no dogs in QC "national" parks??? + recoms

[jword]

Hi Folks! I'm planning out our route from Nova Scotia to London ON. Thought we'd go via The Gaspe only to just learn dogs aren't allowed in any of the "national" (oh. DON'T get me started!!) QC parks. What?!? How is that even possible? Is my brain on crack? Am I missing something? Anyone else journey through Quebec and discover this isn't true?

As a result I am now pondering going through the States ... Maine, Vermont & NY State. Any thoughts? recommendations? Drive bys?

Thanks in advance.

[markopolo]

No suggestions but here are a few links that might be useful:

Domestic animals in Quebec parks: http://www.sepaq.com/animaux/

Pet Friendly Campgrounds in the U.S.: http://www.petfriendlytravel.com/campgrounds

Pets in U.S. National Parks, Forests, Recreation Areas, Monuments, Historical Parks & Historic Sites: http://www.petfriendlytravel.com/national_parks

Pets in U.S. State Parks, Forests, Recreation Areas, State Historic Parks & Historic Sites, Regional Parks: http://www.petfriendlytravel.com/state_parks

[booster]

Originally Posted by markopolo

No suggestions but here are a few links that might be useful:

Domestic animals in Quebec parks: http://www.sepaq.com/animaux/

Pet Friendly Campgrounds in the U.S.: http://www.petfriendlytravel.com/campgrounds

Pets in U.S. National Parks, Forests, Recreation Areas, Monuments, Historical Parks & Historic Sites: http://www.petfriendlytravel.com/national_parks

Pets in U.S. State Parks, Forests, Recreation Areas, State Historic Parks & Historic Sites, Regional Parks: http://www.petfriendlytravel.com/state_parks

I understand that folks like to bring their dogs with, but I also understand why there are getting to be more rules. We just spent two weeks on the road in Minnesota, Michigan, Ontario, and Wisconsin. We spent several days listening to yippy dogs bark at everything that moved, and watched probably 1/3 of the owners walking the dogs to other sites to make their mess, and not cleaning it up. Lots of dogs on the "no pets" hiking and biking trails. We were also amazed how long a 6 foot (the rule) leash is, as 20' appears to be the new 6 The only place the dogs were under control and cleaned up after was at a private campground in Door County, Wisconsin. The owners made it very clear to everyone that they would asked to leave if the dogs were loud, or not cleaned up after. I know a majority of folks do a good job of traveling with their dogs, but there are plenty who don't and are going to wreck it for the rest of you.

[jword]

I get that some dog owners are not responsible and truly I wish park authorities would fine those who do not clean up/maintain control of their pets. It DOES make if difficult for the rest of us. But. One of THE main reasons we purchased our van was so we could bring Stella (cuz she's really oh! so much more than "a dog" ) with us on our travels.

Interestingly, when we toured (via car) New England last fall, many of the pet-friendly motels/cottages said that pet owners are often easier to deal with than folks traveling with children ... tended to be more respectful of property, self-policed re: noise, and didn't leave a wreck-of-a-room. Most places we had to pay extra and were happy to do so for the privilege of having Stella with us.

What I totally do NOT understand is completely denying ALL pets in ALL areas of the parks. I understand that some folks don't want pets on beachs or to be kept in designated areas. But everywhere?? I have to say, and as an aside I was born/raised in Montreal, it will be a long time before I will willingly return to La Belle Province. Je ME souviens.

oops. and that totally turned into a major rant, didn't it?! LOL

Thanks markopolo for the links!
And, booster, on behalf of all the terrible pet owners, I apologize.

[markopolo]

Lots of Class B owners travel with pets. Approximately 2/3rds according to this poll: http://www.classbforum.com/phpBB2/vi...php?f=25&t=458 Like you say, it is a major reason lots of people choose to travel with an RV.

[booster]

Originally Posted by jword

I oops. and that totally turned into a major rant, didn't it?! LOL

As did mine!

I don't know how it will all turn out, and I do feel sorry for the "good" pet travelers. It does appear to be getting worse, however, based on our small sampling recently. With budget cuts and everyone very concerned about costs, I am sure it is much, much, less costly to ban the dogs than to police the owners and clean up after the bad ones. I don't think anyone can expect other dog owners, or the non owners, to police the issue, as the bad dog owners also seem to be most confrontational and belligerent if questioned.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by jword

Hi Folks! I'm planning out our route from Nova Scotia to London ON. Thought we'd go via The Gaspe only to just learn dogs aren't allowed in any of the "national" (oh. DON'T get me started!!) QC parks. What?!? How is that even possible? Is my brain on crack? Am I missing something? Anyone else journey through Quebec and discover this isn't true?

As a result I am now pondering going through the States ... Maine, Vermont & NY State. Any thoughts? recommendations? Drive bys?

Thanks in advance.

Don't own a dog, and generally don't stay at Parks Canada locations, so we're not much help there.

As for taking the US route, have some cash on hand for the tolls, especially the NYS Thruway (I-90). End to end starting at Mass and ending near Buffalo/Ft. Erie has gone up, as they now charge more for a "taller" vehicle which includes 99% of all RVs. Any vehicle with 2 axles over 7'6" gets charged more. No idea when it changed, but it must have been fairly recently, as we didn't recall the higher prices.
If you want to save some money, and are just driving straight through, there are several "Service Centers" or "Service Areas" along I-90 that don't seem to care about overnight parking, and we've stayed at just about all of them. They usually have fuel, propane, food courts and a Starbucks in the restaurant/bathroom building for morning coffee, if you do that.
Cooperstown, NY (Baseball Hall of Fame) is a nice diversion, about an hour or so south of Herkimer, NY if you like that sort of thing. It's a rural area on a finger lake, and the scenery along the route is nice. There's not a lot of boondocking nearby, but there is probably sufficient campgrounds in the area at this time of year (off season?). The town itself is early American quaint, imo.
Lake Placid is also nice if you don't mind a longer detour off the interstate. North and west of Albany, NY. Pricey, yuppie, but very pretty, and there are still many active Olympic training sites in the area. Also a scenic drive in and out. Lots of hotel and motel and some campground accommodations in the area, too.
Try to avoid coming back into Canada on Sunday evenings or weekdays around dinner time, as the backups can be heavier, although with the summer over, it's been better near us.

Not sure if this info was what you were looking for, but there it is.
Good luck, safe travels.

[donrebyct]

The state of Connecticut also bans pets in all state parks. Two state operated parks, not state parks, allow dogs. One is north and the other is far east side of state. I stayed at the east campground one time while living in CT, and wasn't very impressed. I've been told it's a nice well run park; it didn't appear that way when I was there on Labor Day weekend some years ago.

Southern states seem to be more hospitable when it comes to pets in state park campgrounds. JMHO.

[Mike]

Maybe they should just post signs,
"Pet owners, no fouling, clean up after your pet, violators will be banned from the premises immediately"
"Non-pet owners, watch your step, the worst pet owners usually ignore these signs".

All jokes aside, we live across the street from a public green belt, and we see pet fouling on the trails there a lot, in spite of the posted municipal non-fouling bylaw signage at almost every access point to the park. Since all of the dog walkers we know seem like responsible owners, either the bad owners wait until no one is around to let their dogs loose, or some of the good owners aren't what they seem. Either way, it's a problem that ruins the park for everyone else, as anyone who has stepped on a "dog land mine" will attest.
I can fully understand that when the problem becomes very difficult or impossible to enforce via a municipal bylaw, or active bylaw officer patrols, or by having others report on the offenders, that most people would see the best way to eliminate the dog doo, is to eliminate the source (the dogs).

As far as the leash laws, agree with booster on that one. 20'+ is the new 6'. Most common phrase heard whenever we happen upon a dog off leash (also prohibited by muni-bylaw here), "don't worry, he/she won't hurt you". Yes, it might not hurt anyone this time, but you never know. I hope the owners remember how easily preventable a really bad situation would have been, if their family pet unexpectedly attacks and/or seriously injures a small child or other person or pet.

[booster]

"Most common phrase heard whenever we happen upon a dog off leash (also prohibited by muni-bylaw here), "don't worry, he/she won't hurt you". "

Unless you happen to be on a bike, and then a loose dog, or one on a long leash, can easily put you on your head.

[Mike]

Should have mentioned. It's a "no dogs off leash, no bikes on trails" park.
I know what you mean, though. The park has some nice walking/bike paths/trails and in the bike season you have to be aware of your surroundings and pay attention all the time. I've been forced to take evasive action a few times since starting to ride again a few years ago. Oddly enough, I think unpredictable people have caused me as much grief as pets on/off leash. I always try to bell them when approaching from behind, and verbally clarify my intent to pass, and on which side, and still they manage to surprise me once in a while. I usually just slow right down and take it easy. Safer.
By way of comparison, my wife got run over last year by a jogger, who overtook us quietly from behind, before realizing he did need to warn us of his approach when he was 2 paces back. Too late. She stepped out of the way she thought, and he changed course as well, and they collided. No serious injuries, luckily.