RHW Dog Policy
There is one area of controversy that Restoring His Way leadership can always count on dealing with at Sukkot, regardless of the latest calendar craze, end time theory, or name pronunciation debate—DOGS.
Both during the Feast and later from the suggestion box, the topic of dogs inevitably comes up. Many attendees have urged that dogs should be banned altogether, while others consider their dogs family members and don’t want to exclude them from any part of the Feast. A few ground rules should help put this issue to rest, as long as everyone makes an effort to be considerate and show love toward their neighbor by not allowing their dogs to interfere with anyone else’s shalom (peace).
Here are the rules pertaining to dogs:
• All dogs must be kept on leash, tie out, or in a kennel.
• All dog waste MUST be picked up and disposed of by the owner.
• Dogs should not be allowed to bark loudly and incessantly, or even enough to disturb the peace.
• Any dog barking enough to disturb others will have to be muzzled or kenneled at a nearby Vet.
• No pets are allowed inside the Auditorium, Lodge or Cabins (see service animal policy below).
• No pets are allowed in the swimming pool, pool house or pool area.
While much of this may seem like common sense, your dog’s behavior may change due to being in a strange environment. You may be thinking, “My dog would never behave that way!”, so here are a few TRUE examples of dogs/dog owners behaving badly that have forced confrontations at this Feast site:
• Dog urinating on people’s tents.
• Dog poop on other people’s campsites and in general use areas not being picked up.
• Dogs being carried in the dance circle during services.
• Dogs on stage with expensive musical equipment not during services.
• Dogs barking loudly all day and night.
• Dogs off leash wandering around camp.
We hope that making our expectations of dogs and their owners clear will reduce the conflicts over dogs at the Feast, but as always, if your neighbor’s dog is offending you, you need to approach them with kindness and ask them to correct the situation.
Service Animals:
• Service animals must wear a service harness that states that they are service animals in all areas where pets are not otherwise allowed.
• All attendees requiring constant care of a service animal will be required to camp or stay off site.
• Service animals are not allowed to enter cabins or lodge rooms.