Am I Boring My Dog? (25 page)

That’s not to suggest you won’t find plenty of guidance for dog-centric travel.
DogFriendly.com
(the most comprehensive, with its own line of guides),
BringFido.com
(the best looking and easiest to navigate but with limited lodging information), and
petswelcome.com
(in between the two for appearance and utility, but with a good selection of off-beat lodgings) are among the increasing crop of websites that offer destination advice and travel tips along with booking engines for hotels.

Sometimes politicians can be instructive, if only by providing negative examples. You should not, for example, emulate presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who put the family dog, Seamus, into a crate, strapped him to the roof of the station wagon, and drove 12 hours from Boston to Ontario. Romney cited as an example of “emotion-free crisis management” having to hose the excrement produced by the traumatized Seamus off the car’s roof and windows. I suspect this didn’t win him any votes from animal lovers.

Nor, on the other end of the spectrum, should you applaud California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who vetoed a law that would have imposed a fine for driving with a dog in your lap. I have a personal stake in that misguided decision. When I visit my friend Clare in Santa Barbara, her dog, Archie, lounges politely in the back until we approach the beach—at which point he leaps into Clare’s lap and squirms excitedly. Archie is a compact guy, but he’s large enough to obstruct Clare’s vision when he sits upright. Clare won’t listen to me or to her other terrified passengers but—being a lawyer and therefore an officer of the court, as well as an upstanding citizen—she would obey the law if it existed.

Here are some additional safety tips you’ll want to keep in mind when traveling.

 

Buckle up for safety, both yours and your pup’s. To those who argue that they don’t want to restrict their dogs’ freedom, I ask, “Would you want him to enjoy the freedom of going through the windshield?” An unrestrained dog can become a projectile if you have to stop short.
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And just because your unsecured dog is out of projectile range of your windshield, that doesn’t mean she’s safe from injury. It’s very dangerous to let a dog ride in the open bed of a pickup truck. Approximately 100,000 dogs die every year from falling or jumping out of pickups and countless more are injured.

And untethered dogs pose not only safety issues but legal and economic ones. Many states have passed variations of the law in Washington, where it’s a misdemeanor to “willfully transport or confine … any domestic animal … in a manner, posture or confinement that will jeopardize the safety of the animal or the public.” (Some laws specify that this includes having a dog in the back of a pickup truck.) Accordingly, if your unsecured dog causes an accident, your insurance is rendered invalid under many policies. And even if the accident is the other driver’s fault, your vet bills won’t be paid if your dog wasn’t properly restrained.
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You’ll achieve the best dog security with a harness—never, ever, a collar—hooked to the car’s back seat belt. A regular harness will work in a pinch—pinch being the operative word—but the ones designed especially for travel have padding that insulates your dog against pressure caused by a sudden stop. The top models also have hooking mechanisms that let your dog move—though not too much—and are easy to click open and shut. See the “Product Reviews” section of
AgilePooch.com
for a travel halter comparison.

If your dog weighs fewer than 20 pounds, consider a booster seat, similar to the kiddie version. A pup that can gaze out the window is less likely to get bored or carsick (see the following).

Secured travel crates are another option, but even crate-trained dogs don’t always respond well to being cooped up in a moving vehicle without being able to see where they’re going. Some people use barriers that prevent their dogs from invading their personal driving space, but these are tough to fit all cars and all dogs; some pups manage to get past everything but steel. Nor do barriers prevent dangerous jostling; a high-speed collision could put your dog in jeopardy if he hits a heavy wall.

 

The former is far more dangerous than the latter because cars (and dogs) heat up more quickly than they cool off: when there’s no breeze, it can take only a minute or so for a car to reach a fatal temperature, even if you crack open the window. Dogs don’t have efficient self-cooling systems.

This sounds like a simple rule to observe—unless you’re female and traveling solo. One summer, en route from Tucson to southern California, I needed to pee desperately. After driving for miles through the desert, I finally came to a gas station and convenience store. According to the big thermometer display, the mercury had hit 110°F.

I looked around outside. No bathrooms. Damn. They must be in the store. Hoping to pass him off as couture, I put Frankie into a tasteful leopard-print carrier and went in. We were stopped immediately by the clerk, who said that, because the store sold food, Frankie was a health violation. (Have you ever eaten a convenience store burrito? Now
there’s
a health violation.) I explained that if I peed outside the front door it would also be a violation—one that the clerk would have to mop up. The crazy lady alert went off, and Frankie was permitted to stay with me. As I drove away relieved, I contemplated how unfair it is that women can’t share the public urination experience with their dogs. I’m certain it’s a source of man-and-dog bonding.

 

I know it looks cute, especially if you have a dog with ears that flop in the breeze. But flying objects and idiot drivers who pass too close can pose dangers; so can soot and smaller particles that may fly into your dog’s eyes and ears. Leave the windows open wide enough for your dog to have air so he can sniff to his heart’s content—but not enough to get his head through.

Comfort is the key to keeping a traveling dog happy.

Your dog may be snoozing comfortably—and then wake up and decide she has to make a pit stop at an inconvenient time. Stop every few hours to let your dog stretch her legs and conduct her business. As with humans, hydration and healthy snacks are a good idea, too. Skip the squeaky toys, though. They can drive you to distraction.

 

Sure, many dogs are eager to hit the road as soon as they hear the sound of rattling car keys, but as many as one in four experience car discomfort because of fear or inner ear imbalance. Frankie (naturally) falls into the first category: he shakes, salivates, and stands upright in his harness for hours, on red alert, if he’s not sedated. I tried everything: taking him on short trips to nice places (as opposed to the vet); keeping the window open rather than using the A/C; buying a booster seat so he could look out; even playing soothing music (which I hated, so maybe he picked up the bad vibes). His comparative serenity in the midsize car I rented when my Hyundai was in the shop made me wonder if Frankie just needs a smoother ride, but I draw the line at buying an Escalade for him.
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And I’m lucky. Frankie doesn’t throw up out of nervousness, as some dogs do. The lingering smell of dog vomit in the backseat can really put a crimp in a vacation.

But don’t let motion commotion make you abandon the idea of traveling with your dog. You just have to find out what works for her—beforehand. In particular, experiment with rations. One recommendation is to feed your dog less than half of what you normally would, and not immediately before you leave. Snacks along the road should suffice until you reach your destination.

Some puppies outgrow carsickness. Some respond to desensitization programs. For others, it’s as simple as better temperature control, raising your dog so she can look out, or keeping her from looking out. That’s what I mean. Because your dog can’t tell you precisely what’s causing the problem, you need to try all kinds of different solutions.

That’s especially true with meds. Some people swear by botanicals like Rescue Remedy, and my friend Clare says that lavender oil—but only the pure variety—calms her Archie successfully. Neither did a thing for Frankie. The vet suggested azepromine (Ace), but I discovered that it just masks the symptoms, leaving your dog still fearful but immobilized. Dramamine didn’t work at the vet’s recommended dosage; neither did Benadryl. I had the best results, finally, with Valium, although it initially turned Frankie into a little love machine. He licked my face with great abandon before settling in to enjoy—well, not hate—the ride.

Cerenia, a drug developed expressly to prevent vomiting in dogs, was approved by the FDA in 2007. It’s expensive, and the jury is still out on whether it’s effective and/or has side effects. Do some research if you decide to try it.

Airline baggage restrictions—and surcharges—are more reasons for you to travel by car. If you’ve got limited trunk space, you can even strap stuff on the roof (except for your dog; see previous question).

You’ll have two prime goals in packing: to replicate the comforts of home for your dog, and to keep her from getting lost and/or in trouble. A secondary goal is to avoid losing any security deposit you might have put down for a hotel room.

To those ends, bring the following items along on your trip.

If you don’t think you can find it on the road or in your destination, pack the same brand of food your dog normally eats, including his favorite treats. This will not only help provide a sense of continuity but prevent stomach upset. Assuming you don’t want to carry containers with your local tap water, take or buy bottled water. Your dog may be used to the specific mix of noxious chemicals that your city’s water supply provides and react badly to new ones.

Don’t forget food and water bowls if you’re not going to a hotel that provides them. You don’t have to schlep your dog’s personal raku bowl, unless he’s really spoiled and refuses to eat from any other. For the nonpicky pup, easy-to-tote travel substitutes are fine.

This is one reason crate training is so useful: some hotels won’t allow your dog to be left alone in a room if he’s not crated—which creates problems if, say, you want to go out to dinner and your hotel doesn’t have a pet sitting service (or if you don’t want to shell out the extra money for one). A dog that loves his faux den will be happy to have a safe retreat in unfamiliar surroundings. If his usual crate isn’t easily transportable, get your dog accustomed to a travel crate before you go.

Many upscale hotels provide pet beds, some of which are pretty darn cute (and are—surprise, surprise—for sale). I have never seen one yet, however, that Frankie was interested in, unless I placed it next to me on my bed, which pretty much defeats the hotel’s purpose, i.e., to exile your dog to the floor. But again, it’s a question of personal canine preference. You might need to take your dog’s bed along as a security blanket—or simply allow him to hog your actual blanket, just like he does at home.

Make sure to take along some of your dog’s favorite playthings—especially chew toys, if you need to divert her from the hotel’s yummy furniture. But don’t include anything that’s impossible to replace; things may get pushed under the bed and left behind. Again, I speak from experience. I’ve discovered that the hotel staff doesn’t tend to dispatch drooly objects to lost-and-found for guest retrieval.

Here’s the part where wanting not to pay a security deposit or offend your hosts, even if they’re family, come in. Bring along old towels to wipe your pup’s paws when you come in from outdoors, and some old sheets to put down on the furniture in case your dog likes to lounge on it, shedding happily and obliviously.

I’m not sure how many people take their dogs with them on business trips—at least on business trips that require them to look spiffy—but if you’re among them, don’t forget your lint and hair remover.

Finally, I don’t have to tell you again to take along bags to collect your pooch’s poop, do I?

Be sure you’ve got any medications your dog needs, or may need—and a cooler to keep them in, in case your hotel doesn’t come equipped with a fridge.
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If you live with a large escape artist, this might be the time to consider a GPS collar (they’re usually too heavy for small dogs, who are easier to keep hold of in any case). Even mellow dogs run off at rest stops—whether out of the fear that you’re driving them to a new home, or a sense of adventure, or … who knows? At the least, make sure your dog is wearing a collar with your cell phone information on it. Affixing a tag with your destination data couldn’t hurt either. Sometimes dogs manage to slip their collars, so before you leave, be sure to update your dog’s microchip with your current contact information and any health issues you need the person who locates him to be aware of (in my case, Frankie’s diabetes).