Rising Trend: More Campers are Bringing Their Pets Along

With the growth in new campers, parks owners also continue to see an increase in the number of furry family members that are taking trips too. The recently released 2021 North American Camping Report, produced by Kampgrounds of America, Inc., notes that 26% of campers decided on an RV Park or campground based on whether pets are allowed and if a pet area, such as a dog park, was offered. In the June 2021 issue of Woodall’s Campground Management magazine, Ben Quiggle, talked about this immensely popular trend with our own Ryan Hartberg. Article excerpt follows below:

Ryan Hartberg, vice president of business development at CRS, noted to WCM that dog park equipment is consistently in the top 10 for fastest growing categories of park and recreation equipment. “RV parks and campgrounds, specifically the larger ones, seem to be cognizant of the fact that people are going to be bringing their dogs and want to have a spot for them to get out some energy,” he explained. While CRS is best known for its water recreation features, it also offers a full catalog of other products, including a line of dog park equipment.

“In the campground world or at an RV resort, you’re typically talking fairly flat land,” he noted. “It’s a corner of the property that they’re going to fence off so that they can have a dedicated spot, so that’s a little bit easier. It’s almost more two-dimensional, if you will, we can get a top view, lay out the sites, and make sure we reserve a little spot there for folks that’s by the recreation area, maybe by some water and maybe by a playground.”

Hartberg told WCM that there are a lot of popular pieces the company sells, including a mister that allows dogs to run through water and cool off. The piece is hydraulically activated, which means no electricity is needed, and it runs for two minutes once a button has been pushed. He recommends that park owners use a K9 grass or some form of artificial turf that has some porosity and antibacterial properties to it inside of the fenced-in area.

Read the full article at Woodall’s Campground Management.