Dog Owners Who Travel

[Buckeyephan]

My husband and I REALLY want to get a puppy/dog since we have been petless for over 3 years. The problem is that our children live out of state. With grandchildren's birthdays, holidays and babysitting visits, it looks like we will be gone for a week at least every two months or so. How do others handle this? We don't want to deny ourselves the joy of dog ownership, but we want to be fair to our pet. We could take our dog along to visit our daughter, but it is a 14-hour drive. We have to fly to see our son, so taking the dog along isn't an option. Thanks for any suggestions.

[CFrance]

My husband and I REALLY want to get a puppy/dog since we have been petless for over 3 years. The problem is that our children live out of state. With grandchildren's birthdays, holidays and babysitting visits, it looks like we will be gone for a week at least every two months or so. How do others handle this? We don't want to deny ourselves the joy of dog ownership, but we want to be fair to our pet. We could take our dog along to visit our daughter, but it is a 14-hour drive. We have to fly to see our son, so taking the dog along isn't an option. Thanks for any suggestions.

When each of our last two dogs was a puppy, we put them in the car and took them everywhere so they would get used to car travel. As long as we're traveling by car, we take our dog and bird with us. We would split a 14-hour drive up into two days. If you get a small enough dog, you could take him in the passenger compartment of the plane. The important thing is to get the puppy used to travel as soon as possible. I don't know that I would take the chance on an older dog if you plan to travel--that might work out and might not. But there are lots of puppies you can adopt if you would rather rescue a dog.

[redwitch]

If you're not going to travel with your dog, I really think you should reconsider owning one. It just wouldn't be fair. No matter how good a kennel or dog watcher is, that is too much not being home to be good for the dog's psyche.

However, that doesn't mean not having a dog in your home. You could become a foster parent for one of the rescue groups. Obviously, you couldn't do long-term rescue but you could do the short-term emergency care. This is something truly needed and you really would get your doggy fix plus helping give a dog some love and a chance for a forever home.

[Lauren Sweeny]

I lost my dog then became a dog sitter. I can honestly say we are getting our doggy fix. Each time we get a new dog, new breed ,their loving kisses ,tail wags and attention to us makes up for our loss.
I suggest you try this or (as above )volunteer as a foster temp owner, rescue organization,or pet shelter. The rescue dogs are very happy to get a forever home and feel, loved ,safe and happy!

[CathyandJohn]

My husband and I have a little Yorkie, 14 years old. We travel 14 hours back to visit our family and she goes with us in the car. She is a very good traveler. She has a car seat and when she is awake she loves to look out the window. If you get a small dog you could fly with it, or you could get a sitter for the period of time you are gone to your sons. I believe as long as they are comfortable in the car you should just take them with you. That is my opinion. Everyone should do what is best for them and their pet.

[CFrance]

Me again, with another viewpoint. If you do the thing that is going to make you happy, then you will find a way to deal with the travel logistics. You will get very creative by necessity, and have a furry friend to love. It's not going to be perfect, but how perfect is it in your home now without a pet?

[OBXNana]

We have always adopted the unwanted, problem dogs. We currently have 2 labs that were rescues. We also foster. The majority of the time we travel with our dogs. We stop often for them to stretch, do their business in designated areas that most Interstates have, and give them a drink. There are times when we go some place that they wouldn't be happy being or we leave the country and can't take them. We board them at the rescue where we got them. They love going back because it's where they found comfort after being abandoned or abused. At our rescue the dogs are not crated. They have a huge fenced area to run around and huge interior where they have shelter. There is always someone at the rescue, day and night.

The obvious is that our dog family is taken care of in a loving setting. The rescue gets the boarding fee to help more dogs that may need temporary shelter. They have 2 operations. One is for profit (when we board) and the other is not for profit. The for profit funds go into the non profit agency. We can't deduct from income tax because we receive a service, but it is a win for everyone.

Possibly, you could foster a dog through a rescue. You can give the pup a home and see if it works out until you have to decide if you want to adopt or the pup is adopted. When you travel, possibly you could work with the rescue to board when you can't travel with pup.

Taking in any pet is a big decision. It needs to be done with the knowledge the pet is yours for the life of the pet. Until you're certain you can give them a forever home, it's best to enjoy other peoples pets.

[salferg]

Also a thought is to find someone to trade sitter services with. We take our 11#Llasa Apsa with us and stay at LaQuinta hotels. They are very clean and accept animals at no extra charge. Good luck!

[geri317]

I volunteer with Florida Poodle Rescue and we are always looking for foster homes for our little guys while they wait to be adopted. If you do decide to foster, please call FPR. We need you! And if you want to adopt, please consider a poodle from FPR. Happy tails to you!

[wendyquat]

We also starting taking our Cairn with us in the car when he was very young to get him accustomed to it and he traveled well until 3 years ago when we were hit from behind by a speeding car. While we weren't hurt it was very traumatic and since that time Tucker hates riding in the car. Thank goodness he doesn't get sick but he cowers in the floor of the car and won't even take a nap no matter how long the trip. We have tried meds from the vet but these make him a zombie and don't seem to relieve his anxiety. He does well on rest stops and in hotels but balks when it is time to get back in the car. Our children live 14 hours away and we make it a two day trip to make it easier on the dog. While I agree there are many nice dog friendly hotels like LaQuinta some are real "flea bags", (pun intended) in that they don't maintain doggy rooms like they do other rooms. Some profess to be dog friendly as is Residence Inns but their nightly pet fee is $100. Personally I don't consider that very pet friendly! You also have a problem with eating on the road. Sometimes it's too warm to leave the dog in the car while you go in a restaurant. MOST pet friendly hotels have an agreement that you won't leave a dog in the room alone and that can be a problem. My sister in law is of the opinion that a dog doesn't belong in the house so even though we would like to visit her in JAX, we do not! Tucker, at 7 1/2, has recently been diagnosed with diabetes and has to have two shots per day so we are pretty tied down with him but he is like a child to us and gives and has given us much pleasure but you asked and I wanted to point out a couple of things you might want to consider. Good luck with your decision!

[CFrance]

We also starting taking our Cairn with us in the car when he was very young to get him accustomed to it and he traveled well until 3 years ago when we were hit from behind by a speeding car. While we weren't hurt it was very traumatic and since that time Tucker hates riding in the car. Thank goodness he doesn't get sick but he cowers in the floor of the car and won't even take a nap no matter how long the trip. We have tried meds from the vet but these make him a zombie and don't seem to relieve his anxiety. He does well on rest stops and in hotels but balks when it is time to get back in the car. Our children live 14 hours away and we make it a two day trip to make it easier on the dog. While I agree there are many nice dog friendly hotels like LaQuinta some are real "flea bags", (pun intended) in that they don't maintain doggy rooms like they do other rooms. Some profess to be dog friendly as is Residence Inns but their nightly pet fee is $100. Personally I don't consider that very pet friendly! You also have a problem with eating on the road. Sometimes it's too warm to leave the dog in the car while you go in a restaurant. MOST pet friendly hotels have an agreement that you won't leave a dog in the room alone and that can be a problem. My sister in law is of the opinion that a dog doesn't belong in the house so even though we would like to visit her in JAX, we do not! Tucker, at 7 1/2, has recently been diagnosed with diabetes and has to have two shots per day so we are pretty tied down with him but he is like a child to us and gives and has given us much pleasure but you asked and I wanted to point out a couple of things you might want to consider. Good luck with your decision!

Holy cow, you have had a bad experience. That had to be very traumatic for Tucker.

I don't know how cars are today. I think with my (former) Audi, you could not lock the car with the engine (& a/c) running. But our American cars, you can. We would sometimes stop to get a bite to eat and leave the car running with the a/c on. If we don't want to stop at a restaurant, what we do in the warmer months is one of us goes into the rest stop place and buys lunch, and we eat it outside at the picnic area with the dog. Or else we pack a lunch and do the same. Sometimes we do a drive through and eat in the car on the way. Or we stop for gas, walk the dog, pick up a subway or similar.

I still say... if you really in your heart want to have a dog, get a dog. The rest will work itself out. You could worry this to death and become paralyzed into doing nothing because of the unknown. But I have found that all these issues surrounding owning a pet can be resolved one way or another. And you can't beat the pluses of having a furry friend.