Gallagher's Travels: Travel Tips

Traveling With Pets

Before your road trip with Rover, check out these pet travel tips

By Robin Tierney

The FBI is heading to Nova Scotia for ten days with twelve dogs and nine people in two RVs. Not that FBI ... we're talking Springfield's FlyBall Invaders canine athletic team.

"We travel constantly," says Susan Crowe of Alexandria. Her favorite summer roadtrip tip? If parked more than a couple minutes, use two gallon jugs of water to hold down a silver tarp – reflective side up – over the back of her camper, with windows open and dogs in their crates. "It really does cool things off for Blackjack and River, my flyball labradors." The tarp can be used with cars as well.

"Many people leave pets at home because they're unaware that there are ways to keep pets cool and safe while traveling," says Crowe. "Also, lots of places welcome well-mannered pets, [so] good socialization at home pays off on the road."

Angus stays cool

Dianne Thompson can attest to that; she has been able to take her two active mixed-breed dogs to the same Outer Banks rental house for five years. "Gina and Gizmo travel with us two or three times a year," says the Laurel homeowner. When Thompson says "road trip," Gina jumps six feet in the air, then the handsome ebony dogs trot to the car, hop in the back where a custom pet barrier creates a safe area, and sleep nearly all the way until they recognize the approach to their vacation retreat.

Planning is paramount. Belinda Keller's dog Cookie "gets super hot, super fast." The solution? A "ComfyCool" pad placed beneath Cookie's blanket. Says Keller from Southern Maryland: "You run water over it and the gel crystals expand and stay that way for almost five days." For a homemade alternative, tuck frozen ice packs in zip-up plastic bags in a towel. Or wrap cool, damp scarves loosely around the neck.

A key safety tip: "Dogs should always be restrained in cars," cautions Crowe. Use a dog crate (the fold-up types are easy to transport) or small animal carrier. Secured animals can't climb on you, scramble around, or turn into flying projectiles if you suddenly hit the brakes. You can also use designed-for-canines safety harness-belts.

Avoid this common mistake: "Don't shove animals into too-small containers," says Jerry Mishler at Action Pet Express, a Leesburg travel agency. "A pet needs room to stand up, turn around and lie down comfortably."

To protect any pet, prepare an ID tag with your cell or other current phone number, then secure it to a fitted collar. To update phone numbers along your journey, use waterproof tape and marker. It also helps to microchip pets, making sure the registry has up-to-date numbers.

When a friend traveled to California with a dog, three cats and no cell phone, Lynne Niemiec offered her ID tags "as insurance should any of the animals get lost during the trip." Niemiec keeps extra ID tags on hand. The idea was tested when one cat disappeared at a South Dakota motel. Someone found the kitty, who had crawled up into a hole in the boxspring.

If you must fly, try to find an airline that allows pets in the cabin. Most larger dogs are relegated to the cargo hold where temperatures can reach extremes and pet carriers can be mishandled. Ironically, sedatives increase risk of injury. Services such as Mishler's can help lessen flight risks as well as determine foreign requirements and coordinate health certificates.

Lookout car seat for small dogs

Crowe prefers RVs, especially when traveling with "animals who don't take well to the hustle and bustle ... plus you don't have to move the pets, pet food, crates, etc. around every time you change locations."

Underscoring the utility of crates, Crowe tells the story of Max, a canine Houdini who broke out of a motel room and got nabbed by animal control.

To help ensure fond travel memories, Jeanne Dollinger shares some secrets. "We've found a little extra effort and good tips for the cleaning staff can insure our welcome on return trips." For example: "When we travel with our dogs, we carry colorful, inexpensive king-size sheets. These are immediately placed over beds and other furniture in hotel/motel rooms for protection." The Dollingers also bring their own dog towels and keep rooms immaculate.

Consequently, this savvy traveler from Frostburg, Md., has found that deposits and extra pet charges can be negotiable. "Once the staff knows more about us and our pets,'discounts' can be granted." Which helps, since the Dollingers have four dogs: Rocky, a Golden, collie-shepherd Austen, and Lhasas Muffy and Chico.

Additional tips:

Look for and book pet-friendly lodging in advance. Hundreds of hotels, from economy to luxury, now accept pets. Ask about size and other restrictions. Also, don't assume parks and campgrounds allow pets; many do not.
Bring your animal's favorite food, bowl, toys, bedding, towels, paper towels, cleaner (in case of pet accidents in the car or hotel), baby wipes, comb, plastic bags, a flashlight for night walks and photos in case your pet gets lost, plus any parasite preventatives and medicine, rabies vaccination certificate and other required health documents. See your vet two weeks before your trip; if there's any chance of using a boarding kennel, your dog might need a kennel cough vaccination.
Take jugs of water for you and your pet ... and take water bottles when sightseeing.

Rescue Remedy

Rescue Remedy and other flower essences have helped calm many animals while on the road.
Bring a first aid kit. See paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_FirstAid.php for items to include.
Prepare your pet for a long trip by taking some practice runs in the car.
Stop every three or so hours for exercise. Look for rest stops and gas stations with grassy areas. Always put the leash on before you open doors or windows; many animals get loose on trips – even "velcro" pets.
With dangers from harassment to overheating, it's best not to leave pets alone in cars.
If you leave a pet alone in a hotel room, hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door, let hotel staff know, provide your cell phone number, and confine the pet in a dog crate or kitty cage to avoid damage. Turn on the TV to keep your pet company. Find a weather channel with soothing music or a news show. Turn on the air system fan to create white noise, and set the temperature at a comfortable level. Limit hours alone – and remember that travel and strange places may result in the need for more frequent potty breaks.

Resources:

Pet-Friendly Lodging and Campgrounds

Nationwide animal hospital locator

healthypet.com/hospital_search.aspx

Ground travel tips

paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_Travel.php

Air travel pet safety tips

aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=traveltips

Pets, Travel Tips

By Angeli Modjeski
Animal Trainer and behavior modification consultant

While other airlines are constantly changing their policies to include banning and raising prices regarding traveling pets, we are happy to report that EL AL has made a positive statement to assist owners wanting to take pets to Israel.

EL AL's Points for Pets program gives dogs, cats and birds frequent flyer points which can accumulate and be used by the pet for future travel on El Al. And rates are reasonable too. $89 one way from New York, Chicago or Miami and $98 from Los Angeles.

Call EL AL at 800 223 6700 or visit their web site www.elal.com for further information.

Northwest Airlines has raised their fees extensively for traveling pets creating a scramble for alternatives among owners and trainers located in the airlines hub cities. A full price listing and explanation of their policies is available at the excellent travel site www.internationalist.com/travel. They also list several other pet sites of interest to travelers.

An excellent web site for all sorts of information and links regarding pets is the Humane Society of the United States at <www.hsus.org>. They have a comprehensive section relating to traveling with your pets that will be of interest to anyone contemplating such a trip. Check it out at www.hsus.org/programs/companion/pet_care/pet_travel.

When you see a handsome or cute dog on the street ask permission from the owner before you reach to pet it. Dogs have a variety of likes and dislikes similar to people. Some don't care for men, woman or uniforms. Many live in adult households and are not accustomed to the sudden movements of small children.

Think about your own response when someone invades your space or a stranger suddenly reaches out to touch you. Use common sense around all animals to eliminate or at least minimize a potential problem.

Flying your pet? Tranquilizers are not a good idea for any pet, especially if this is the first time they are taking them. The altitude may cause the drugs to give an opposite effect, particularly in cats. Additionally, a pet on tranquilizers is unable to react appropriately to turbulence or other sudden movements during transit.

Taking your dog or cat on a motor trip? Pack a few extra gallons of your “home” water for them. Water changes can effect a pets digestive system pretty quickly. If your going to be gone for a long time, alternate the home water with what is available or buy inexpensive spring water at the discount stores. Less than a dollar a day is significantly cheaper than a vet or the inconvenience of a sick animal.

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Traveling With Pets

Before your road trip with Rover, check out these pet travel tips

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