Travels with Fido

By Brenda Gray
Published: May 6, 2008

When I was asked to write an article about traveling with pets, my first thought was, “Don’t do it!”

However, I remembered there are humans who have fewer than three dogs and six cats.

The focus of this article is on dogs and traveling with them by car. If your dog is well-behaved and trained to come immediately when called, the following information may be helpful.

Where to
First and foremost, consider your destination:
-- Is the journey to visit relatives, ones who are animal lovers?
-- Is the trip to places your dog can enjoy and is welcome?
-- Can you stay in pet-friendly lodging?
-- Is your dog well-behaved, plus people- and animal-friendly?
-- Does your dog bark continuously in strange situations?
-- Will your dog be bored or left for long periods of time alone, while you enjoy human-only activities?

If the answers to all of these questions are positive from a pet perspective, then proceed to the next phase.

Prep work
Have your ever traveled with your dog on a long trip? For those who have, this may seem too detailed. You probably just have your doggie best friend jump into the car whenever you leave home.  If this describes you and your buddy, great!  Keep doing it.

If not, you and your canine chum can begin training as traveling buds. Start with rides close to home, maybe 30 to 60 minutes, to fun places, such as parks or nature trails. Take a favorite retrieval toy (a ball, Frisbee, etc.). Also, take a very lightweight, nylon, 50-foot length of rope to attach to your dog’s collar while playing fetch and recall. Never take your dog to unfamiliar trails off-leash. Your dog’s safety should always be in uppermost in your mind. You never know what wildlife challenges could occur (ask me how I know!)

Pack it up
Once confident your dog will be a great traveling companion, gather the necessary traveling items and pack a doggie travel bag:

-- Health certificate from your vet (showing all immunizations are current)
-- Pet carrier
-- Several leashes, different sizes
-- Collar or harness
-- ID tag
-- Food and water (plenty), awesome doggie treats
-- Bedding
-- Favorite toys
-- First-aid kit
-- Enzyme cleaner (for accidents)

Take off
Do not feed your dog at the start of a long trip. Try to stop every couple of hours for bathroom, water and exercise breaks. Then, reward with a small treat.

The best of all possible ideas for traveling with your dog is to go to a “doggie camp.” At camp, there are many activities that you and your dog can enjoy together. There are various training courses, agility courses, freestyle Frisbee, herding lessons, off-lead walks, costume parties, plus stimulating lectures. These camps offer great opportunities to bond with your dog without everyday interferences. It sounds like the greatest fun ever.

Now all I have to do is teach my dogs manners! And happy traveling.

For more info

-- http://www.travelpets.com
-- http://www.avma.org (you can search using the word travel)
-- http://www.campgonetothedogs.com
-- http://www.pawhouse.com

Brenda Gray is a member of the board of the Lynchburg Humane Society.