Pets and roadside assistance/towing

[JimM68]

I'm sorry.... but somebody just flat worries too much...

[jfran304]

Originally Posted by ottffss

Am I missing something?
Why can't the pet(s) ride in the moho/camper/5er while it's being towed?

X2 My thoughts exactly.

The only problem might be if the weather was too hot and the temperature in the RV was too high to leave the pets. Even then opening the vents should work for a short tow.

[beachboy27]

When my alternator quit and I had to be towed, my dog rode in the MH to the garage and I in the truck.

[85antique]

When we lost the transmission i had the car trailer
Attached AAA had to send 2 wreckers my wife and the dog (pit bull) rode it one truck and my son and i rode in the other one no problems

[Gotago2]

I had two cockers that are now in doggie heaven. But whenever someone came to the car window with one of the family members inside they would attack the window letting that person know he or she was not welcome. So when we were transfered to Alaska I went to the Vet and got doggie valium(sp) that I would put in a peanut butter ball about a half hour before getting to the border crossings. They slept the whole time without a problem. Did the same when we came back to the lower 48. Talk to your Vet and see what he can prescribe to relax them for the tow truck ride.

[Hooper]

Originally Posted by JimM68

I'm sorry.... but somebody just flat worries too much...

And I'm sorry, but somebody flat posts needless and unhelpful comments too much...


To everyone else that had something constructive and helpful to add, Thank You very much for your input. The thought of leaving the pooches in the MH never crossed my mind because I just assumed that if humans weren't permitted in the vehicle being towed, animals wouldn't be either.

[Senior Chief]

Just leave them in the RV- the towing company won't care. Dogs can't hire lawyers.

[BFlinn181]

Do a Mitt Romney and strap them to the roof in an "air tight carrier."

[micd]

We travel with 2 dogs. One 40lbs and one 50 lbs. They travel locked in their crates which are seatbelted to the floor where two bucket chairs used to be. Pics. here.
1994 Brave 29RQ RV: Dog's travel accomodations

We broke down on Wolf Creek Pass. Very scary place to be broken down. It wasn't even a place we could take them out to potty while we waited for the tow truck driver. Also there was no cell phone coverage so I had to flag down a truck to tell the highway patrol at the top of the pass. The highway patrol drove down and got our Good Sam's Card. They then drove back to the top to call for a tow truck. They then drove back to give us our card and then we waited for a few hours.

Here is a pic. of the tow.
1994 Brave 29RQ RV: Breakdown on Wolf Creek Pass

You can see how high off the ground the motorhome front was. The dogs couldn't ride with us in the tow truck. The front seat was barely enough room for the driver and the two of us. The dogs were locked in their crates but even so the swinging around of the motorhome and the bouncing made me very concerned about how they were handling it and whether everything would stay in the cabinets and not come crashing down around them. We tend to put light items in our upper cabinets as a precaution and other items in plastic bins that would catch on the edge and not slide out unless the motorhome rolled over.

Luckily we were at a high enough altitude that it wasn't hot. I guess if it was we could have run the generator and the AC system while the RV was in tow.

When we got to the mechanic's shop I was happy to see that everything stayed in the cabinets and the dogs seemed fine and not freaked out. You could really see the motorhome bouncing and swinging around during the the tow truck ride so I'm sure it freaked them out while it was happening.

I didn't like it one bit since I worried that the motorhome would come loose and they would go over the cliff or something while we were going first up Wolf Creek Pass, doing a U-turn on it and then descending the very steep road. I asked the tow truck driver what they would have done if there were more than two of us and he said they would have called for a rental car to come pick us up. So you might want to consider asking for that if you every have to call for a tow truck. You may have to pay extra for it but I think it is worth it. If we ever get towed again I'm going to ask for a rental car and pay for it out of my own pocket if I have to.

We have the tow service through Good Sams Platinum road service so had to pay nothing. The year before we used the tow service for one of our cars when at home and paid nothing for it either. In both instances we got pretty fast service so have been happy.

Edit: Forgot to mention that after this incident we found our emergency road side kit inadequate. It only had a small cone which wasn't enough warning to the truckers on the road and we had no batteries for the emergency light. The Highway Patrol gave us some flares but they burned out before our tow got there. So afterwards I bought a kit of nice large reflective triangles (just like the truckers have) and two very inexpensive reflective vests for us to wear. We had some automatic strobing flash lights which we put out on the road and aimed behind us to alert drivers to our breakdown. We would likely use these again and maybe aim them at the triangles and also down the road.

[Lincolnboy2]

Originally Posted by Hooper

And I'm sorry, but somebody flat posts needless and unhelpful comments too much...


To everyone else that had something constructive and helpful to add, Thank You very much for your input. The thought of leaving the pooches in the MH never crossed my mind because I just assumed that if humans weren't permitted in the vehicle being towed, animals wouldn't be either.

admit I never thought about a tow situation with my 4 kids.

I am usually the worrier that worries about everything, but this I didn't think of. Well, I will carry their crates in the coach with me just in case....If the towing outfit doesn't let them be towed in the coach, then I'll have to call on a rental company, or friends, or family, or someone for help. This is a difficult thing to resolve, for sure. The only REAL way to resolve this concern is to have a towed vehicle.....which I don't have yet. So, geesh, there's not a lot else can be done other than bringing the crates. But that's for my 4 small ones. I cannot offer any assistance because I can't figure out what I'd do....sorry!!

[LadyFitz...]

Originally Posted by Hooper

And I'm sorry, but somebody flat posts needless and unhelpful comments too much...


To everyone else that had something constructive and helpful to add, Thank You very much for your input. The thought of leaving the pooches in the MH never crossed my mind because I just assumed that if humans weren't permitted in the vehicle being towed, animals wouldn't be either.

I also appreciate that this issue was brought up. Not only would it be an issue for our furry children, it would be one as well for any two legged ones we may have. At least now people have the opportunity to plan ahead for this.

[RustyJC]

Just thinking out loud......what would happen if one informed Good Sam or CoachNet of the problem with additional passengers (furry or human) when one made the initial call for roadside assistance/towing? Would they attempt to address the situation or just tell you that you're on your own??

I really don't know what would happen. Has anyone ever tried it who can share your experience?

Rusty

[Barbaraok]

This is one of the many reasons that we have a toad.

Barb

[demoon]

Originally Posted by BFlinn181

Do a Mitt Romney and strap them to the roof in an "air tight carrier."

let's keep politics off the forums. It is so nice to be able to read something that does not involve them.