Me and my Jack Russell

[Evelinneke]

I'm planning on walking the camino del Norte together with my dog but I heard that there are very few places where they allow dogs to sleep.
Does somebody have a list of allbergues, hostels, hotels where dogs are allowed?

Thanks,
Evelyn.

 

[SabsP]

Hi ,

You might take a look at this thread.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/my-dogs-are-up-for-it-but-i-think-the-people-dont-want-them-there.53571/#post-595267

I would advise against taking your dog with you. Please think about it.

 

[GraemeHall]

I met a young woman in the café/bar opposite the monastery at Samos. She was walking with a dog that she had registered as a "Service Dog", even though she had no legitimate need for one. She was quite open in bragging how most albergues allowed it in, and it even enabled an upgrade to Business on her flight from (*** un-named country) to Europe. Of the 20 or so people, I think I was the only who didn't applaud her ingenuity - which made me something of an outcast.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Most dog-permitted accommodations are hotels. Very few albergues allow them for health code and inconvenience reasons. Gronze.com is a good source for information but you will need to go through their list place by place.

 

[LTfit]

In 2016 I walked a week on the Norte with my dog (Santander to Gijón). He did wonderfully, probably wallked twice the amount of km that I did, but finding lodging was a real problem.

Do not expect any municipal albergue to let you in with a dog and only some private albergues do, if you are willing to take a private room. This means you need to call in advance or you might get stuck walking many more km than planned. It is obviously more expensive. I was lucky to find reasonably priced hostales for about €15 but I wouldn't have wanted to do this amount of planning weeks on end.

While walking I met a young guy with a large dog but he was carrying a tent. This is really the only option unless your dog is used to sleeping outside, tied up or you go the private hostal/hotel route.

I went to the vet afterwards (for something else) and asked her to look at his paws. She was amazed to hear that my little 5 kg dog walked an average of 30 km a day. His paws looked very healthy.

Some dogs do well. Some don't. Walking in hot weather would be an extra concern, we walked in October.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

My husband is allergic to dogs and cats. Beyond the sniffles, his can turn into full blown asthma when in a confined room for over an hour or two.. I think for hotels that allow pets, only a few designated rooms should be pet friendly. Some do that, some don't. We try to avoid those establishments when we travel, but a few mislead the public on their website.

 

[RJM]

I met a young woman in the café/bar opposite the monastery at Samos. She was walking with a dog that she had registered as a "Service Dog", even though she had no legitimate need for one. She was quite open in bragging how most albergues allowed it in, and it even enabled an upgrade to Business on her flight from (*** un-named country) to Europe. Of the 20 or so people, I think I was the only who didn't applaud her ingenuity - which made me something of an outcast.

Unfortunately there appears to be an abuse of that whole "service animal" bit. The abusers make the legitimate one's look bad.
As far as taking a dog to walk the Camino with, in my observations I saw some pretty unhappy looking dogs with their pilgrim owners. Also I think it's a bit invasive to want to bring an animal into an albergue environment. Not everyone likes dogs and you cannot expect them to, and also an issue of fleas and the dog's waste and their at times negative contacts with local, territorial, big working dogs.
I have never even contemplated bringing one of my dogs to walk the Camino with me.

 

[Delphinoula]

I love to walk with my dogs and sometimes with my cat as well, specially in the evening.
I noticed a lot of working dogs and pets as well. Each time your dog passes somebody’s territory there is a lot of action going on. A lot of stress for your dog to protect you mark his territory establish where in the dog family his place is. Then you walking a lot so does your dog and those legs are a lot shorter than yours. So are you considering whose need you put first?
If you need a friend along the way don’t worry, there will be plenty of four legged and two legged ones.
There is nothing to say about the service animal abuse by this person. Sad.

 

[Stroller123]

My dog is always with me on my walks, if he can't come, I won't go.
But...
I avoid to go where there may be free working dogs. If he gets seriously bitten in the middle of nowhere he may die by the time I get to the car and I drive to a vet.
The tarmac, especially in summer, burns his paws badly. It must be avoided.
I need to carry a heavier pack, not just because of water, but also because of food, bedding, toiletries, etc, so I usually stay in accommodations to avoid the weight of my camping gear. Therefore, I need to plan accordingly to places which welcome pets (in room) and pay extra. Sometimes they are available, sometimes not.
Occasionally, for whatever reason, he doesn't want to walk for the set amount of Kms planned, so I must be prepared to give up too.
If there are some places I want to visit, but he's not allowed to enter, I will have to give up.
Even if dogs enjoy the adventure, they are creature of habits. I think they will get stressed in a busy/urban walk like the Camino, maybe less in a wilderness walk.
My dog is selected from a work like, so he can take more than a city/couch/beauty dog, he comes to the mountains with me since he was 6 months old, but I still need to be extra vigilant on his well-being on walks, which means more stress for me.
For intolerant/self-centered/whatever people, usually dogs are an easy target, so be prepared to get the bad stare and the occasional fight. Bad, inconsiderate behavior which is normally tolerated in people without dogs, is usually not tolerated in people with them.

So, my advice would be not to bring the dog along for such a long walk.

 

[MinaKamina]

I'm planning on walking the camino del Norte together with my dog but I heard that there are very few places where they allow dogs to sleep.
Does somebody have a list of allbergues, hostels, hotels where dogs are allowed?

Thanks,
Evelyn.

Hi Evelinneke, the Caminos are getting a little better for peregrinos and their dogs.
APACA has a list of dog-friendly albergues on the CdN:
https://apaca.paradoxahumana.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/00-CAMINO-DEL-NORTE.pdf

and for other caminos too:
https://apaca.paradoxahumana.com/albergues-para-perregrinos

You may also want to take a look at
http://www.caminoconmiperro.com/index.html
This is a website dedicated to hiking various caminos with your dog. The Norte is not among them, but the experiences are worth the while.

Interesting considerations, taken from the Perregrinos and APACA:

My dog and I are used to walking long distances during various days.
My dog adjusts well to different types and brands of food
My dog adjusts well to sleeping in different locations, with unknown people.
My dog travels well on bus and train.
I can carry the extra water, food and gear that my dog needs.
I am ready to give up my goal of reaching Santiago because my dog is unhappy and needs to go home.

I know my dogs and we failed the test. Had one dog who loved to walk 15-20 kms a day and then take the inevitable rest day! Every time. Had another dog who would guard me ferociously during the night in unknown surroundings, and she'd be knocked out the next day. They both needed specific food because they each had sensitive stomach. So you guessed it .... the CamiNo No No. Fortunately I never considered it during their life time.

If you check all the boxes, you have another plus: a Jack Russel is small and may travel in a bag on all trains and buses. You'd still have to bring the bag though.

You may want to contact @lilakmonoke he is a member on this forum and loves to walk the Caminos with his dog.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Does somebody have a list of allbergues, hostels, hotels where dogs are allowed?

On the following site there is for the CF. I'm passing the site on because it may help you in other ways. It is in Spanish but if you visit in the Chrome browser it can be translated.

CaminoConMiPerro - Camino de Santiago con perro

En caminoconmiperro te contamos todo lo que necesitas saber para hacer el Camino de Santiago con tu perro. Consejos, descripción de las etapas, dónde alojarte, trucos peRRegrinos y mucho más...

caminoconmiperro.com

That said, we thought of walking the camino with our dog and a tent. We are glad we didn't. I don't recommend it. Many reasons why are stated in many threads on this forum dealing with dogs.

 

[Tie]

I want to add a perspective from facility management....and note that I wholly agree with Stroller123’s input.
I managed a hiker hostel on the Appalachian Trail in the US. These hostels share many similarities with Camino alberges. I met many guests with dogs. After initially accepting dogs indoors, I changed policy after encountering the following issues:
Cleaning the dog hair from rooms was very difficult; many owners allowed their dogs on beds even when
asked to keep them on the floor. I would often find a few stray hairs on the second or third post-dog
cleaning and worried about incoming guests with sensitivities. My staff and I cleaned very thoroughly
given the time constraints similar to those in alberges (i.e. guests out by mid-morning and new arrivals
coming in the door just a few hours later. The extra stress of doggie “guests” was considerable.
Although many dogs are well trained and friendly, some guests are not at ease with unknown dogs. Their
rest time at the hostel was impacted by the presence of dogs in the facility. If I could have offered
a completely separate lodging area for dogs/owners I would have. Our space did not allow that, but
I was able to offer tenting to those hiking with dogs.
Some service dog owners seemed unfamiliar with the special guidelines with regard to registered animals.
In the US, facility owners/managers may not question such a designation but they must weigh the
safety and hygiene needs of their entire universive of guests and act accordingly within the applicable
laws.

Another note:
I walked the Camino del Norte/Primitivo last Sept/Oct. One day we walked near a hiker with a dog. The dog was not on lead; the hiker was carrying the leash. While passing a small farm, fierce barking broke out all around. The hiker tried to speed up and called the dog loudly to come/heel. Very soon a farm dog was fast around the barn and the dogs were at it. I watched helplessly as the hiker tried to intervene—afraid that the animals were biting one another and that the hiker would be bitten while trying to regain control of her dog. It was frightening, although the hiker eventually got the dog separated and on lead. I think dog and owner were thoroughly shaken. I know my heart was pounding. My partner and I wondered how one would access emergency vet care in the isolated places we walked through—not an easy thing, I’m sure.

When you walk with a dog, it truly is the dog’s walk first and the team of dog/owner second. More planning and extra thoughtfulness about everything is necessary to ensure for the health, safely and enjoyment of all on a long walk in unfamiliar surroundings.
Tie

 

[MinaKamina]

There was another Jack Russel on the forum a few years ago, her name was Millie if I remember well ... and Millie was top fit and used to international hikes. She and owner Owen Jenkins were from Cornwall, he planned to walk the CF with Millie. I don't know if he did because he hasn't returned to the forum, but with a little googling you will find him on LinkedIn, he's a professional dog handler with an army background.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/walking-with-a-dog.45071/#post-473678

 

[lizlane]

I've read too much about feral dogs on the Camino to bring my English Springer Spaniel. He's not even a year old, nor neutered and the idea of being away from him kills me but after seven years waiting for both the time and the money, the last thing I know I need is to be focused on my dog. I'm sending him back to the breeder for field training so maybe he'll be more obedient and can qualify for field trials associated with AKC requirements. The pilgrimage is for me and was with me way longer than my puppy has been. I know this sounds selfish but I'm not necessarily a better person for having taken this long to get on the Way. More time with my pup is not going to make it better for me either. He can handle it physically but it's not safe. There is too much to distract him and I can't guarantee how he will react in the presence of wild dogs or livestock. His instinct will be to go eat someone's chickens and bring it to me. I love my dog but I love him enough to take care of me and leave him in capable hands. If your dog is service-certified why not leave him in the care of a nursing facility if boarding him is not a financial option.

The only reason I want my dog with me other than he gives great hugs and I'm totally smitten by him is for protection. But that's what trekking poles are for. Just my input.

He's older than this now but I post only so you can know this dog OWNS me lol. He's perfect but needs some discipline. He's not a baby anymore but follows me everywhere. Leaving him will be hard but never leaving because of him will be harder.

 

[peregrina2000]

I don’t have anything to add to this thread except to reassure everyone that there are no feral dogs on any of the many caminos I have walked in Spain. I think that falls in the category of urban legend.

 

[lizlane]

That's great news for the OP...glad to hear that's a rumor but doesn't change my circumstances if my boy smells a bitch in heat. (I mean bitch in the proper term not derogatory). He loves me but he would leave me in a skinny minute

 

[oursonpolaire]

@peregrina2000 My experience is almost the same as yours but not quite. In ten Caminos I have only once encountered a pack of 5 or 6 feral dogs outside (I think) Binefar on the Cami de San Jaume. I retreated back to the entrance of a farmhouse where the senora appeared and looked quite worried-- the word problema appeared a few times. I ended up taking the local bus into Monzon. Last year I encountered a pair of mastiffs in Galicia which were more problematic. The local bar told me that they were owned by a mentally ill woman who lived with farm animals in her house-- perhaps those dogs might have been called feral, but perhaps their owner was too.

With very rare exceptions, Spanish farm dogs are very efficient but keep well to their territory or are on leash or behind fences, so are no problem at all for pilgrims. Dogs as pets are not a characteristic of Spanish life.

 

[Anamiri]

My dogs are large, 35kgs, and 60kgs, a Jack Russell is smaller and more portable if you have to carry him. And less food and water. I swear taking my dogs on multi day hikes takes more planning than putting a man on the man. Even a one day hike means I have to carry a ton of water.
I am working out how to walk the length of NZ with my smaller dog. (The larger one wouldn't be able to do it, his feet are more tender). I think it will mean early starts, walking in winter (great for her not for me) maybe me towing a trailer I can put her in when she's had enough, and us tenting and roughing. I will do some test walks of two - three days first. At least I know that in my own country I can bail, and get her collected if it doesnt work out.

This is a post I wrote a year ago on a similar thread

I guess if you live close by, have transport arranged, by car etc - not public transport, and are prepared to sleep outside - you could do it. If it gets too hard you can always bail and have them collected.

I have two dogs that love to walk with me, but they prefer to run ahead, smell, investigate stuff, pee on things, chase birds and rabbits, - generally behave like dogs - especially off lead. Walking on hard hot tarmac or sharp gravel hour after hour, day after day, would not really be their idea of fun. They would try to though, because they want to be with me.

I take my smaller one with me sometimes when I'm training for a longer walk or event. She can happily do about 3 hours max, 15-17 kms. She doesn't like wearing boots, and I have to try and find grass, sand or soft surfaces for her to walk on. Not always easy. With New Zealand having a lot of endangered flightless birds, walking through bush tracks with dogs is usually not permitted. And during daylight saving time, we have to be off the city beaches by 10am.
This year I've had to watch her like a hawk on coastal walks, because with the warm summer, we had some poisonous algae that made her vomit for a week.
We have to leave early in the morning in the dark, to keep her cool, I have to carry kilos of water for her and a bowl. And at the 3 hour mark, I have to ring my husband and get her collected. At that point she's happy to jump in the car, while I continue on.
She sees me putting my walking shoes on, and she really wants to join me, but taking her requires a lot of route planning, tide coordination, a 5am start, someone to collect her, and I have to carry a lot more weight than I like to.

 

[John H.]

CAUTION - I have a wonderful and active 5 yr old Jack Russell and would love to have him be my companion on a Camino. BUT, I recommend you do not take him/her. My Jack is typically done by 10 kms (2-2.5 hours) per walk. I would not want to carry an additional 13 lbs + food + water. Also, accommodation will be limited. When accommodation is limited, so are the opportunities to experience the 'community' of the Camino.

The only pilgrims & dogs I encountered seemed to be camping, they travelled shorter daily distances because of all the weight they carried, and the dogs seemed to be breeds similar to border collies or retrievers.

The reunion with my dog (and my family) when I got home was joyful. My Jack went nuts when he discovered I was home. Have a fun trip!

 

[t2andreo]

I strongly advise against taking your pet animals on Camino. Several others have pointed out the very real hassles of life on the Camino with a dog (for example). However, here are other things to consider:

1. The entire "service animal" concept does not exist in Europe. It exists in the US only because of a very poorly written law. The ONLY sort of service animals recognized under law across Europe, as far as I am aware, are guide dogs for sight impaired folks. If you are not in this category, please do not take your animal...

2. If your pace is 30 inches or about .8 meters, how many shorter steps must your pet take to keep up with you? Seriously, DO THE MATH. If you take about one million paces to get from Saint Jean Pied de Port, your pet takes anywhere from 3 - 5 million paces. And they have PAWS not stout hiking shoes or boots...

3. I have seen far too many bandaged, bruised, bleeding and limping dogs arrive with their owners at the Pilgrim Office. It is heart-rendering and makes us who work there incensed at the mindful selfishness of some owners...

Dogs are by nature, so loyal that they will follow you over a cliff or into the fires of hell... Please do not abuse that loyalty.

If you love your pet, PLEASE do not subject them to this needless stress.

Hope this helps.

 

[Former member 2537]

Leave your dog at home. Please see:
https://www.americanpilgrims.org/frequently-asked-questions-faqs-#dogs

Does your pet have a micro-chip? That's just the start.

 

[Silencio Por Favor]

We never considered taking our hound, he moves very slowly sniffing every blade of grass, the camino Ingles would have taken him 5 weeks opposed to 5 days!

 

[Kanga]

My dog travels well on bus and train.

It matters not whether your dog travels well on buses and trains, dogs are generally not allowed on public transport in Spain. Particularly buses. If small enough they may be accommodated in a crate underneath in the luggage compartment. But that, of course, requires you to carry the crate and I would not want to be the dog. I walked with someone who bought her dog from Germany and found that it was no fun for her, or the dog. She terminated the walk early, and then had to pay 200 euros to catch a taxi, because she could not take her dog on the bus. She made her way, with difficulty (and taxi), to Santiago, where she could not find anywhere to stay that would accept her small dog. In desperation she smuggled it into a hotel for one night, and flew home the next day. Changing the flight date was another expense. She said the whole thing was a complete, very expensive, disaster.

 

[tomnorth]

Please consider that there are an awful lot of people out there who don’t care to be around dogs when dining out or when sleeping or relaxing at a place of lodging.

 

[Anamiri]

It matters not whether your dog travels well on buses and trains, dogs are generally not allowed on public transport in Spain. Particularly buses. If small enough they may be accommodated in a crate underneath in the luggage compartment. But that, of course, requires you to carry the crate and I would not want to be the dog. I walked with someone who bought her dog from Germany and found that it was no fun for her, or the dog. She terminated the walk early, and then had to pay 200 euros to catch a taxi, because she could not take her dog on the bus. She made her way, with difficulty (and taxi), to Santiago, where she could not find anywhere to stay that would accept her small dog. In desperation she smuggled it into a hotel for one night, and flew home the next day. Changing the flight date was another expense. She said the whole thing was a complete, very expensive, disaster.

What a coincidence, we walked with a German woman with two dogs and she had to take a taxi from Logrono

 

[Oravasaari]

I have not walked the Norte but there were many loose huge shepard dogs on the San Salvadore in the mountains. Not sure how they'd react to a dog coming into their territory. Holding a small dog in your arms would not work when faced with a 70-80kg 1m to the shoulder specimen. I'm a doggy person and don't give off "fear" body language, but a big bugger bounding towards me across the hillside barking its head off was certainly "exciting" to say the least. There are also a lot of dogs on the Primitivo. One farmyard had a group of snappy monkeys that delighted to bitting(mouthing) my heels as I passed through, with one fearful Alsatian type dog cowering/lunging from the side as the others nipped at my heels. I just needed to shoo then off a few times and no injuries to report, but again I'd not liked to have tried that carrying a terrier/small dog etc.

I'd think seriously about taking you dog and consider what's best for him/her, other people (accommodation), annoying local farmers and their dogs, and lastly/least importantly what's best for you. Sorry if that sounds a bit negative but I can't see the upsides tbh. The Camino Frances might work as many sections are not in the deepest countryside/wild mountains. I don't recall many dogs on the CF at all to be honest, or maube they are so "pilgrimed-out" they don't give a damn and stay out of sight?