Are domestic pets (dogs) prohibited from scout meetings?

[Sscouter]

Hi, everyone. I am an assistant Sea Scout Leader. Our Skipper (Scoutmaster) has a 7 month old puppy that she needs to bring to our weekly Saturday meetings (the meetings are from 9:00am - 5:00pm ). She works at home and the pup is not used to being left alone. The scouts love the dog and none of the parents seem to mind. However, a scout leader from another unit has complained. Our Sea Scout Base (marina) is shared with several other Sea Scout Ships. We have been told that it is against the BSA policies to have the puppy there. This dog is mild mannered, potty trained and on a leash whenever he is out & about on the docks. Most of the time he is in our boathouse and not around the other leaders or their scouts. Furthermore, our Sea Scout base is not actually owned by The BSA, it is leased to us by our local city goverment. Seems to me if we follow our city code regarding domestic animals, we should be fine. Does anyone know the specific BSA poicy regarding pets at meetings? It would be terrible if our Skipper needed to reduce her volunteerism becuase one or two people were not willing to compromise in this situation. Thank you for any advice in this matter.

[OldGreyEagle]

I would think the concept of a mascot, which I thought was a naval tradition, would only enhance the the base. As long as the animal is well mannered, behaves, is trained, has all necessary veterinarian work on file ( boy is this long) then I cant see how it would be a detriment

[eisely]

This is a new one. I am not aware of any national BSA policy on this issue. I have never seen a policy for or against pets at scouting events and activities. Common sense tells me that pets would likely be prohibited by local policy from summer camps and the like. In this instance, as long as the local rules governing the facility are followed, and the other members of the ship don't mind, I don't think it is anybody else's business.

[Chippewa29]

As long as the pets aren't causing a distraction at the meetings/events, I don't see a problem with it. However, if the dog is doing anything to disturb the other units, then it should probably be left at home (being alone for eight hours wouldn't kill it).

 

We had a situation once at a camporee. One of the troops had a dog with them. The first night, the dog kept our section of the camp up much of the night with its yelping. The next morning, after getting complaints from several neighboring troops, the owner took it home. However, I've seen other times people have had dogs at those events and the dogs have been very well behaved and not been a problem.

[andrews]

The owner might also want to learn about crate-training. It can be good for puppies (and dogs) and give them their own den, especially when the owner is gone.

 

If the dog was to be left at home, that would allow for it to be "safe" even over an extended period.

 

Brad

[k9gold-scout]

I have neves seen any restrictions on dogs with scouts. A local council may have adopted a no dog

policy but it would apply to that council only. Check with your DE, then bring your dog friendly scouters to a council meeting and push to change the policy.

[Sscouter]

Thank you for the advice. Now we have a few options to think about. First off I think we will put a call in to our DE. One very frustrating point about this issue is the fact that the person/people complaining belongs to a unit that had dogs (a series of three) with them, at the base, spanning 10 years or more. None of these dogs were kept on a leash and one of them used to terrify the scouts and parents, myself included! I'm afraid it just boils down to plolitics sometimes. Different rules for different units. Unfortunately, the more successful our unit becomes, the more people seem to want to impose restrictions on us. Has anyone else experienced this kind of situation (not neccessarily involving dogs)? Well, sorry for grumbling. Felt the need for a quick vent! I will let you know what happens. For now it looks like Duncan will need to stay home. The crew will be disapointed but they will deal with it, as will our Skipper. Maybe some of your suggestions will work and we will get our pup back. Thanks!

[eisely]

Chippewa29 makes another good point about pets possibly really bothering others. In general, I would not want pets at most scouting events unless they were really well trained.

 

While on this tangent, pets generally don't have much of a place at organized youth activities. Mascots that are trained and under control are different.

 

Our local soccer league in southern california played most of its games on Saturdays at a venue with eight fields. Literally thousands of people passed through the area on game days. Horse trails also came through the area. People would bring their horses right up to the touchline to watch the games and lots of kids would gather around. I always feared what would happen if one of those horses had been hit by a hard kicked ball. We were able to prohibit and control dogs. Dogs of course are not potty trained. Can you imagine playing soccer in a field frequented by dogs? Nuf said.

[k9gold-scout]

Yes, dogs should be trained and on leash at most times. The owners must clean up after their dog in any public setting. Norman Rockwell pictured dogs on the covers of Boys' Life. Today, many scout camps have dogs that do a good job of keeping pesky wildlife away from camp. I think scouts would be better off if they could learn to work with their dogs and take them camping.

[eisely]

I hope that I didn't come across as too negative about animals in general. Scouting can afford opportunities for scouts to be around and work with animals in a variety of ways that are very positive. What sometimes bugs me is when somebody shows up unexpectedly with Rover, expecting Rover to be accepted and everybody to take care of Rover.