Travelling with a dog...help! About This Page:

[graygables]

It looks like we may be taking a road trip to OK soon so DH can do some work for my parents. Our dog (a jindo) is *very* needy and MIL/FIL will not take care of her for us while we're gone (they live next door). She's a jumper and at 60 pounds is just too much for them. I thought about hiring a pet sitter to come around, but she needs more than that and will perish from despair if left alone that long. Kenneling is out (too expensive and she was miserable the one time we did it). Soooo...that leaves taking her with us. My mother has never allowed animals in the house (except a bird and some fish), so she has proclaimed that the dog will be tied up outside. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/ukid.gif[/img][img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502no_prv.gif[/img] We are taking her crate and will probably put her in my dad's workshop (filled-in garage) at night. During the day, my mom's just gonna have to take it if she wants her addition done!

So, is there anything I need to know about travelling with a dog? Should we take her regular food bowls or are there travel ones? Anything else I should know?

TIA!

[jensfriend]

make sure you take her bed with her or whatever she likes to lay on. our dog has a pillow bed and a blanet. depending how on how long we'll be somewhere, i'll take one or the other. take some treats to bribe her with too. doggies behave nicer when you give them cookies. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[RobinKay6573]

Dawn if I had my own house I would offer to take her in for you and I charge MUCH less then the kennels (especially for friends). I traveled with my golden all the time but he was a VERY well behaved dog, never jumped or barked. When driving I would stop every couple of hours so he could go potty and get a drink of water. I brought his crate with me and if I felt he needed it I would put him in there. Actually most of the time I would never use the crate (he was VERY well behaved). Bring water from home for the trip. Also it is best to bring your dogs "at home" bowl and some toys. Baggies are a must to pick up doggy deposits on the way. You might also want to look to see if there is a doggy daycare near where your inlaws live. It is fun for the dog and might be a good compromise with your inlaws. When I take Belle to Vermont in August I am going to take her to Doggy daycare for a couple of days. Belle can be VERY naughty and I know my folks would appreciate a break from her! *LOL* It is difficult bringing a dog into a non-dog household.

Most Red Roof Inns are Dog friendly so if you need to stay overnight on the way check ahead to make sure...but most RRI allow dogs. Just make sure you bring a large dog crate with you in case you have to leave the room.

Please don't tie your dog outside. Your dog can get tangled up in the chain/rope and choke or injure a leg. If you HAVE to tie the dog outback use a zip line. It is a cable that runs from one point to another (usually trees) and the cable is above the dog. It is NOT the greatest solution but better then tying to a fixed object.

There is a great website I use all the time called http://www.dogfriendly.com it gives you some great tips on traveling with your pet.

[Eeyore Tattoo]

For sure bring her regular food, and water along. As others have said, Her bed, Blankies, toys, and things she loves will help her feel "at home" while away from home.
I also agree, do not tie her outside. It is too dangerous...
I think I would tell them they can get you a room at a hotel if they want their work done and your dog is not welcome in their home..
Haley has traveled coast to coast, and has always been welcomed everywhere..
Deb

[BabieeMelly]

We travel with our dog, too. My Mom would never even imagine leaving her at home. Everyone on here has already given you som great advice. I would bring as many comforts from home as posible - water and food bowls, doggie bed, toys, treats, etc. My dog is amazing in the car, she just lays there and fals asleep, or looks out the window. She's better in the car than Mike and I are! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img] If your dog is OK in the car you really shouldn't have a problem. Good luck!

[GoofyMom]

Whenever we travel with Goliath, we bring his regular dishes and he sleeps most of the trip. When we stop, he gets out to stretch his legs, do his business and we make sure he gets a drink of water. And it's really important to bring water from home -- you don't want your dog to have an adverse reaction to the water on the way! Goliath doesn't like to eat while we are travelling, and he usually isn't interested in eating the day after we arrive at our destination either, so don't be too worried if your dog is like that.

One thing about staying at hotels is to inquire about their "big dog" policy. We found that lots of hotels/motels say they are pet friendly, but then when you show up with a 90 lb. dog, suddenly they are only pet friendly if your dog is the size of a Yorkie or Chihuahua. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] That may or may not happen with a 60 lb dog. We now make reservations from home at a hotel we know will accept him so that we don't have any of those unpleasant surprises when we are tired and ready to stop for the night. Also, the pet-friendly rooms are usually the smoker's rooms so just be prepared for that if you guys are non-smokers.

Our packing list includes Goliath's blankie, a couple of his toys, his food and water dishes, gallon jugs of water from home, an ice cream pail full of his dog food (enough to last until we can buy a small bag of his brand at our destination), his leash & collar, a chain on a corkscrew just in case we do need to tether him temporarily, and a few bags to clean up after his potty breaks while we are travelling. Goliath doesn't have a crate, but that would be on our packing list if he had one.

HTH.