Opinions From Those with Dogs

[FtW Mike]

The ability to travel with our critters was a large factor in our decision to get an RV. Back round info during our second trip to WDW my wife swears I would sit upright in bed and call for my WookieBear and not lay down and go back to sleep till she came. Next trip we had our 1st coach. All 4 (2 dogs. 2 cats) came with us. The Girls, WookieBear and Maggie were older (9 at the time) loved it. We took time before hand to get them used to the coach by taking them out to it just to be in it and did a number of short trips so they loved it. We took them for frequent walks around the full hook up loops and along the canal which added to our down days and let us meet some really nice people. The cats enjoyed hanging out at the windows watching the squirrels and turkeys.
Jump ahead 3 years and we added the Kids, Sky and Katie shortly after we lost Maggie. Five days after they came to adopt us they made their first ADVENTURING trip. They loved it. This past Dec/Jan they made their 1st ever trip to Ft Wilderness. They had been on a number of other trips and as we bought our current coach in Tampa a year earlier we had a good idea of how long we could go before they need a stop.
At the Fort we took them for regular walks and Golf Cart rides to the Dog Park (Katie every morning exited the coach and jumped straight in the Drivers seat of the GC) Yes we adjusted our touring plans to accommodate them but having them with us was so worth it. We had more down time to enjoy the Fort , met so many great people and enjoyed ourselves more that a trip without them would be a serious let down at this point.

 

[Lilsia]

We took our three dogs with us in December for 3 weeks. Worst vacation ever! It's not that they were horrible or anything, but they took up so much time that we didn't enjoy ourselves. While they normally sleep in at home, at FW the minute they heard other campers up, we had to get up. There was no sleeping in, too many required walks and entirely too much whining when we didn't get back from the park before dark. We decided not to even entertain the notion of returning to the fort until they are all "no longer with us". Your experience may vary.

This is what I was thinking about what would happen. OP posted that they enjoy being in the parks all day. How is that fun for the dogs? They will be locked in a small camper all day/every day, hearing strange noises, smelling weird things, fireworks, kids screaming, people coming and going. I can't imagine what it would be like for them. At home they will be in a familiar place with their beds and plenty of room. I am an animal lover and we have pets, but I would never put them in that situation. I think humans sometimes make these decisions based on their own selfish needs for the pets to be around and not really think about what it would be like for their animal. I would seriously consider this from all sides.

 

[proudmomof4]

It all depends on the pet(s) personality and the owner’s vacation style. I have done it both ways. When we left our dog home, we had my brother in law stay with him. B-I-L said our pup was depressed without us, wouldn’t eat and didn’t want to come out of our bedroom. When we take him with us, he is so excited to go, he has his own bed in the camper and, most importantly, he has us. Our camper smells like home to him because of us. We do not go to the parks every day and the days we do go, we come back mid day to check on him. Frankly, the parks don’t hold that much appeal to us. But that’s us, everybody is different, and everyone should do what’s best for their situation and not be judged by others who may have a different style and/or situation.

 

[StormyCA]

What? No tv or bedtime story? LOL

Actually....that IS available at Best Friends. Just don't tell our Dachsie. He's spoilt enough as it is.

"VIP Luxury Suites
For dogs only. Includes two potty walks, two playgroups, a flat screen TV, webcam, bedtime story and a Go Home Fresh shampoo service after a three night stay**.
$109 Standard/ $101 Resort Guest/ $109 Daycare"

 

[rajak73]

I know, we laugh when we board ours about getting him a tv room. Sorry, he doesn't watch tv at home. LOL

 

[jaredjohn4]

My dog loves the Fort, but she is only one dog, not three. We stay in the 1200 loop so we can walk in the un-hook area along the main entrance drive. I don't like walking around the loops stirring up all the other dogs so they scare mine. Mine "watches TV" during the day. It also drowns out some of the outside noise. Usually we only leave her for about 5 hours alone. Even at that end of the Fort she can still hear the fireworks even over the TV. She sits and shakes a little, but not too bad. We didn't see any armadillos this year on our walks, but plenty of deer in the early morning.