning. The pet fee also covers wear and tear like the pitter patter of claws on hardwood floor and the occasional scratch. Bigger damage and chewed comforters result in additional fees.
We also charge an extra fee for dogs overnight in the campground. This has been a more controversial fee with our customers but I’d like to take a moment to explain why we do it. In short, as a government entity we have the unenviable duty to try and make everyone happy. The number one complaint in our campgrounds – barking dogs. Dogs are territorial. Just today, while Iwas working from my home office I was reminded as a neighbor floated by in his canoe and the dogs went crazy. They don’t understand that the pond is not their territory to protect.
My favorite pet story comes from a co-worker who loves to stay at First Landing State Park. One stay a family with an RV and a dog was their neighbor. The dog was the perfect camper until the family left. As soon as they pulled out of the campsite for their day touring Virginia Beach, the dog in the RVstarted barking and he barked until, you guessed it, they pulled back up into the site. At one point the neighbor bragged to Chuck and his family about their well behaved dog only to see in their eyes that there was a problem and they learned the ugly truth.
So, the camping pet fee is to discourage folks from bringing their pet who doesn’t enjoy camping. The compromise is that you can still bring your beloved family member.
Ialso ran into a Virginia State Parks camper coming across the Surry ferry one day. I just happened to be parked next to them. I was coming from Chippokes and they had just stayed at Holliday Lake State Park. They had their dog with them and I asked them how they enjoyed their stay. While their dog was well behaved, they did realize that having Fido with them created challenges. Since in Virginia dogs are not allowed on public swimming beaches, when they wanted to go to the beach they couldn’t go together. So, before bringing your pet, make sure that the camping experience will be as rewarding for him or her given some restrictions.
I recommend you take your beloved family member to the park for day trips before you decide to bring them camping or even a cabin stay. Unless you already know how they behave in strange places, a day visit will let you decide if a park is something your pet enjoys. As I said my one dog hates leaving home. We tortured the poor animal with a trip to Westmoreland State Park. All he wanted to do was stay in the cabin. And even a well
trained dog may do the unexpected and eat the bed spread. There is no charge for pets in parks for day use. We do enforce the leash law for the safety of your pets and the public.
And, of course, all service dogs are welcome in cabins and campgrounds without additional fees.