Summer Pet Safety in an RV

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The Dangers of Leaving a Pet Alone in an RV

Today I am sharing some tips that we use to help protect our dog from overheating in our RV. Just like any other vehicle, an RV can heat up quickly in warmer climates. Dogs can suffer from heat stroke in temperatures as low as the 80s when humidity reaches 90%. An RV can quickly get up to eighty degrees inside when temperatures outside are in the high 60s and it is in the sun.

What can we do to keep them safe? I have a few tips, some cost nothing at all, and others can be rather expensive. I think the best way to protect them is through redundancy with a combination of these tips.

Let the Camp Host or Office Know

I am going to start with the cheapest tip first. Let the camp host or office know you are traveling with a pet and would like a phone call if the campground power goes out. This will allow you to quickly get back to your RV. You can also request a site in the shade, although, in summer months, these sites are typically taken quickly.

Use a Pet Monitor

The next tip is to use a pet monitor. There are several brands available. The two that Sabrina and I use are Waggle and Temp Stick. These two monitors work a little differently from each other, with Waggle being the more expensive of the two. The major difference between these two systems is that the Waggle works off its own cellular network (provided by Verizon) and the Temp Stick needs a hotspot or wifi. Also, between these two systems, the Waggle is easier to set up and use with a nicer user interface.

The reason we use both systems is that we might not always be in a good Verizon network area, and we would then be able to use our Temp Stick, which we have connected to our AT&T hotspot. Although I can say in the last six months, we have not had any loss of service with the Waggle. Both monitors watch for temperature and humidity and will alert you through push notifications to your phone when temperatures rise. The Waggle will take this further by notifying you when it senses a power out in your RV. We cannot use this feature, which I will explain later.

Smart Thermostat

We also have a third way to monitor the temperature in our RV. That is through our EasyTouch Thermostat. I can go into the app at any time and not only see what the temperature is inside the RV, but I can also make adjustments to the thermostat to turn the A/C on sooner if, for some reason, the weather was acting differently than planned or if we had that feeling of did we remember to turn the A/C on to a comfortable temperature. The EasyTouch Thermostat has been one of my favorite upgrades to our RV. With that said, know it is not intended to be a monitor. It will not send push notifications to your phone like the Waggle and TempStick.

Reduce the Chance of Rising Temperatures in the RV

Window shades are a great way to keep temperatures down in your RV. I use what is called a Magne-Shade. This shade is attached to the outside of the windshield, stopping the sun rays before even touching your RV’s windshield. This style of shade drastically reduces the temperature on your dash and lowers the overall temperature in your RV. I have taken a heat sensor and measured our dash temperatures with and without the Magne-Shade. Temperatures with the shade in place are lower by about 20 degrees. This is incredibly important because the dash is our dog’s favorite place to lie and wait for us to return.

Magne-Shade is not cheap, but my wife and I feel it has been worth every penny. We have had our same Magne-Shade for over six years. It looks as good today as the day we bought it, showing no signs of wear or tear. Of course, you can also use Reflectix in your windows. This product will also help reduce heat being transferred into your RV through windows. I have tried these, and they do work, just not as well as the Magne Shade.

Use a Doggy Daycare

Another tip that Sabrina and I use often is to find doggy daycares in the area where we are staying. This is honestly our most used tip. Belle has been to more doggy daycares nationwide than I can count. This is a sure way that she is being monitored and cared for while we are away for the day, but it does take some prep work. You will need to find a doggy daycare in the area you are visiting, contact them and find out if they are accepting new guests, and get all their medical requirements up to date and submitted to the doggy care.

Every doggy daycare requires different shots, so shots that work for one daycare might not be enough for another. Be sure to contact the doggy care and find out what your pet needs to be accepted. There is always usually a half-day test period for your pet before being able to attend, so if you are only in an area for a day or two, this tip might not work for you. Belle loves going to doggy daycare as she meets new friends, plays all day, and comes back home to the RV nice and tired.

Purchase a Backup Power System

I saved the most expensive tip for last, which is backup power systems. These are great options for keeping your pets safe. Two popular ways to achieve this are from a generator autostart or a battery backup. If you are shopping for an RV now and have pets, I highly recommend looking at RVs with an auto-start generator. This generator will sense a power outage and automatically turn the generator on to keep the A/C operating, keeping your pet cool during a power outage.

Our RV did not come with this feature, but we recently installed a major Battle Born Batteries power system in our RV. This lithium-powered system is always on, so if the power goes out at a campground, our Battle Born Batteries, through our Victron 3000 Inverter, would automatically start to power our RV and keep the A/C on. This system is so fast that if I send Sabrina outside to turn the power off at the campsite power post, our microwave clock does not even blink when the switch is thrown.

Having this system is why I said earlier that we could not rely on the Waggle to let us know if there is a power outage at the campground because it would never notice the interruption. We have enough power in our batteries to operate our A/C continuously for eight hours, and a generator with a full tank should be able to do the same, depending on tank size. Just remember to always park your RV with enough fuel for these occasions.

Closing Thoughts

Well, these are all of my tips. Of course, some obvious tips are having plenty of water in the RV for your pet and bringing your pet to where you are sightseeing. They love to explore just as much as we do. Just be sure to check with the place you are going to first. Not all areas are dog friendly, and as we like to say, Belle is not friendly to all areas. She gets worked up easily in crowds and is honestly more comfortable in her bed in the RV than what she would consider a high-stress environment like a festival, car show, or war reenactments. Someday I will have to tell you about when I took Belle to Colonial Williamsburg, and they fired cannons. What a disaster that was!

Take care and safe travels!