Taking your dog camping is a great way for the two of you to spend some quality time together. Not only does your favorite pet get a great opportunity to enjoy a controlled romp and play outdoors, but you will appreciate the time, too -- it beats laps around the block on a leash any day.

Not every park welcomes dogs, however, and even in those that do, leash laws are often enforced -- thankfully -- restraining you and your dog's wandering freedom.

One of the chief reasons parks restrict dogs is that dogs think of parks as simply big backyards, full of animals to chase and new sounds to bark at. Another reason is that dogs can transmit diseases to wild animals such as nesting birds or marine mammals. Also, the scents dogs leave behind can disrupt the behavior of the native animals that parks want to protect.