Are you feeling cooped up in the house lately? When you take your dog for a walk, do you take the same route every time? Would you and your pets enjoy a change of scenery?

When thinking of taking a vacation, does the idea of boarding your pets or flying with them sound dreadful? Does the idea of having to go down the hotel elevator every time your pet needs to do their business sound like a hassle?

What if you skipped the airline and hotel bookings and instead woke up to natural surroundings every vacation day with new adventures to be had? Imagine enjoying the best weather of the year in the great outdoors.

Consider a camping vacation!

Manners Check

Does your dog have the right temperament to share campgrounds with other families and animals? Will he be quiet for your neighbors after dark?

The last thing you want on your vacation is a confrontation by other campers or a park ranger.

It may be a good time to brush up on your dog’s behavioral training with a local dog trainer. 

Supplies Check

It’s pretty straightforward with packing for a camping trip. Everything your pets need at home, they will need on a camping trip. Let’s go over the list.

Shelter Needs

Bringing your pets camping doesn’t mean you have to share sleeping space. You can purchase a separate tent for everyone’s comfort. Chewy.com has this cool tent, though others out there are less expensive.

Some family size tents come with separate compartments, like this Coleman tent with a separate screened porch. A friend went camping with the Coleman tent, and she loved having a this screened porch while camping.

Kitty can come along on the trip as well. Just bring a carrier with a shoulder strap or use a collapsible carrier.

Food and Drink Needs

While many campgrounds offer running water, sometimes drinking it can make animals ill if they are not accustomed to drinking potable water. If you have room, you can pack bottled water or filter your own.

Remember to bring plenty of food and keep it in pest-proof containers. If you don’t want to carry around too much bulk, a collapsible storage container would be a good choice as the containers will get smaller as the food is consumed.

Also handy are collapsible feeding dishes for eating and drinking times.

Pest Protection Needs

If the pest spray is working well on you, your pets could become the next target for hungry mosquitoes. Bring spray that is designed for use on dogs and cats.

Staying Cool Needs

Of course, keeping hydrated is the primary way to keep from being overheated, but if you and the animals are getting too hot, a solar-powered fan will help you all cool down.

When Nature Calls Needs

When your dog or cat needs to do their business, your duty is to make sure it doesn’t get left on the ground.

Bring plenty of dog waste bags and sanitizer for your hands!

For your cat, you may be interested in using eco-friendly cat litter in combination with a foldable and biodegradable cat litter box.

With the current products on the market, camping with pets is more convenient than ever.

State Parks Check

If you are wanting to camp in a public park, per the rules you will need to keep your animals on a leash. For your cats, you can keep them in their carrier or walk them on a harness.

To go hands-free with your animals at your campsite, you’ll want to keep your dog hooked up to a tie out. This can be anchored with one of your tent stakes or even to a nearby tree or picnic table.

Alternatively, you can use your tent as a playpen or bring a separate foldable one.

Cats will easily escape a playpen. You should keep them in your tent or in their own crate/carrier.

To let your cat walk about, you could set up a picket line. If you have a set of trees close by your campsite, you take some line and wrap it around the trees. Then you take the leash and attach it to the picket line. This gives your animal the mobility to walk around and pace.

It’s good to have a plan if your kitty escapes. Do your homework ahead of time to plan what to do if your cat goes missing including how to train your cat to come when called.

The state parks website for Ohio does have a special section for those wanting to bring their pets camping.

Those wanting to rent a cabin may find pet-friendly accommodations at the following parks:

• Burr Oak
• Cowan Lake
• Dillon
• Hueston Woods
• Lake Hope
• Maumee Bay
• Mohican
• Pike Lake
• Punderson
• Pymatuning
• Salt Fork
• Shawnee

It should be noted that dogs are not allowed on the swimming beaches at the above parks.

Alternatively, you might look into camping at the pet-friendly EcoCamp in Swanton. TripAdvisor has it rated a 5/5.

Change of Heart

The great outdoors awaits! Go ahead and plan your camping trip while the nice weather lasts.

Maybe after some thinking, you decide that bringing your pets is too daunting or maybe your pets wouldn’t enjoy it. You shouldn’t have to cancel your plans, though. Columbus area pet care services are here for you.

Skip the boarding and let us take care of your pets while you enjoy the tranquil rest and relaxation that only Mother Nature can give. Contact Fur Star Pet Care to make arrangements. We’ve got your back.