apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I've made many road trips with my dogs (one trip took 25 days, crossed 24 states, and included five dogs). The best advice I can offer anyone travelling with a dog is this:

Every day, once you've checked into your motel/hotel, take the dog(s) for a 30 minute walk. Time it, if you have to. It's a great stress reliever for both dogs and humans. If it's too dark to feel comfortable walking alone in a strange place, find a Walmart. You don't have to shop there; just walk the perimeter of their well-lit parking lot a couple of times.

On all the trips taken with the dogs, we only missed our walk on one day. That was the time the dogs practised their hurdle racing in the motel room (using the beds as hurdles, of course).

We travel with our dog all the time. After careful observation, we determined his hatred of the car is outweighed by his desire to stay with us rather than with a sitter. Our dog tends to get carsick - if not puking, he's shaking and drooling. We found out one Dramamine tablet after a small meal about an hour prior to departure does the trick. It lasts for 24 hours. I bring them everywhere we go.

Clearly the writer has never travelled with a "feline friend".

My dog's eyes were badly lacerated by dust and grit after having her head out the window; owners take heed.

Any advise for traving with three pugs in a Honda Civic Del Sol?

Our dog LOVES to be boarded, and we prefer knowing she's having a great time with other puppies and people than anxious in the car.

My biggest piece of advice is to always have your dogs in crates or else have them in some sort of harness/seatbelt rig. Loose doggies in the back seat are a horrible accident waiting to happen and even the smallest fender bender can cause a beloved canine to fly over the seats an into the windshield or door and end up severely injured or dead. Also, an excited/scared dog can jump into your lap and cause and accident that way. I will also second Chris Toronto's warning and say don't let them hang their heads out the window--their little eyes are so delicate!

I use this types of harnesses/seatbelt rigs with my 2 puppers and they are easy and comfortable: http://www.hunterk9.com/site/870877/product/222

My third piece of advice is to do the walks and to just have lots of fun! My 2 guys love the car and I love having them along on the trip. Oh yeah, always make sure to play fun music and to sing to your dogs...they love it!

our dog loves the car and going on trips. he acts better in the car than he does outside! no barking.
we just did a 9 hour drive to a cottage in canada with him and he loved every minute of it.
also, don't forget to bring a bowl and water for him. we have a collapsable one that we take on road trips and fill up a large water bottle.

This is silly, but for the dog who can't get enough of hanging their head out the window and feeling the breeze, why not buy them these to protect their eyes:

http://www.doggles.com/doggles.html

Doggles are adorble! I don't know anyone who has a pair and I would love to know if their dog will actually wear them.

Oh they'll wear them alright:

http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2007/12/cuteporter-put.html

:D

OH MY GOD! THE CUTENESS HAS PARALYZED ME! Thanks gryt.

I just traveled by car with my cat Chesterfield to my parent's house for a few days. He is a perfect little traveler. He doesn't like the car, it's definitely not his favourite place, but he tolerates it. I don't put him in a crate because he freaks out and cries in there for the whole time. He mostly sits on my lap in the passenger seat (My father was driving, if i were the only one in the car and driving Chesterfield would definitely be in a carrier). He also enjoys sitting on the centre console of the car between the front seats. This past time I didn't put his carrier in the car, I completely forgot because he never goes in, but I should have brought it in case we had to stop for an emergency (or the cops).

I am the luckiest kitty mom because we started planes, trains and automobiles when they came home to Manhattan with me on the train from North Shore Animal League.

My kitty kids have taken road trips from NYC to Cape Cod, NYC to Montreal to Vermont to Boston to CT to NYC, NYC to Park City, NYC to LA to Ventura County (they liked being picked up from the airport by Grandpaw and poking their heads out of the Sherpa bag to watch the ocean as we went up PCH) and now they live near beach and watch the birdies, the people and the surfers from their window seats. Then they nap and nap and nap and sometimes go to Grandma's and Grandpaw's when I have to travel....what a life!

This reminds me of that story about how Mitt Romney strapped his dog to the roof of his car for a 12 hour drive to a family vacation: Romney's Cruel Canine Vacation

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1638065,00.html

Why was that man ever allowed to run for president!?