Our campers are wild for their pets, and many wouldn’t think of heading to the campground without ‘em. And what does that mean? Pictures—lots of ‘em!
Whether your favorite friend is dressed up for a special KOA event, showing off in Kamp K9 or just lookin’ darn cute on the campground, we want to see it. Submit your favorite photo of your camping pet and you could win $250 in great pet gear and 2 nights of free KOA camping.
To participate, you’ll need to submit your photo (one photo per pet) right here on KOAKompass.com on or before Wednesday, February 9, 2011. We’ll be selecting the top 10 finalists, and then it’ll be up to you, our awesome kampers, to choose the grand prize winner. Voting will begin when the February edition of Kompass is launched, so you’ll want to check your email inbox, or visit koakompass.com often. Voting concludes March 9, 2011.
Be sure to read all of the rules carefully to make sure that you have the best chance of winning.
Tags: KOA contest, KOA pet contest, KOA Picture Paw-fect Pet Contest, pet contest, photo contest
What happened to the cartoons on the web page. I loved’em. /jm
Hey John! We love ‘em too! They’re still here, under the “S’more Smiles” link. Thanks for asking!
Unfortunately I do not have any pets but to all of you who do, good luck! Can not wait to see the pics!
We leave ours at home (she doesn’t travel well)
However, we have adopted many animals at the KOA’s we have visited. Can we use their pictures for the contest?
Our dog has been to 25 KOA parks with us just in the last year! He’s a contender …
We never leave home without our 4 dachshunds! We recently bought a Class C so they have more room. Once my husband retires from the military we plan on camping year round and bringing 2 cats too! Thanks KOA, we love all your locations – especially Canada.
Why is Massachusetts excluded from this contest?
We started camping because it was inconvenient to go on vacations, having to board our chihuahua/minpin cross. Neither my husband or I had ever set foot in a Class A RV before we bought ours and drove it home. He loves camping as much as we do and has adjusted well to our gypsy lifestyle (6-7 months out of the year). I can’t imagine camping without our little buddy along!
Koa is Not Pet friendly in Kingston (not the Ivy League location) , We were asked to leave on a long weekend Sat with 3 small children, the Owner hate pets but there is a dog park there go figure. Would hesitate to stay at KOA in the future.
I am shocked to read that! We go there ALL the time with our two big dogs and have never had a problem. We think the owners of that KOA are outstanding and our dogs are high maintenance and get very vocal when they play in the K9 Park!
We’ve never been asked to leave and never had any problems with here or any other KOA.
I see lots of people that don’t clean up after their pets, no matter how many signs and mutt mitts are posted and available. I also see people leaving the campgrounds for a day and leaving their pets to entertain by constant barking. I can’t imagine that the park owners would ask someone to leave unless there was a complaint or other sunstantial reason. Pet owners should be responsible everywhere. If they aren’t, it ruins it for everyone else, eventually. Park owners will start refusing pets altogether. Maybe you should contact the owner and ask what the problem was.
Hi, sorry to read about your last visit with that KOA. I’ve never stayed at that particular location but I have never encountered a problem at a KOA with pets.
I agree, it’s the pet owners whom cause the problem especially not picking up after their dogs and leaving it for others to clean up or step in. There isn’t a reason for any pet owner not to clean up after their pet. It’s the responsible thing to do.
Too agressive or dogs on too long of a leash while walking are a huge problem. If you can’t contain/control your pet, leave them home. Some think it’s cute to have their small children walk large dogs and when the dogs become unruly, the dogs take off after other dogs or people with the leash flying behind them. That is unfortunate and not cute.
The other is the barking issue. Just because the dog is tied up, doesn’t mean it isn’t annoying to other’s. No one likes to have their trip ruined by a continous barking dog regardless the reason. It’s your responsibility as a pet owner to “care” for your pet.
I agree, speak with the owner of the KOA park and I’m sure there was a reason and probably already been informed of the problem when asked to leave. Sorry but the truth here.
Happy Camping
we plan to rent cabins on our vacation , would our small cocker mix be welcome?
we took our yorkie with us to Lake Barkeley in the cabins and she was more than welcome there.
We stayed in Unidilla NY one year, rented a cabin and brought our dog, but we were not allowed to keep the dog in the cabin. My husband had to stay in his Aunt’s camper with the dog while I stayed in the cabin with our kids. Frustrating. But we keep going because now we just leave the dogs at home with a babysitter. Would love to take her, but….
Have brought my dog with to 4 different KOA cabins. I have noticed some campgrounds wont allow dogs in cabins. So check ahead. The last cabin I stayed in allowed the dog when I registered online, but when I got to the site there was a sign saying no dogs. No one said anything and I did notify them before hand. Go figure. I love having the dog with, walking around the grounds, never get that much space in a hotel.
Pretty sure I may have just missed seeing the “rules” but could you point me in the direction where they are posted?
This is from your information above…
“Be sure to read all of the rules carefully to make sure that you have the best chance of winning.”
If you click the “Enter now” button, the rules are at the bottom of the form.
Can you view your pet entry after you submit it?
Great question, Leslie! Unfortunately, due to the number and various sizes of the photos submitted, we are unable to show them all on the site. The top 10 selected will be available for viewing.
I wasn’t able to Leslie. I think that we are only going to be able to view the top 10 finalists once they have been selected by KOA and are up during the winner selection process. If I am wrong…Somebody out there correct me, but I wasn’t able to view the photo that I just submitted. ??
You’re absolutely right, Michele! Thanks for your response!
The Dayton KOA is Brookville, Ohio, is awesome for campers with pets!! I took two of my Shelties there, and there were so many places for them to explore — even an awesome off-leash area!! We’ll definitely be going back to camp there!
Our Persian Cat ( Gracie ) Just got back from San Diego KOA.
She is so tired from looking at all those DOGS.
“SAY GOODNIGHT, GRACIE” good night Gracie.
Looking forward to this contest. We take our 5 yorkies and a poodle with us all the time. They love staying in KOA’s. Never had a problem with them or neighbors. In fact, most love seeing them and stop by to meet them when we put them in the “yard” in thier ex pen. There are some that say only a certain amount of pets allowed, but never had a problem because the yorkies are so small that all of them together equals one bigger dog!
Lita, Earl, Isabella, Chico, Jesse, Zoe and JimmyJoe – our seven chihuahua’s travel with us on all our camping trips. They are all good travellers and good companions.
We love to camp. We usally leave in May and travel and camp all summer and we take our dog Biscuit with us. He really enjoys the Koa’s as the people who own them and run them are dog friendly.
Our dog (Chip) he’s an Australian shepherd goes with us every place we go.He loves going on trips and rides well,but doesn’t get along too well with other dogs,don’t know why. We call him our child,since our children (now adults and don’t like being seen with mom and dad).We love him very much.
how do you view the entrys and vote in the pet contest?
Hi Cheryl–Because of the number of entries we are receiving and their many different sizes/formats, all of the entries will not be shown. When the top 10 entries have been selected by our panel, they will be posted, and voting will begin when the February Kompass is released. If you’d like to share your favorite pet photos with other kampers, we hope you’ll post them on Facebook, as many others are doing. We’re sure everyone would love to see ‘em! –Your KOA Kompass Team
Will you let contest entrants know if the photo they submitted is one of the 10 finalists?
[...] The link to enter is here: Picture Paw-fect Pet Contest. [...]
We are RVers today because of our dogs. We found we were never going anywhere because we hated to leave them, and then we stumbled upon an RV show. Problem solved! This summer our dogs were able to enjoy our trip to Yellowstone with us, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You can’t beat memories like having the Maltese on your lap get her first look at a Bison! LOL Travelling from the east coast, we used our KOA map and guide to call ahead for our stops all the way out and back. Every place we stayed was pet friendly!
Our family loves camping at KOA,as well as our Boston Terrrier “Annie”. This past season was her 1st year of camping,she caught on quickly on how to be a good camper. We rescued Annie,and can’t imagine not having her with us each time we head out on a new adventure. She is a contender in the Pet Contest,but win or not it is great fun! We dressed her up for the Monster Ball in October at the Buckeye Lake Koa in Ohio,she wore a black harness with her name and “Squat-Team” lettered on the harness. We got a lot of nice compliments from fellow campers. The family activities we have experianced at KOA with Annie and our Grandchildren have been so much fun,we are all looking forward to amother great season.
I”m very sorry to those who have taken their “children”(pets) to the KOA campgrounds and been asked to leave. We have 2 big dogs that we NEVER leave at home. We have raised 4 children and a zoo! But, now we travel with our dog and granddog and their cat, yes, their cat. Humm, lol. They cant be seperated for more then well, wait, they just cant, plain and simple, Raider, the black cat just crys. Anyway, we have also noticed that not only do some take their kids to the “park” to do their business and not clean up after them, but we have been at one, where they opened the gate and left them in there unattended for a short time. Come on peeps, how rude. I also would love it if they would make the fences taller as our one dog can jump so for that reason, she can not come off her lease to run and play while in the park. We have a pic up of ours watching it snow, I cant wait to see all the pics, gl to all!
Waiting anxiously to see if my Pooches Photo made the ‘Top Ten Cut’!
Does anyone know when the pictures will posted of the top 10 finalists???
Because of the AWESOME response to our call for pet photos, our February Kompass won’t be out until next week. Look for it to see our semi-finalists, vote for your favorite..and learn about a REALLY FANTASTIC new giveaway.
Yesterday at 8:37am
Yes…I’m also on board with the others above. Soooo…Can someone at KOA PLEASE let us all know when the top ten pet photo finalists will be posted? I keep checking back regularly also, but I don’t want to miss out on the fun from the beginning either!!! (Smiles!) Thank You…