Travel with a pet

It’s not easy to travel with a pet, but it’s oh-so-worth it. Here’s how to make it easier on both you and your pet.

1) Take along the essentials–food, water, a leash (or carrier for cats), a blanket, and pet first aid kits. When you’ll travel with a dog or cat you could also take along a toy to keep the pet occupied.

2) Make frequent stops for bathroom breaks. With dogs, this is pretty easy. Find a pet-friendly spot (away from traffic and not marked “No Pets Allowed”) and make sure to pick up after. With cats, it can be more of a challenge, so if you’ll be traveling a long distance, get your vet’s input on how to handle bathroom breaks.

3) Don’t leave your pet alone in the car for longer than 10 minutes–and even then, be careful. You shouldn’t travel with a pet when the weather is too warm or cold for the pet to be comfortably left in the car for a few minutes. That’s because, sooner or later, *you’re* going to need a bathroom break ;-). Once you’ve taken the precaution of only traveling with a pet when the weather’s tolerable, you still can’t leave your pet alone in the car for very long. The car heats up very quickly, even with the windows rolled down and the car parked in the shade. Add to that the stress of the car trip, and your pet can easily get sick. So, be really, really careful about heat (and cold) when you travel with a pet.

4) Talk to your pet throughout the trip. If you usually talk to your pet, make sure you continue to offer encouragement during the car trip. Pets can get antsy sitting still for a long time–just like kids–and a little encouragement now and then can make a big difference.

5) Make sure to exercise your pet before and after you travel with a pet. Also, exercise in the middle of the trip if it’s long and there’s a safe place to do so. Any time you need your pet to be calm and low-key, it’s a good idea to start with plenty of exercise. A long run or walk, or a game of fetch with a catnip ball can really soothe your pet and calm that restless energy.

6) Find a great pet friendly hotel to keep your pet comfortable when you get where you’re going.

What are your favorite tips for travel with a pet? What’s the longest road trip you’ve ever taken with a pet? I’d love to hear all about your pet-friendly vacations!

Finding Pet Friendly Hotels

If you’ve decided to take your dog along on your next vacation, you’re probably searching for dog friendly hotels and motels. You don’t want to stay somewhere gross, but rather in a nice, affordable spot where the whole family will have a good vacation.

Fortunately, these days, lots of hotels are pet friendly because they know that pet owners want to travel with their dogs and they’re making big changes to their properties to enable you to do exactly that. So, here’s how to book a room at dog friendly hotels motels:

1) Ask about the pet policy. Are there size limitations? Will the dog need to be crated when left alone in the room? (Is the dog not allowed to be left alone in the room?) Find out all the nitty gritty details before you commit to a dog friendly hotel or motel.

2) Find out about the facilities. What kinds of spaces do they have for dogs? How often are those spaces cleaned? (Remember to clean up after your dog, but of course, not all guests will be so responsible.) How far are these spaces from the dog friendly hotel rooms?

3) Find out about extra charges and if there’s any way to negotiate on those. Sometimes, if you provide proof that your dog is on a monthly flea prevention, they’ll waive the deposit. Other times, a letter from your vet is good for a “good behavior” discount. So, ask! Dog friendly hotels / motels want you to bring your best friend along and often have special incentives to encourage you to do so.

It’ll be a vacation to remember when you bring your dog along; best of luck booking your dog friendly hotels / motels rooms.

Free Dog Treats: Winner!

Sorry to be a bit late announcing the winner–we’ve been on the most marvelous dog-friendly vacation (which I’ll be telling you more about–since we took Vance along, I have some great tips on traveling with a dog), and I forgot that I hadn’t announced the winner of the free dog treats contest before we left. I used Random.org to generate the winning number out of six entries (you should definitely enter next time–your odds of winning this random draw were one in six!).

Before I announce the winner, I wanted to thank each of you for entering. It’s always a treat (forgive the pun ;-)) to read about *your* dogs and to get to know you a bit better. And, if you weren’t our lucky winner this time, don’t despair–there will definitely be future dog giveaways here at Good Dog Health.

Our winner was the person who wrote comment #5, Steve, who wrote:

My dog loves tangerines. She’ll do *anything* for one–it’s pretty funny. We’ve gotten her to climb ladders, bring in the newspaper, and learn all sorts of other tricks, all for a tangerine.

Hope your dog likes the Zukes Treats, too, Steve. I’ve emailed you for your mailing address so I can send you your prize. And I’d love to see a video of your dog climbing a ladder for a tangerine–how fun!

Sadly, no one took me up on the dog toy giveaway portion–all you had to do was be the first to post to your blog about the giveaway and you’d have won a free dog toy. So, that portion of the contest is closed without a winner. Watch for future giveaways here because they’re going to keep getting better and better!

Also, a word to potential dog giveaway sponsors: you’re more than welcome to offer a great dog product for a future giveaway, but I am looking for really specific types of things, so please don’t be disappointed if I decline. It’s important to me that I only give away and promote things that I feel good about, and that my dog loves.