Travel with pets

[manda99]

Has anyone taken their doggie / puppy on a kinda long road trip?

My boyfriend and I were thinking about taking a road trip in July to visit family in Michigan (we're in San Diego). Smokey will be about 5 months then and done w/ his first 16 weeks shot regimine and first 8 weeks of puppy training. Is that too early to take him on the trip with us? I drive a truck so he wouldn't be able to be in his crate during the ride (we'd take it with us, though). So far he's enjoyed trips with me to the store and what not, not afraid of the moving or anything. In fact, he's like his daddy in that he mostly just lays on the ground and chills.

I really want him to go back there with me but I'm WAY nervous about sending him in a cargo of an airplane.

Nothing is set yet, just wanted to see if anyone had any experiences with something like this.
Anyway, yaddya think? Too young, not a good idea or fun times?


Thanks in advance.

[Kfamr]

We drive to Michigan every summer. Simba sleeps the WHOLE way. He sits in the backseat nicely and there is no problem with him doing his buisness in the car he just simply waits until we have to stop. We collapse Simba's dog cage and stick it in the back of the truck. Im not sure how good a puppy would do because of the fact that he could do his buisness in the truck. Simba LOVES going in the car but he was sure glad to be home! And it was like Us and Simba took shifts... when we would stop at a rest stop, Simba would wake up and look around and we would sleep lol. Because of the bad stuff i heard that happens on plains were they put the animals... i wouldn't ever trust my Simba in there. The poor doggie would have no idea what to do. Either i would suggest we drive or refuse to go and stay home with Simba.... which ever way you choose to go to MI..make sure its safe for you and the dogs and have fun.

[KYS]

We travel with our dogs on long and short trips.
If your dog will be in the truck, I hope he
will be riding indside with you.

TO help make your trip more enjoyable be prepared with
doggie gear on your trip.(I pack more for our dogs
than us) lol
Bring water, food, bowl, bedding,extra leash and collar, tags,
brush, tick and flee stuff, tick remover tweezers,
first aid, current rabies certificate and vet info.and a towel
etc. etc.
IF you are staying in hotels, call ahead of time
to make sure they accept a dog.
Get yourself a AAA dog book on what hotels allow dogs.
If your camping make sure you have a Tree Trolley or a
10' cable to tie the pup up. Never leave the pup
alone in the car for a long period of time.
If the weather to warm, you can
NOT leave the pup in the car.
We travel with the dogs in the Spring/or Fall when the weather
is cool. You will loose a lot of freedom by taking your pooch,
but if you are a worry wart like me, the rewards
of doggie company outways the cons.
I too would be afraid to fly my dogs.

[sabies]

Sounds like fun to me. My dog loves car rides and is used to 5 hr drives almost every weekend. As long as you stop enough to let the dog out for exercise and toileting - of course it's good for you too if you take a break, plus it gives you time to take in the scenery and hopefully enjoy the ride more.

I would be way too nervous about sending him on a plane. I heard on the news it is more expensive now (don't know if that's true) plus here on the east coast we're having a little heat wave in the 90's so I would worry about cargo temperature.

[manda99]

Yay, I'm so glad these are positive responses!


And yes, he will be inside the cab w/ us. It's an Xtended Cab so we'll just set his blankie and toys in the back and let him enjoy the ride.

Thanks for the tip about the AAA book for hotels that allow pets.
We were planning on driving straight through on the way there (stopping for breaks, of course) and then taking a few days to come back.


Again - THANK YOU!!

I am SO glad I found this place. You guys are great resources.

[anna_66]

We've always took Angus on trips with us, we've went all the way to S.C. to see my parents (about 550 miles), and it was him & Keisha then, they were always so good!

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Hi manda99, I'm also from San Diego and we have two Schnauzers who we always take on trips, not long ones like you are going to take but to Palm Springs, Idyllwild and Big Bear. If I was you I would take your pup with you don't even think about shipping it by airplane.
This would be great bonding for you and your pup and a great experience. KYS has given you a list of some of the things to bring with you and some great ideas.
Here are a couple of places on line that you can find out hotels and motels to stay at that take dogs should you want to spend the night.

http://www.dogfriendly.com
and
http://www.petswelcome.com


Jackie

[Dixieland Dancer]

He will love going with you! Just make sure you follow KYS's excellent advice! Plenty of potty breaks are necessary.

[mruffruff]

When Bear was around 6 months old, he rode from Columbia, SC to the upper peninsula of Michigan. It reinforced his potty training; every stop meant a chance to pee!

I would recommend a seat belt for your dog. It really helps if you stop for any reason and don't want to have him get away on you. Also, in the case of a sudden stop, he won't fly through the windshield.

ALWAYS use a leash--Nothing like trying to catch a runaway dog at a rest area!

And never leave them in the car alone. Some idiots will break in to get that cute fuzzy faced friend of yours.

With some simple, common-sense thought on your part, it can be a real bonding experience. Go for it.

Mary

[kobieeli]

Hi Manda--

All the advice the others have given is great! We took Kobie and Eli with us for a week-long vacation last summer after making lots of pre-trip inquiries and arrangements, and it was wonderful. We camped a few nights, then stayed in dog-friendly hotels the rest of the time (if you're even stuck not having a nicer place picked out in advance, Motel 6 will ALWAYS allow pets). They played on beaches, hiked, and lounged around with us the whole time. And tired dogs sleep very soundly at night!

One thing to remember is to try to be a good ambassador for pets wherever you go. Some places that are "friendly" or "welcome" dogs do so kind of grudgingly and with lots of restrictions, so make sure your pup is extra polite--no major barking, no running loose, no pooping that doesn't get cleaned up. If you make a great impression, I think more places will allow good dogs (and their people) to visit!

It's worth the extra effort to take your pup, I think. Have fun!

[manda99]

This is all so cool.
I'm getting really excited now. As long as I prepare I think it'll be great fun.

One more question (that I'm sure I'll ask the vet, but why not try here first )
Is it OK for him to swim in a lake? (Lake Michigan)
It's usually pretty clean and we have a private beach so it's not like a lot of strange dogs or people will be around and in the water. I know dogs go swimming all the time but better be cautious and ask. I would guess my vet would recommend certain vaccinatins for parasites or whatever if she thought it could be a problem. Does that seem right? Or should I not even worry about it?


Thanks again everyone!!

[kobieeli]

You might ask the vet about giardia prevention, if there is such a thing. I know it's fairly common in the midwest, and it's an infection caused by drinking water contaminated with some kinds of germs that wild critters (like beavers) carry. It can cause lots of digestive problems and hang on a long time. Probably just not letting your pup drink from streams or lakes is the best prevention, but...?? I'd probably want to hose him off with clean water after he's been in the lake too, but that's just my compulsion for clean dogs. *smirk*

He'll have a ball swimming, I'll bet! Get lots of pictures!

[ramanth]

Originally posted by manda99
My boyfriend and I were thinking about taking a road trip in July to visit family in Michigan (we're in San Diego).

I just wanted to say my Aunt Jana is from the San Diego region and she and my Uncle Mike drove from there to here (Michigan) with their dog Haley who was about 1 or 2 at the time.

They made lots of stops for water and potty breaks and pre-planned hotel stops by searching on the internet for hotels that take pets.

Everyone that has posted so far has given great advice.

Hope the weather is great for you here when you visit!

[ramanth]

Originally posted by manda99
Is it OK for him to swim in a lake? (Lake Michigan)

Definately check with your vet to make sure Smokey isn't too young, but I think he'll be okay.

Here's me and Kia at Lake Huron. She had a great time.



Just be on the lookout for sand fleas! Kia didn't get any but I've heard the lake shores can have them.