Traveling in Vans with Dogs

If you want unwavering loving support, even more of an excuse to go outside, and a guaranteed cuddle partner, traveling in vans with dogs is the way to go! Who wouldn't want to be able to hang with their dog 24/7? The constant companionship far outweighs the smells and mess from your dog.

My dog Noah is such a joy to have around, he has a constant smile on his face. When I was living in San Francisco, it was so difficult leaving my pup at home. Now that I live in my van full-time with my partner Theo, we get to see Noah all the time, and the memories that we've created traveling around the U.S. and Canada will be cherished forever. I never thought that my big 'ol Rottweiler would one day see so much of this world, 26 states and 2 countries to be exact! I can't say if Noah loves the actual travel (he hasn't told me yet) but I think he's a lot more at peace getting to be with his Mom and Dad, aka: the loves of his life, full time.

So I'm going to share some of my favorite dog-friendly places that we've been to along the way, and also offer up some advice on traveling full-time with your dog. 

But first a little background on my Noah bear:

I adopted him from Deserving Dogs Rescue (shout out to Angela, Noah's rescuer!) in December 2013. He came from a kill shelter in Southern California; he was found as a stray there, according to his background info. Angela came into the shelter to find available dogs and bring them back to her no-kill dog rescue center in Santa Barbara. She stumbled upon Noah and saw a note attached to his cage that he was aggressive, then the shelter employees said that he was to be put down that day! He looked so sweet that Angela took a chance on him (or rather she just knew he was a good dog, she has a way with canines). I was stoked when Angela arrived with Noah to drop him off; he came with that name and it was perfect. From day 1, Noah and I were best friends. He is such a goofball, yet also the most loyal and sweet dog I've ever known. Love you, buddy! 

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Favorite dog-friendly places we've seen on our journey

Its always hard narrowing down my favorite places, but these ones stood out as something special. If you're interested in different areas and want to know how dog-friendly they are, check out the map of where I've traveled at the bottom of page, or the sidebar. I'm glad to give out tips!

MOAB, UTAH

There's a lot more to Moab than just what's within Arches National Park (where dogs are not allowed anywhere but campsites and parking lots). Moab's public lands are plentiful, as well as dog-friendly trails. We opted to hike the Grandstaff Trail in the Negro Bill Canyon Wilderness (can this name be changed?! its 2019 c'mon now. anyways...), which was a 4.2 mile back-and-out trail with not much elevation change. There are a number of other trails, many featuring natural arches, so take your pick and get there! Moab is also known for its mountain biking, and I saw many of them zooming around, some with their athletic dog keeping right up with them. Now my dog isn't that athletic, but it's nice to know for those with energetic dogs. 

I would love to go on longer hikes, but unfortunately Noah is now 10 years old and can't manage more than a few miles, given his arthritis, hip problems, and he has laryngeal paralysis aka: "doggie asthma". But he just loves to get out and hit the trails even if its for a short, or very short, time. I love him no matter what, even if our days of 8 mile hikes and 25 mile backpacking trips together are over. Thank goodness for memories...

ASSATEAGUE STATE PARK, MARYLAND
This state park features a miles-long pristine beach with soft sand and soft waves. Noah is a water dog through and through; he loves chasing the waves and swimming out to retrieve his beloved frisbee. Assateague Sate Park is secluded from other attractions and no homes are nearby, so the beach is used by just campers. It wasn't crowded at all. There were a lot of dogs camping with their owners, and on our particular trip, we had nothing but great interactions with fellow campers and pups. 
One thing to mention about this park is that there are wild horses that roam the land! I had never seen a wild horse, and it was a remarkable experience. However, the horses have claim to this land, and we are obviously in their backyard, so we had to use caution with Noah and make sure he wouldn't frighten or disturb them. Surprisingly enough a wild horse made his way through our campsite, walking right between Noah, the van, and I. We all just froze and watched him very casually saunter around us. Check out the video below! 

COLORADO

CO is a very dog-friendly state. I was catching on to that feeling after spending a week there, then one day I was in the lot of a ski resort with Noah off-leash when a man came up on us walking by. I reacted quickly to put Noah on leash and apologized, but the guy just said "It's cool, this is Colorado, dogs are treated like people here". I was like, "Sweet!". We drove all over Colorado last winter, from Steamboat Springs to Boulder, Denver to Aspen, and everything in between. Noah was treated so sweetly everywhere we went! Lots of stores allowed dogs in there, granted it wasn't food stores, and if not allowed, we were able to leash him up outside. Many of the cafes or restaurants accommodated us by bringing water outside to him, seating us near the window to keep an eye, or setting us up at an outside table so Noah could be with us. We were there in winter, but with Noah being a long-haired rottweiler, he doesn't mind cold days at all.

All in all, Colorado was an amazing state for many reasons, too many to get into now, but being an overall dog-friendly place makes it very appealing as a possible settling-down location 😏.

Enjoying an epic CO snow day.

Hiking above Boulder, CO.

OREGON COAST

The Oregon Coast is pretty much dog heaven. Sparing just a few miles, the 363-mile coastline is open for dogs to explore, and the big, vast beaches are excellent for letting your pup go wild. They have to either be on leash or under voice control, which was awesome so Noah could go play in the water without me having to leash him up and go with him. We didn't run into any problems with dogs being off-leash; everyone we encountered was super respectful with their own dogs. Noah does fine off-leash, but he loves to run up to other dogs rather fast which can scare them and cause a tussle. But it seemed like so many of the dogs we came across were friendly and well-adjusted to meeting other pups on the beach and on trails. 
Now, this was just my experience and things could go differently for others, but with such a dog-friendly state, it makes sense that owners would be smart about their dogs, make sure they follow the rules, and don't let their dogs be assholes so that Oregon could continue being a dog-friendly state. Along the coastline there are also lots of cute small towns with shops that are either dog-friendly or have bowls of water waiting out front, plus restaurants with outside seating offering lots of potential for strangers to ogle at your cute pup 😊. I for one LOVE when people want to pet Noah and talk about how good of a dog he is, heehee. And Noah loves the attention. A win for everyone! Be sure to check out all the local craft breweries in Oregon; yummy beer and most allowed Noah to come inside 👍.

Beach hike on the Oregon Coast Trail- very dog friendly!

Noah's pal Porsche joined us on the Oregon Coast.

One more thing to point out about the Oregon Coast, you can get a great beach hike in if you follow the Oregon Coast Trail (OCT), and yes dogs are allowed! I've mentioned hiking the OCT in previous blogs, it's a (nearly) complete trail system that goes along the entire Oregon Coast, across the beaches, up and over the headlands, through the coastal forests. If you're looking to through-hike or day hike the OCT, please message me and I'll give some tips! 

Tips and suggested gear

Here are are some tips for a comfortable ride and living situation with your travel dog:

1. Inside temperature and humidity sensor: I'll have to get the technical aspects from my boyfriend, the engineer who installed it, but ours is able to connect wirelessly to an app on our phone. This is obviously great to have when we are away from the van yet Noah is inside. Of course we never leave him unless we know the weather is mild enough for him to be safe, but the sensor gives us peace of mind. In the winter our heater (externally-ventilated propane heater) was also hooked up wirelessly to our phone, so if we checked the sensor and it was too cold, we could then turn the heater on a little bit. Theo my van man is installing our AC unit right now, but unfortunately this one is unable to be hooked up wirelessly, but I'm still so thankful it's finally here for when we need to cool the van down fast!
2. Screens for your windows and/or roof vent: For when you need to leave the pup in the car while you run a quick errand. The screens over the windows will allow air to run through, and act as a theft deterrent. 
3. Battery-powered fans: These are key for keeping the inside of the van cool and the air moving.
4. Dog water bowl with a lid: Noah drinks a lot of water, and since water is such a valuable commodity in our van, we hate wasting it. So it's great to have a water bowl that comes with a lid so we can save whatever water he didn't drink instead of tossing it down the drain. 
5. Light-up leash or collar: This is really helpful for walks or when my dog wants to roam a little around camp at nighttime. Especially helpful for those with with a black dog like my own. 
6. CBD oil: Last but not least, I would recommend a good calming substance for your traveling dog. CBD oil is a wonderful product and very safe for dogs to use. Since I can't read my dog's thoughts, I'm not really sure how anxious he is with the constant travel, so I give him the CBD just to keep his nerves at bay. Plus, it is supposedly good for soothing arthritis pains, so that's a win-win. 

The hard parts about having a dog living in a van

These are the hardships that you’ll want to consider when traveling with your own dog. None of these would have deterred me from bringing Noah on my journey, as I’m sure most pet owners would agree, but it’s still good to know what you’re getting into. 

1. Not being able to go on long day adventures in which my dog can't come: When planning day excursions, I have a lot to consider. "Are dogs allowed? Is this a good place for a dog? Would Noah enjoy going out or rather sleep in the van? Is it too hot to leave him in there?" I may be at a bigger loss here than others with dogs since mine has arthritis and hip dysplasia so he can't come with on many of our hikes. So needless to say, several hour hikes are just out of the question for us right now, as is spending the entire day exploring a city, dipping in and out of stores and restaurants. We still do these things, its just now become shorter hikes and shorter visits about town. When committing to van life with your dog, just remember that part of that life will greatly revolve around your dog and his needs. Which can be super fun! As long as you go with the flow and enjoy life as a dog would 😊.
2. Worrying about my dog overheating (or freezing if its winter) in the car when I need to go out: This one in particular would be a bigger problem is I wasn't traveling with another human. In our case, if one of us needs to run an errand, say go to the grocery store or laundromat, the other will stay in the car with Noah and keep the doors open for him to stay cool. If this wasn’t the case, it’d be a lot harder to travel with a dog. If you are alone traveling with your dog(s), invest in some battery powered fans and also some screens for the windows so you can leave them open while you're gone.. as long as your dog won't be tempted to get through the screens and jump out. And consider installing a roof vent for extra ventilation. We have a Thule storage rack on top so that wasn't possible for us.
3. Adjusting to your dog's needs on the road: You think that laziness and the desire to stay in bed all day go away when you live in a van? Think again, my friends. There are definitely days when I’d rather just curl up inside the van, read, play on my phone, take a nap, etc., but then I hear loud panting coming from this giant bear, and I realize that I need to get outside and take this beast with me. He obviously prefers to sit outdoors rather than in a stuffy van. Travel could be putting a toll on him, so I like to make sure Noah is as content as possible.
4. The mess and filth your dog will inevitably bring or make in the van: Sand, mud, prickly things, bad smells from rolling in whatever. Oh and a wet dog, now that is truly the worst. I love letting Noah go swimming- one of his favorite activities- but then I'm left with a soaking wet dog. Sometimes I'm able to let him air dry and hang outside, but he's a furry dude so it can take hours. Some tips: have a brush within fairly easy reach to rake off dirt and debris from your dog's coat before letting them in. Also, look up DIY dog bathing shops. It's usually only $15-ish depending where you're located. Those have been a lifesaver, especially for the two times Noah got skunked 😖.

I love this dirtball of mine, no matter what kind of mess he brings. I just have to be prepared and a little flexible on what counts as "clean" 😏. 

That's all for now, folks! Thanks for reading 👋

***A list of my favorite VanLife Essentials