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If you leave your dog in your RV on a even a medium hot day you will be charged with a crime and have to pay a fine. And it's likely your window will be broken when the police try and rescue the dog, if it hasn't died already.
People rarely break into RV's because they can't see if someone is in the back. Thieves like easy stealing not the potential for someone in the R.V coming at them with a bat or gun. Just put your stuff where they can't see it and put an NRA sticker on the side window.
Do dogs a favor and don't get one. It will cause you big problems, food is the least expensive part of a dog. You'll need shots (for the dog) and it gets sick (just like kids) vet bills add up.
We have had a sequence of two dogs and 5 or 6 cats including long hairs. We no longer believe any of them are bothered by the desert heat. In fact the long haired German Spitz and the his cat buddy would both lay on the brick at 110 degrees and snooze. And they picked the sun with the shade four feet away.
I would think the physics is at work. They are thermos bottles with cooling by aspiration. As long as they have good water they don't seem to have trouble with the heat.
We boated for some years with a dog - the 25 lb German Spitz. Aside from a propensity to fall overboard he was not a problem. The boat was a 28 foot rear cabin which would be similar in space to a 25 to 30 foot RV. And the dog loved the boat. We had no problem with hair. He shed but the hand held vacuum took care of it quickly. Neighbors in a 40 foot trawler had a big Irish setter. Dog would climb the ladder from the water and carry a ball to the top of the cabin. Throw the ball in and then dive after it. Repeat.
The one advantage of the boat is that it has a deck outside and the dog would spend much time there. You might rig an enclosure off an RV for a similar effect.
Traveled for years with an 80 lb. golden retriever, who happened to be costly, but was a wonderful companion. If you want a guard dog, go to the shelter, they have plenty of "cheap" dogs.
I saw an ad for a Alaskan Husky or so... My friend said this dog gets too big! I went to Petco and they had Labrador Retrievers for $1800! That's crazy wack prices when some individual will sell them for $550!
Anyway, I might need a dog to live in the front seat of my minivan while I sleep or go away from the minivan. I guess people snoop into my stuff so I need a dog?... I might use the dog for hunting, too...
Maybe I should get a Beagle?
I don't want to spend over $40 / month food budget on a dog, for specialized dog food. Is that too cheap? Then what size limit of a dog do I get?
Get a car alarm for your van. All the comments about heat and vehicles are true. This will range from not being fair to a dog to being lethal for a dog. Sounds like you don't know much about dogs of any sort. You really have no idea what you need or want. You say you "might" need one to guard your van. You "might" use a dog for hunting. Pretty vague. Any dog is a lot more than a burglar alarm with fur. Its a family member. If you don't want that, forget the dog entirely.
There are web sites that offer Q&As about finding the breed of dog that fits your lifestyle. You can also read about many breeds (size, shedding, activity and exercise needed, health problems they tend to have, behavioral traits, ease of training, good with strangers, protective, etc). I suggest reading and thinking about this a lot more before ever looking at one!
$40 or less on food a month? If you feed the dog cheap cr*&ppy food you will pay more at a vet eventually. How much you need to spend also depends on the size of the dog. A retriever hunting dog will eat a lot more than a lapdog. Also be aware that big chain pet shops often get their dogs from puppy mills. The breeder dogs are neglected, mistreated, often sick, inbred, and the pups pay a huge price for the rest of their lives. A decent shelter can help you find a good match, but do some research before going to one. They care about getting the dogs a good home and just wanting something to guard a vehicle won't cut it with them.
I hope by now the OP understands the dangers of leaving a dog in a van in the summer. But if that is not the plan, and he/she needs to own up to that, and plans to travel during the cooler months I don't see a problem. I'm a dog owner who has been kicking around this idea and as long as you travel in cooler temps, or take your dog with you when you are not in the van together, it may work. But I agree the OP doesn't really understand dogs. And paying for cheap food is not the way to treat a pet.
Anyway, I might need a dog to live in the front seat of my minivan while I sleep or go away from the minivan. I guess people snoop into my stuff so I need a dog?
It's cruel, and in many states illegal to leave your dog in a hot car. Some places it is legal to break your window to rescue the dog.
Plus, this is no life for a dog, even if you take it out for walks. Unhappy dogs frequently resort to destroying their surroundings. You would be amazed at how much damage they can cause in a short time.
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