If you have read some of the balloon rally posts on this site you will notice that I provide information about whether a balloon rally is dog friendly or not. The reason is because we don’t travel without our Great Dane with us. Nor are we the only balloonists who travel with their dog or dogs.
All the rallies we go to nowadays are dog friendly ones. Our experience is that most small town rallies are dog friendly since they are family friendly events to begin with. Larger balloon rallies such as Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta are not dog friendly. Considering the sheer size and craziness that Fiesta is, adding dogs to the mix could get out of control.
Just because the rally allows dogs doesn’t mean it will always be a good idea to bring your dog.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Is your dog afraid of loud noises?
- How are they around fire?
- Can they be comfortable in crowds?
- How do they react to other dogs?
Ballooning Dog provides a better idea of what the experience is like from a dog’s perspective, or at least my interpretation of a dog’s perspective.
None of our Great Danes were naturally attracted to balloons. I think Selar was the most calm when she first saw them. Although she would bark at each balloon in the sky, but just one bark for each balloon. Our second Dane, Varel, dragged a 30’x40’ tarp across the field the first time she heard a balloon burner. After 30 minutes she was up next to it and eventually rode in the basket for a few flights. More about her adventures can be read at The Flying Dane.
Our third Great Dane loved the crowds and the attention but didn’t really like the noise and preferred to stay in the truck. Martok, our current boy, loves to chase balloons down at landing and is mostly used to the noise. Sometimes it gets too much for him and he will make his way to the truck.
Other challenges with bring a dog to a balloon rally
While the rally might be dog friendly, sometimes finding a hotel which is can be tricky. Most towns have at least one but it might not be the top tier hotel. Finding dog friendly restaurants is another challenge. However, most balloonists enjoy a good tailgate after flying so if you are part of a crew you won’t have to worry about eating out.
Other activities in conjunction with the rally may not be dog friendly. So keep that in mind.
Pilots and crew know how their dogs behave around balloons. As a spectator it is best to consider how your dog will react if you take them to dog friendly balloon rallies or you might both be miserable. I believe dogs lives are enriched by new experiences so I say bring them along if you think they have what it takes to be a ballooning dog.
Ballooning dogs we see regularly
Our hot air ballooning dog
Martok has his own Instagram page if you want to follow his ballooning adventures. @martokballoondog
