Campers like to bring their pets when they go camping. Occasionally, those furry friends even have feathers instead of fur. Let’s dive into some data about pets and camping, then talk about how a macaw recently went missing at a campground in a state park.
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The Dyrt’s latest camping report suggests 53.7% of campers brought their dogs along with them when they went camping in 2023. Dogs were the most popular pet among campers in the survey, and campgrounds understood the assignment. The Dyrt says dog parks were the third most popular amenity added to campgrounds last year, behind Wi-Fi and pickleball courts.
After dogs, cats were the second most popular pet to bring on camping trips. The Dyrt’s survey suggests 5.8% of people brought their cats camping in 2023. As a cat owner myself, I admit I’ve considered this, but ultimately, we thought our cat would have more fun enjoying the serenity of an empty house.
For a fair number of campers, though, Whiskers came along for the ride. (But can your camping cat go climbing like this one can?)
Campers in Washington go camping with pets more often than the rest of us, according to the data. They were 8% more likely to camp with dogs and 24% more likely to camp with cats than the rest of the U.S. in 2023.
Besides cats and dogs, a handful of campers also brought chickens, box turtles, guinea pigs, and parrots on their 2023 camping trips.
A Parrot on the Loose in Valley of Fire State Park
Yesterday, Valley of Fire State Park announced on social media that someone lost a pet while camping in the Nevada park earlier this month. It’s a scarlet macaw, a type of parrot native to rainforests and humid evergreen forests in the Americas.
The bird’s owner says the macaw (named Kara) is loud, and it “will be heard before being seen.”
Watch those pets while camping, and if you see this one, contact the owner, whose information is in Valley of Fire’s Instagram post.
Do you bring furry (or feathered) friends on camping trips?
