If the surveys are true, then one Ohio RV park is playing the numbers in the right direction. A Renogy survey says almost 70% of RV owners travel with their pets, with 92% of them bringing dogs.
If your pup travels with you and loves the water, look out for suspicious credit card charges. The first-ever full-scale RV dog water park is up and running. Internet-savvy pooches may not think twice about putting in a reservation.
RV dog water park is more than a splash pad
The new dog-friendly zone isn’t just a shallow splash pad. Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Uniontown, Ohio, is not just barking up any old tree. It’s packed with fun features tailored to canine campers: water-spraying fire hydrants, fountains that shoot out of giant tennis balls and dog bowls, plus an agility course and open space to run and play.
“We’ve never had anything like this before,” said Trent Hershenson, marketing VP for Camp Jellystone, which runs more than 75 Jellystone Parks across the U.S. and Canada.
The idea came from the park’s popular annual dog swim. It’s one day each season when the pool closes to people and goes to the dogs. “It kept getting bigger every year,” said activities director Maddie Hillyard. “Guests kept telling us it was their favorite event, so we thought—why not make something permanent for the dogs?”
While other Jellystone Parks offer pet-themed weekends and dog-friendly lodging, Uniontown’s new dog water zone is the first of its kind. It’s one more way Jellystone Parks are expanding what it means to camp with the whole family—furry friends included.
But what about the other RV pet travel group?
By the way, that same Renogy survey tells another “tail,” if you will. RVers also seem to have a feline commitment. Of RVers who travel with pets, 14% take a cat along for the ride. An RV dog water park probably has little interest to Fluffy. Don’t be surprised to see a petition circulating for RV parks with catnip filled bounce-houses.
