Please think twice (or 3or 4 times) before bringing your beloved pet with you to Yellowstone. The Park Service rules prohibit pets on trails, in the backcountry or on boardwalks. You are also, of course, prohibited from leaving your pet locked in the car. If you stay in one of the hotel cabins or campgrounds you may not leave your pet unattended. All of these rules together mean that you pretty much can’t go anywhere in the park with other humans in your party. Somebody always has to stay with the dog (cat, iguana, whatever). This means you take the same walk at different times, go to dinner at different times and pretty much never have your entire party together. This may seem harsh–but it’s all for your pet’s protection.
Hot springs don’t look hot to a dog–and a dog that decides to jump in any one of the hot springs will not survive…and owners can’t rescue their dogs from a hot spring and survive. (Just read Death In Yellowstone for all the details). Even the most well-behaved dog will bark or whimper or something when surrounded by a herd of rutting bison in a bison jam….90% of the time the bison won’t react–but the other 10% of the time the bison will take their annoyance out either on your car or a car nearby. And then, of course, there are the 20 folks by the side of the road enjoying a bear (or a wolf, or an elk) and the SUV pulls up with 2 large barking dogs–and the critter takes off…and, trust me, EVERY dog barks at a bear.
No critters in the hotels or on the bus tours, either. We actually had a lady try to bring her cat (in her purse) on a bus tour…..human allergies abound–and she had no constraint for the cat. We also had a small “ragmop-type” dog attacked by a coyote last year–and that dog was on a leash!
So, please, leave your dog (or other critter) at home, in the care of friends, at a great kennel, or at a friends house. You wouldn’t bring a person to a place where they can’t participate in 90% of the available activities–why do that to your best friend?
