walking with a dog

[starseed108]

Just wondering is any hostels take dogs or is there camping along the route Silver Way?

[HuskyNerd]

I can only speak for the last 1/4 of the Via de la Plata, which I completed on July 23 of this year. There was no camping that I noticed, and as is usual in albergues on the Camino, no dogs are allowed. I felt very sorry for 2 dogs I saw along the way. They were tied up outside the albergues where their owners were sleeping. Each dog was whining, shaking with fright, was desperately tired, and in general was having a miserable experience. As others on this Forum have said many times: if you love your dog it's best to leave it at home.

[geraldkelly]

Hi

I walked the Via from Seville to Astorga in February 2009. I met two people with dogs. One slept in a tent most of the time, he was cycling and he had a trailer for the dog which was blind. There are no camp sites but generally there are lots of places where you can camp (illegally). The other guy was walking and we walked together for a few weeks. Generally the dog wasn't allowed in hostels - although this wasn't universally enforced since there were no other pilgrims and some of the hospitaleros had a fairly "hands off" attitude. However, he and the dog slept in the yard on a number of occasions. Which was OK because he had the right gear for freezing weather.

We had a few scary moments with farm dogs though. They're very territorial and they're not the cute little "One Man and his Dog" type sheepdogs either.

The dog seemed happy enough but he was a big, fit dog in his prime. But I think he missed his afternoon nap. And his mid-morning nap too. Earlier this year they set off to walk to Poland from Germany and they had to give up because the dog wasn't up to it any more.

So no easy answer for the Via (the Camino Frances is a straight no). But generally I think dogs don't enjoy long-distance hiking.

Ger

[Covey]

Judging by a recent spate of posts, it is not only dogs who like their afternoon nap!! I might try it this year just in case I might be missing something!!!