One of the best parts about RVing is having the ability to take your four-legged friends with you.  However, once you arrive at the campsite, how do you allow your pooch some freedom to roam about without causing others problems or violating leash rules?

We have tried several tethers with varying success and have even just tried tying them off to a bench or post.  In each situation, they always seemed to end up with the dog getting totally tangled around something.  We always felt that there had to be a better way that didn’t have us untangling the dog all the time.  Many products claim to be able to do this but in all actuality, the solution was quite simple.

As lined out in the Go Pet Friendly Blog, a simple zip line could be setup resolving many of the issues that we had experienced.  For the most part, I had the supplies needed and I was able to get everything else at the local hardware store  Here is what you will need:

• Paracord – Use a bright color and get the length that you will want your zip line to be.  Remember you will need to account for tying the line to trees or structures.
• Clips for the ends of the paracord – This is not required and you could simply tie the paracord between the two points but we found that some clips worked really well.  We chose to use a more traditional clip on one end and then chose a NightIze CamJam for the other side.  This allows us to quickly connect the one side and then we can use the cam side to really tighten up the line.
• Carabiner / S-Biner – In the article, they were using a plastic carabiner but I found that after a bit of the dog running around the plastic was melting from the friction on the paracord.  I would suggest getting a metal carabiner or s-biner like the S-Biner Dual Carabiner from NightIze

With all the supplies in hand, you simply attach your clips to the ends of the paracord and secure the cord between two points.  We have used trees, pavilions, RV ladder, Truck mirror, basically anything that will hold up to your dog’s force.  The placement of the cord in your site is also important.  You will want to place it where your dog can be close to you but ensuring it is high enough that the majority of people won’t decapitate themselves when walking around the camp.  This is also why I suggest getting a bright color for the paracord.  You can see in the pictures below we put some cones along the path to help us not hurt ourselves.  I also suggest taking the line down at night as an extra precaution.

Once the line is up, connect your dog’s leash to the paracord with the S-Biner.  I would recommend using a fix length leash and not the retractable kind.  I suppose the retractable would work, it would just be more stuff that the dog is dragging back and forth on the line.  Before you turn your dog loose, you need to look at the entire area that the dog can go.  Make sure that they cant get into things you don’t want them to, or get into another campers site.  You should also be aware of walkways that your dog might be able to get to.  In a campground we are all sharing space, so you need to try and allow your dog as much freedom as you can without encroaching on others.