Top Tips For Travelling With Your Dog This Christmas
Published on November 19, 2009 by Jennifer White · 1 CommentSome dogs love travelling…FACT! While others find it extremely stressful. However, with increased awareness of the risks inherent in traveling with animals, owners can prepare and minimize undue stress on their dogs. These travel tips from the American Humane Association can help ensure that holiday trips, and travels year-round, are safe and enjoyable for people and their dogs.
1. Properly identify dogs with ID tags and microchips — Make sure your
dog/s have ID and current rabies tags and are microchipped. To be extra
cautious, give your dogs an additional tag with the address and phone
number of where you will be staying for the duration of the trip, in
case they get lost after you arrive.
2. Train dogs to travel in their crates — Whether you’re heading to your
holiday destination by plane, train or automobile, getting your dogs
used to their crates will make the entire traveling experience less
stressful. Even when away from home, dogs still view their crates as a
safe haven from stressful situations.
3. With a crate, size does matter — Crates should be large enough for
dogs to stand and turn around in comfortably. Remember to keep water
inside the crate or allow for breaks every three hours so that your
dogs can drink and stretch.
4. Never leave your dogs unattended — Just as you would never leave a
child unattended, never leave your dogs alone in a car.
5. Be prepared — Take your dogs’ health records with you, just in case
they need to see a veterinarian during your trip. Be sure to ask your
veterinarian if she recommends heartworm prevention or treatment for
fleas or ticks for the area in which you are traveling. Keep dog dishes
in your car, as well as extra water and pet food, in case of car
trouble or bad weather.
6. Visit your veterinarian — Your vet may prescribe a sedative to help
reduce your pet’s stress level while traveling. However, sedatives are
not always safe for pets so be sure to give your vet the details of how
your pet will be traveling and how long the trip will take.
7. Try to keep dogs on the same “schedule” — Stop when you would normally
let your pets out at home and at feeding times.
8. Plan lodging ahead — Research your route, make reservations and carry
a list of pet-friendly lodging along the way. Also, ask for a room on
the ground floor so it is easier to walk your pets. Don’t let your
pets stay in the car.
Highly Recommended: This could be the most important link you EVER click as far as your dog’s life is concerned – see why….!
Tags: Dog Travel, Pet Safety, pet travel
I’d like to see this article filled out a little, as concerns, specifically, flying with dogs (or cats). I.e., airline rules, regs., space specifications, Service Dogs, Emotional Support Dogs, etc., and paperwork needed to get permission to fly. Which airlines allow free passage in passenger, and which require the animals to ride in cargo? What if one needs to make a connection from a smaller jet from one airport, with the animal in a crate, to a larger jet in another airport where the crate isn’t necessary, and one has to jettison this expensive crate on the spot?
Thank you.