Transporting my dog to TV

[bfdretired]

i bought a home i the historic district....other than driving my pup down to the villages....what is the best way to get him here....kind of afraid to fly him down 24 pound doxy

[GeoGeo]

You might be able to hire someone to drive your dog to Florida or even better if they could drive you and your dog. I would be concerned letting a stranger transport and handle my dachshund. Not everyone knows about dachshunds being prone to back issues and do not know how to properly pick up a dachshund or don't know that they shouldn't be jumping in and out of cars and going up and down steps. I beleive there are some companies that transport animals, but I have no experience with any of them.

[GeoGeo]

A trucker driver may do it, too. Where would you be transporting from? I know a truck driver who might be able to help if you are in his area.

[Nucky]

Our Dog was going to be flown to Orlando until we found out that only one company was still open and available to do this for us. Just short of $1200 from Newark N.J. It was a major issue as he was so important to us. In the end, we put his bed in the back of a Ford Transit Connect Van and Barney did better on the trip than we did. He had no interest in eating during the day as we set up his regular setup like home in the shade and didn't rush him but all he wanted to do was get a drink of water do a little peeps and get back into the A/C. He ate like a Dog when we landed at The La Quinta which was recommended to us by other posters on TOTV'S.

I don't know if I helped you but I couldn't stand the thought of him not being under our watch for the trip. I kept promising him a Retired Poodle for when we got set up in The Villages. Someone on here will come up with a good suggestion I'm sure and welcome to The Villages. You picked a great place to live.

[JSR22]

When we moved here from NJ the dogs rode with me. We took it so slow and stayed 2 nights in La Quinta's. I would not trust any one to drive my dogs a long distance.

[Midnight Cowgirl]

Is there a reason you aren't travelling with your pup when you move here?

Our puppies and kitties have always been with us when we moved.
They are happier to be with you and we are happy to know that they are safe with us.

[JSR22]

Is there a reason you aren't travelling with your pup when you move here?

Our puppies and kitties have always been with us when we moved.
They are happier to be with you and we are happy to know that they are safe with us.

Safety is my first priority when it comes to my dogs.

[tophcfa]

We drive down a couple of times a year with our boarder collie. La Quintas and many Best Westerns are good pet friendly hotel options. We stay at a La Quinta in Winchester Va on day one and at a Best Western in Manning SC on day two. It's not a bad ride and there are several rest areas that are good for pet walking along the way. Every state has a welcome center rest area with an acceptable place to walk the dog. I would never trust someone else to take our dog for us.

[CFrance]

We drove two cars down. Hubby brought the bird; I brought the dog. Halfway through, the a/c on the car the dog was in gave out. We switched cars to keep the dog in the a/c. We took three days from Michigan so the pets only had to put up with 5 hours/day driving. We stayed in La Quintas, Drury Inns, and one Holiday Inn Residence that took pets. Whenever possible, we chose a place that provided room service, or at least had menus to places you could call out for delivery to your room. Or one of us hopped across the parking lot and got takeout from various restaurants close by. Check it out on the motels' web sites, or call them. Both animals did great, although the Cockatiel had LOTS to say until we figured out he didn't like seeing out the window and put a cover over him.

We fly our dog twice a year, but we will only fly him Lufthansa, only nonstop, and never on a US airline. He's 11. The next dog will be an under-the-seat-in-front-of-you size.

Good luck on your trip. I think keeping your pup with you will be easy.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I don't have a dog anymore, but when I did have one we used to go on long trips in the car quite often. He loved it.

The only issue is making sure that any hotels/motels that you're going to stay in along the way accepts pets.

I'm sure that your pup would enjoy the drive along side you or in the back seat much more than being crated and stuck in the cargo hold of an airplane.

[Midnight Cowgirl]

We drove two cars down. Hubby brought the bird; I brought the dog. Halfway through, the a/c on the car the dog was in gave out. We switched cars to keep the dog in the a/c. We took three days from Michigan so the pets only had to put up with 5 hours/day driving. We stayed in La Quintas, Drury Inns, and one Holiday Inn Residence that took pets. Whenever possible, we chose a place that provided room service, or at least had menus to places you could call out for delivery to your room. Or one of us hopped across the parking lot and got takeout from various restaurants close by. Check it out on the motels' web sites, or call them. Both animals did great, although the Cockatiel had LOTS to say until we figured out he didn't like seeing out the window and put a cover over him.

We fly our dog twice a year, but we will only fly him Lufthansa, only nonstop, and never on a US airline. He's 11. The next dog will be an under-the-seat-in-front-of-you size.

Good luck on your trip. I think keeping your pup with you will be easy.


I'm in agreement with you regarding what you do with and for your dog.
I think our pets deserve better than what we do for ourselves.

[GeoGeo]

If you want to go the route of having someone drive your dog down, I have someone who is a FB friend and owns several dachshunds and has adopted from one of the rescues here in Florida. He is in Pennsylvania and could do it on his days off.

[bfdretired]

thanks for getting back....this winter i will be driving down no problem....hopefully leaving a car here so i can fly down from mi....i hate the long drive But dont want to leve my pup behind....thats whu i was asking.....kind of scared of pet transport companies

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

We had the same question about our cat. She caterwauls in cars, and the 17-hour drive would be unbearable for me. So I got an anxiety med for the cat, and my sister will be with me for the drive. The cat will not be "sedated" but she'll basically not care that she's stuck in a carrier for 6 hours til we get to our first hotel (which is pet-friendly). I'll give her just a spoonful of food first thing in the morning (which she'll eliminate in the cat box 10 minutes later, that's how their digestive systems work), so she isn't hungry on the trip. She'll get a couple pieces of kibble when we stop for food/gas, not enough to make her have to use the litterbox, but enough to remind her that she's in good hands.

Repeat for the second leg of the trip to the second hotel, and again for the last leg to our Villages house.

I don't know if gabapentin works for dogs but you might ask your vet. It's a capsule, I will sprinkle half the powder of one over her food the night before, and the other half the next morning 2-3 hours before we get her in the carrier for the drive. She'll be good for around 7 hours.

[CFrance]

BFDretired, if you go the gabapentin route for your pup, I advise trying it out on him first before you leave. Our guy was supposed to be on it for five days, and he got so woozy and wobbly after two days the vet said take him off of it immediately (we were on vacation where he swims, and he nearly fell over in the water, among other things). I've read that dogs react in a variety of ways to the medicine.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

BFDretired, if you go the gabapentin route for your pup, I advise trying it out on him first before you leave. Our guy was supposed to be on it for five days, and he got so woozy and wobbly after two days the vet said take him off of it immediately (we were on vacation where he swims, and he nearly fell over in the water, among other things). I've read that dogs react in a variety of ways to the medicine.

Oh absolutely. Again I don't know how it works with dogs. But my vet warned me I should try it a few times well in advance of the trip. I've done it once so far (half at night, half the next morning). Side effects are nausea and diarrhea and those are the last things I'd want to deal with for a multi-state drive in a luggage and furniture filled compact car!

She was woozy that day, which is how we were hoping it would be. The point is for her to be a little woozy *during the trip* but not after.

So I'll try it once more between now and the first of november (our scheduled final departure date).

And then - she won't get any at all, until the night before the first leg from Connecticut to Virginia. Three days' worth only, because that's how many days we'll be on the road.

[CFrance]

Oh absolutely. Again I don't know how it works with dogs. But my vet warned me I should try it a few times well in advance of the trip. I've done it once so far (half at night, half the next morning). Side effects are nausea and diarrhea and those are the last things I'd want to deal with for a multi-state drive in a luggage and furniture filled compact car!

She was woozy that day, which is how we were hoping it would be. The point is for her to be a little woozy *during the trip* but not after.

So I'll try it once more between now and the first of november (our scheduled final departure date).

And then - she won't get any at all, until the night before the first leg from Connecticut to Virginia. Three days' worth only, because that's how many days we'll be on the road.
And it might be fine if the dog or cat is lying down in the back seat or in a crate as opposed to walking around.

[mills3186]

We drove from Wisconsin with our giant breed dog and cat in the back of the car. They did just great. Many pet friendly hotels along the way. I was just not comfortable putting him on an airplane although if yours can fit in a pet carrier under your seat, you could fly with him. Good luck!

[bfdretired]

Thanks all for the tips. Will try small cage for under seat on plane only 21/2 hr flight but not sure he will tolerate it.
Thanks again

[CFrance]

Thanks all for the tips. Will try small cage for under seat on plane only 21/2 hr flight but not sure he will tolerate it.
Thanks again
One caution, bfd: Make sure you check the in-cabin regulations of the airline you choose. Most have a weight limit of 17 lbs for under the seat in front of you, and that includes the weight of the crate. it's also required that the pet be able to turn around inside the crate. There are other regulations as well, vaccinations and microchips and such, including a wellness vet check within, but no longer than, ten days before the flight. Check with your vet. They are knowledgeable. You can also get on the airline's web site to check their rules.


When you make your airline reservations, you should do it by phone and make a reservation for your pet at the same time. You won't have to pay until you get to the gate, but you must have a rez as they only allow a limited number of pets onboard.


Another thing to take into consideration is the outside temperature if your pet is not flying in the cabin. Airlines have temp limits. Most are 85 or under, but not under 45.


Good luck, and do some research. I would start by calling airlines (not all will take pets nowadays) and getting their rules.