Taking the Dog on Holiday Without Telling the Caravan Site… Am I Mad?!

[oceanmountain]

So I’m going away in a couple of weeks and had a dog sitter all sorted… and now they’ve just cancelled because of a family emergency.

I’ve tried everywhere and can’t find anyone else to take the dog on such short notice, and I really don’t want to cancel the trip and upset the kids. So I was thinking of just taking the dog with me and not telling the caravan site.

Has anyone ever done this? My dog’s tiny and doesn’t shed, so I honestly don’t know how they’d even notice.

My friend said I shouldn't do it but I cant see any other option?

The OP is so pig-headed I checked my calendar to see if it could already be half term somewhere. 🤔

As someone who has severe dog and cat allergies. Please don't do this. You will not be able to clean the caravan to a pet free state. I would not appreciate coming to stay after you had been there and ending up with an allergy attack for vacation.

Shocking , what happens if the next person / family has someone who requires an epi pen for a severe allergy to dog hair ?
This is so selfish , how would you feel ?
It could kill someone , just don't go .

What I would say is I witnessed a caravan go up in smoke with 2 dogs crated in the lounge. The most horrific thing to witness the poor owners we had to hold him back from jumping in the fire to try & save the dogs. We sold our static after that. Took 15 mins to burn it to the ground.

Was the site fully booked or just the dog friendly vans, as there is a difference as you didn't tell them you already had a booking. If the site is full there may be people booked into dog friendly vans, with no dog, as no others were available.

I don't understand why kennels aren't an option, there's a first time for everything, could you book one near your destination?

Don’t have time to read the full post.

my parents used to go to a caravan site where the dogs weren’t allowed, but they booked their dog into a boarding kennel down the road from the site, they then went and got her as soon as they left site and took her back when they returned.

Some days she came out the whole day, some days only half, some days not at all

OP I get the feeling you don't like parting with cash and won't pay anyone to look after your dog and that this is why you've paid for a caravan break in dismal Feb! Everywhere in Feb will be wet and muddy, you don't take a dog to a non-dog caravan in winter! You won't be able to hide the mud that will be on the furniture and carpets from your dog!

I think its pretty likely that you will be found out one way or another either during or after your stay.

Hopefully they'll give you a big fine somehow.

No, they just weren't looked at closely before. Just like daycares weren't closely monitored for decades. People just trusted they were being taken care if, and unlike kids, pets can't tell their owners if someone hurts them.

I would feel sorry for the OP's children, but more so for them having the OP as their mum. However, I still want the dog to be discovered on the first day, and ideally just after they have unpacked. I also want the OP to be chucked out, and charged a fortune for breaking the rules!

As sorry as I would genuinely feel for her children, I think that they might learn a very valuable, and long-term, lesson from their mum's actions, and the consequent fall-out. Otherwise there is a big danger of them growing up to be as selfish and horrible as their mother keeps on proving she is.

When our beautiful dog was about 7 she started having fits, so we obviously took her to the vets, but she had to go to another vets in the nearest city to where we lived, so that she could have an MRI (£2000 nearly 20 years ago). We of course had pet insurance, so they paid for all her tests and treatment. Unfortunately she had cancer, and by the time she was 8 years old she very sadly had to be put to sleep.

But between discovering her Cancer, and her being put to sleep, we had 3 seperate one week holidays booked. They were all in the UK, but there was no way that we were going to either leave her with our adult son, or take her with us, as the journeys would have been too tiring and uncomfortable for her. So we, of course, cancelled those holidays. There was no way that we could have enjoyed ourselves anyway, and we wanted and needed to spend as much time with her as possible.

Responsible parents, and responsible pet owners, sometimes have to make sacrifices. Missing out on one holiday is the much more responsible thing to do @oceanmountain, than to risk the health of other children and adults. It will also help to teach your children about the moral and responsible way to behave, even when, actually, especially when, it will probably cause them some disappointment. By the way, I would never advocate deliberately manipulating something to help teach them some life lessons, but occassions like this OP, are opportunities to help them understand why sometimes we have to make personal sacrifices in order to do the reasonable and right thing.

10000% this.

If you don't want to put your dog into a kennel that's absolutely fine.....but then you have to commit to never going anywhere that your dog can't also go....including this caravan.

It’s obvious you haven’t met someone with a serious allergy. My mother’s throat closes and she cannot breathe. We have lost holidays because mums ended up in a&e because our dog free caravan had previously had dogs in it previously. I’m surprised you don’t care about anyone but yourself.

Are you also someone who complains about schools being nut free ?

Because in this hellscape of a world a dog trumps a kid with additional needs.

That response from the OP made me realise they are just posting for fun and had no real interest in hearing people saying don’t do it so I need to question if this post is real.

The fact that their concern and first thought was about their own group rather and not people using the caravan after them (which is obvious to most people that’s what was meant) is mind blowing.

What if you call some kennels or sitters near where you are going to stay for availability. They may be ok for you to take the dog out during the time you are there

You definitely cannot take a dog in a caravan that isn't for dogs.

Nope. Insufficient to make it safe for someone with allergies.

Your under contract with the caravan park, who are under contract with the owner, you’d most likely get a fine for breach of contract, which would serve you right for being so irresponsible, not to mention the health risk to anyone with allergies …how are you going to hide the dog anyway? Do you intend to keep it locked in the caravan the duration of your holiday? Ridiculous.

You guys really have been sucked in here. A little tip for you… when a poster continually goes against what everyone is suggesting realise they are enjoying the winding up of other members and is very likely it is a made up post.

Got me at first but the penny dropped when the poster was hacking away more and more.

I don't no why you even bothered writing on here. You clearly are taking the dog regardless of what anyone replies.

I have a dog but would not just decide it's OK to take him to a non pet friendly caravan. The owner of the caravan has decided they don't want pets for reasons they have decided. You can't just ignore that and take your dog.

You say your dogs small but in new places dogs are unpredictable what if it goes to the toilet somewhere in the caravan or chews something.

Dog owners like you give responsible ones a bad name. You also can't decide your dog can go anywhere you please either!

I give up!!
Enjoy your day all consistently giving this poster what he wants, I am sure you are giving her a great laugh.
Have a good day all.

is it a chihuahua you can hide? Doesn’t bark much I totally would and have done in ‘non dog friendly’ places before.
people in the comments put caravan cleaning standards up too high talking about allergies lol