Has the dog “policy” on the Camino changed?

[clarkandkaren]

I’ve been in Le Puy en Valey less than 5 hours and have seen dozens of hikers with dogs.. I think it’s great but .. every book I read says it an “absolute NO” at any of the places to stay. Just curious???

 

[davejsy]

Maybe day hikers, or maybe they are camping perhaps?

I think overall on the Camino's there are more people doing it with their dogs, although the numbers are still small with logistics problematic.

 

[Barbara]

I’ve been in Le Puy en Valey less than 5 hours and have seen dozens of hikers with dogs.. I think it’s great but .. every book I read says it an “absolute NO” at any of the places to stay. Just curious???

They may even be local, of course. I have dogs and walk them but don't take them on holiday. They get a live in sitter. BTW, if you like dogs I am planning a few trips away and the French countryside is great for training walks! On one of the French Caminos, even.

 

[David Tallan]

There isn't a no dog policy on Camino, as far as I'm aware. Certainly, many places offering beds for the night are not receptive to dogs. I think that is likely true on and off the Camino. I walked with a dog for a while on my Camino last summer. His owner certainly had more challenges finding accommodation, but he managed. Next I will hear that there is a no children policy.

 

[wisepilgrim]

It is not an absolute no in many places, in fact enough places now take them that I make a specific mention of it in the guides. Last week on the Camino Francés I asked in one albergue if they permitted dogs and the owner replied that yes they do, before humans in fact, as the dogs never complain.

In nearly all cases though the dogs are required to overnight in a specific spot, or that the owner stay in a private room.

 

[dick bird]

Each albergue has its own policy. Most of them say no because a dog, or any non human animal, in a dormitory is clearly unacceptable. Some places may allow a dog to sleep in the yard or garden. The only exception is certified service dogs: they must be admitted by law.

 

[Bob P]

I've heard dogs in a couple of pensions this trip. I'm a dog person at home, so not a biggie. Might disturb some.

 

[oursonpolaire]

There never was a policy-- the Camino only has one policy, that for the last 100km before Santiago, you must collect two stamps a day if you want a Compostela.

Market pressure is clearly creating more accommodation spaces for dogs and dogowners. The wisdom of taking dogs on the Camino stays the same. I have never thought that it was fair for the dog, but that's me.

 

[Bradypus]

The wisdom of taking dogs on the Camino stays the same. I have never thought that it was fair for the dog, but that's me.

Particularly not on some of the less travelled routes where you may pass through pasture land with sheep and cattle. A nasty incident this week on the Via de la Plata when a pilgrim's dog scared cattle which then charged and badly injured two pilgrims including the owner of the dog.

 

[Kathar1na]

The OP is not walking (or cycling) on a Camino de Santiago in Spain but on the GR 65 from Le Puy. Doesn't this make a difference, isn't the infrastructure somewhat different?

Asking for a friend who has not walked it yet but is considering it and recently bought the TopoGuide.

 

[dbier]

Particularly not on some of the less travelled routes where you may pass through pasture land with sheep and cattle. A nasty incident this week on the Via de la Plata when a pilgrim's dog scared cattle which then charged and badly injured two pilgrims including the owner of the dog.

Oh, was an uncontrolled dog the proximal cause of the injuries to the two pilgrims we heard about earlier?

That's a very painful lesson. :/

 

[Simperegrina]

Perrogrinos

(I’m here all week, don’t forget to tip the waitress..etc)

 

[Bradypus]

Oh, was an uncontrolled dog the proximal cause of the injuries to the two pilgrims we heard about earlier?

That is what news websites have reported though someone claiming to be the dog's owner disputes this in the comments section for this article.

El perro de uno de los peregrinos espantó a la vaca y los corneó

La vaca estaba recién parida

lacronicadesalamanca.com

 

[LTfit]

It is not an absolute no in many places, in fact enough places now take them that I make a specific mention of it in the guides. Last week on the Camino Francés I asked in one albergue if they permitted dogs and the owner replied that yes they do, before humans in fact, as the dog's never complain.

That reminds me of a café on a small plaza in Sahagún. I asked the owner if my dog was allowed in and he replied, "no problem, dogs behave better than most humans".

In nearly all cases though the dogs are required to overnight in a specific spot, or that the owner stay in a private room.

At times in the boot room (in the old days in the muni in Nájara) or in a sheltered space outside. If your dog is a house dog that option usually doesn't work, at least that was my experience.

I walked a week on the Norte with my previous dog and finding accommodations was in my opinion not worth the hassle and lack of spontaneity, and more expensive as I needed to book a private room. I was lucky to find hostales for €15-20 but when calling I always mentioned that I had a small dog which I believe helped. All the other dog owners I met were sleeping in tents.

Great to hear that some albergues are now more pet friendly but I guess that's more on the Francés than on other routes.

 

[dougfitz]

Each albergue has its own policy. Most of them say no because a dog, or any non human animal, in a dormitory is clearly unacceptable. Some places may allow a dog to sleep in the yard or garden. The only exception is certified service dogs: they must be admitted by law.

The right to access for guide dogs and other assistance dogs is governed by the Autonomous Communities, and while the rights for guide dogs is universal, it appears not to be the same for all assistance dogs. See https://perrosguia.once.es/legislacion/derecho-de-acceso-1 for discussion on this.

 

[Ivan_Prada]

It is not an absolute no in many places, in fact enough places now take them that I make a specific mention of it in the guides. Last week on the Camino Francés I asked in one albergue if they permitted dogs and the owner replied that yes they do, before humans in fact, as the dog's never complain.

In nearly all cases though the dogs are required to overnight in a specific spot, or that the owner stay in a private room.

And that answer brings into this notice in a hotel:



Here is the translation:

Dogs are welcome at this hotel. We never had dogs that smoked in bed burning the sheets. We have never had a dog steal our towels or turn the TV on at full volume or get into a fight with his roommate. We never had drunk dogs that broke the furniture. Therefore, if your dog vouches for you, you are also welcome.

Buen Camino,

Iván

 

[kelleymac]

The OP is not walking (or cycling) on a Camino de Santiago in Spain but on the GR 65 from Le Puy. Doesn't this make a difference, isn't the infrastructure somewhat different?

Asking for a friend who has not walked it yet but is considering it and recently bought the TopoGuide.

Yes, France is generally friendlier to dogs. While walking the Chemin (2017), I met up with some friends who were camping with their dog in Sauges. We had dinner at a restaurant and brought the dog along. The only thing we were asked was "is the dog in heat?". She wasn't and the owner gave us a table and brought the dog water.

 

[Barbara]

I once did a walk in France with a dog and a donkey. Not even my dog, his owner was on holiday. Sometimes the dog got to stay in my room, sometimes in my tent, and often in the stable with the donkey. Sometimes all three of us were in the stable. We all had a great time. Just don't expect a donkey to be allowed in your room.

 

[David61]

I saw this lad on a few different days along the Way but never thought to ask where they were staying. He seems happy enough with his boots for the sharp areas

 

[Margaret Butterworth]

I have just returned home after a month touring Andalusia. It struck me that there are far more pet dogs in Spain than there used to be. I stayed exclusively in hotels. One place allowed dogs in certain rooms on the ground floor, but I noticed that the owners were not allowed to sit in the main dining room, but in a sort of annexe at the back.

 

[Smash123]

The OP is not walking (or cycling) on a Camino de Santiago in Spain but on the GR 65 from Le Puy. Doesn't this make a difference, isn't the infrastructure somewhat different?

Asking for a friend who has not walked it yet but is considering it and recently bought the TopoGuide.

I think it's the same. I walked the Le Puy and encountered a pilgrim with a dog - she had some challenges with accommodations.

 

[clarkandkaren]

I think it's the same. I walked the Le Puy and encountered a pilgrim with a dog - she had some challenges with accommodations.

I just ended 4 weeks on the Le Puy -GR65 route. I saw more than a dozen walkers with dogs. I noticed a sign on quite a few of the places I stayed indicated “dog friendly.” However, I did start my walk on the first of the two busiest holidays in France, in May! I don’t know if that might have had anything to do with the dog issue.

 

[14c]

Oh, was an uncontrolled dog the proximal cause

Or what's it uncontrolled cattle?

 

[Kathar1na]

Uncontrolled dogs? Uncontrolled cattle? What are these comments supposed to mean?

In the case described earlier a barking dog belonging to a pilgrim was involved, according to local news reports. This caused a mother cow to attack two other pilgrims who got injured and needed to be hospitalised. The herd was in the process of being moved from one farmland to another one.

People walking with their dogs near herds with mother cows, i.e cows with their calves, can present a danger that can lead to severe and even fatal accidents - a serious danger for the dog owner and for any other not involved person in the immediate vicinity!

Every dog owner and every Camino pilgrim walking with their dog should know this !!! And either stay away from such herds and always keep a significant distance to cattle or react appropriately in a dangerous situation: Immediately remove or let go of the leash and let the dog run away so that the cows go after the dog and do not attack people.

 

[dick bird]

There is no dog policy on the camino. Every albergue has and exerts its right to admit or refuse dogs (except for registered assistance dogs, which must be admitted) or any other animal. As for dogs and livestock, it is the dog owner´s responsibility to ensure their dog does not molest, frighten or attack livestock. This is a moral responsibility. In the UK it is also a legal responsibility to the extent that a farmer is legally entitled to shoot a dog that is worrying livestock. This may well be the situation in Spain, Portugal and France as well. Make very sure your dog does not upset livestock in Spain (or the UK).

 

[14c]

Uncontrolled dogs? Uncontrolled cattle? What are these comments supposed to mean?

Uncontrolled animal is one that is not under the control of its handler and acts exclusively at his own free will.

And while I agree with having your dog under control, it seems to me that 500kg animal that can easily trample you to death should also be under some kind of control.

So it is not sole fault of the dog owner.

 

[14c]

it is the dog owner´s responsibility to ensure their dog does not molest, frighten or attack livestock.

Is it also not livestock's owner responsibility to make sure that livestock can't attack random passerbys, esp. if they are on the public road? Say by some kind of fence?

 

[Kathar1na]

Uncontrolled animal is one that is not under the control of its handler and acts exclusively at his own free will.
And while I agree with having your dog under control, it seems to me that 500kg animal that can easily trample you to death should also be under some kind of control. So it is not sole fault of the dog owner.

I did not talk about fault. I described what is known about the recent incident mentioned earlier in this thread.

I described what ought to be common knowledge for any dog owner who walks his or her dog in rural areas where cattle feeds on grassland.

In the Alpine regions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland where there have been a number of attacks by cows over the last two decades (perhaps a result of more people walking for leisure on their holidays and taking their dogs with them), some of them fatal and all of them involving tourists or locals walking their dog near an area where milk cows with calves are feeding, there have been not only such attacks but also court cases and, in the case of Austria at least, a change of law to clarify penal law and civil law responsibilities. There have also been efforts by the civil society to establish a catalogue of rules for the behaviour of dog owners so that tourists and others who walk with their dogs in such areas are better informed.

I did not check to what extent such rules have been established in Spain or are widely known in Spain.

BTW, I never walked where the incident with the two injured pilgrims happened but I walked in Galicia. As probably everyone knows who has ever walked on a Camino in Galicia, cow herds are being driven along the public road and that's the same public road where pilgrims walk. In the case of the injured pilgrims near Salamanca, it says that the herd was moved between farmland on both sides of the Cañada Real. A Cañada Real is a traditional path for moving lifestock in Spain. This particular cañada happens to be used by the Via de la Plata Camino trail, too. There are no fences on a trail that is used by animals guided by their farmer to get from A to B and back again.

 

[Kathar1na]

I’ve been in Le Puy en Valey less than 5 hours and have seen dozens of hikers with dogs.. I think it’s great but .. every book I read says it an “absolute NO” at any of the places to stay. Just curious???

Coming back to the original question : I walked from Le Puy in late June this year and over the course of 6 days and 100 km I did not see a single person with a dog walking on the Le Puy trail or staying in any of the gîtes where I stayed.

PS: There was one person with a dog staying at a gîte. However, she was on holiday where she toured around the area with her car and the dog came with her and on at least one occasion he stayed at the gîte with the gîte owners while she drove to somewhere else, perhaps for sightseeing where dogs are not allowed.