The Top 5 Prep Items for Travel When Owning Pets

Our furry family member is our best companion. When traveling on a solo trip, pets are wonderful for having another living, breathing, trust worthy soul along for the ride, especially long road trips. Most times it is not possible to take our pets with us, but when we can, making them feel comfortable and safe is the most important thing we can do for our pets we love.

Some animals have a very hard time traveling and need more advanced travel planning to keep them comfortable. Our dog Joey is ok with long distance travel and we feel very lucky in that way. He is also very good about being boarded when we are traveling and we feel very lucky and blessed to have found an excellent boarding home for him when we are gone. To prepare for travel when owning pets, here are the Top FIVE things you CAN do:

1. Find reliable, loving people to take care of your pet while you are gone.

Sounds simple right? But there are so many times we have found ourselves in a pinch and I know others who have that this MUST BE SAID and HIGHLIGHTED. There is nothing more important than family and having family taken care of when you are traveling. Not only has this always been true for our children and parents when leaving them in someone else's care, but it is also true for your pet. This cannot be an afterthought. Well before we brought our furry family member into our home, we searched for and researched daycare and boarding options.

"Since we travel for work, we knew that without having a reliable, safe, and healthy pet sitter in advance, we would not be able to be pet owners."

We signed up for ROVER and used ROVER and traveled less in the first few months of our pets life until he was fully vaccinated and able to be boarded. We found a wonderful family through ROVER who had the perfect set up for us and our pet. They welcomed him into their home with open arms as one of their own, sending us pictures while we were on our first Alaskan Cruise. We could see the smile on our furry loved ones' face in those photos. We knew he was well taken care of and we had no worries. Once he got older and fully vaccinated, our needs changed, as did the boarding need. We knew the home he was in as a puppy, where they only took puppies, was short lived.

Our longer term solution was boarding close to home. We had scoped out boarding options before we brought him home so we knew he would be in a safe space in our absence. Once home and able to pay a visit, we took him there for a test run to ensure there would be a good fit. You should be able to meet the people who will be watching your furry loved one, view the overnight area and play area (both inside and out) of where they will be and stay long enough to witness how your pet likes it there or not. Use those tell tale signs of a happy pet and apply them to where they will be staying. Of course, those same principles apply if they are staying at someone else's house or if someone is staying at your place with your pet.

"We did not allow our pet to be at anyone's home unless we were allowed to see the home and digs he would be staying at and that we were comfortable."

The bottom line, the number one thing you can do, is to have them taken care of how you want and they expect. Dogs are pack animals and thrive on routine. So whatever you decide to do, stick with the same routine you have together, when home, while you are away so they grow to know what to expect. Bouncing from sitter to sitter and different routines is not a settling idea.

2. Leave contact information and an emergency contact. When we board our pet, we have an emergency contact person on file. Each time we travel, we contact them to let them know when we are out of time and to verify they would be available in case of an emergency. If there were an emergency and your contact happened to be out of town too, that would not be good. So, always check with your reliable emergency contact to make sure they are available and not out of town too.

3. Provide explicit instructions and review everything with the person watching your dog. I take this part of pet ownership when I go out of town very seriously. Your pet is already nervous about you leaving them behind so having a smooth transition with as many things that can be as normal as possible will ease the process and ease your absence for them. Review schedules and amounts of medicines, treats, feedings, playtimes, nap times, walks, etc.

4. Make your pet feel as comfortable as possible. We have chosen boarding as our option for when we are out of town. We've chosen this option because we have found a highly reliable and loving place for him to be that he loves and we trust. But even so, being boarded could cause anxiety and your pet not knowing when you will return. This can be hard on them. We try to make our pet as comfortable as possible by having them go on playdates at daycare, getting used to the staff and other animals well before we leave our furry family member overnight. When I worked full time, our pet had playdates twice a week. Now, he only goes when we travel out of town. He understands that mommy is now working from home and if I travel out of town, he gets boarded with his friends. We provide a blanket with our smell and his smell, his favorite bone, stuffed animal he sleeps with, his night time treat and daily treat. Providing treats is an extra way for him to bond with the friendly staff he is boarded with.

   

   When our pet travels with us, I apply the same principles but the bonus is that he is with me on our travels and he gets to cuddle with me at night. I also bring his crate as he does like to sleep in it and will go in his crate on his own. It is also comforting for him to have his crate in the hotel room to sleep in if we need to leave him in the room. I put a blanket around all sides of the crate except the front opening which helps make him feel secure and not open to a big, empty, scary unfamiliar surrounding.

I also bring our pets bed with us and he sleeps on this during any length of road trip. He has become accustomed to knowing how far the distance is to daycare and if he is going for the day or overnight by the type of bag we use when dropping him off, where we stay with family at the family weekend home, and if we are going on a road trip. He can tell all of this by distance, and what we are bringing with us because we've kept those items different and consistent. At the mere age of almost two, he gets it and we've built a routine that he understands and helps make him more at ease knowing what to expect.

5. Understand your pets needs and be able to meet them. Not all pets are created equal. Just like humans, our furry family members have their own makeup that makes them special and unique. When leaving them at home while away, make sure their human fits the bill for their personality and is able to meet their needs. When bringing them on the road with you, knowing what makes them nervous, stressed out, and anxious will assist in being able to keep them as calm as possible and feeling safe. When deciding on where to stay, keep these factors in mind:

   *Understand your dogs emotional needs. If your dog is jittery, or jumps at every sound, being near an elevator with tons of noise would not be wise. Ask the hotel, in advance, to be in a room at the end of the hall where there is way less likelihood of people walking by.

   *Understand your surroundings and the type of hotel you are staying at and what sort of crowd will be there. If you are staying at a party hotel when your pet craves quiet, you're going to have a clash of the nerves. Be mindful of where you are staying. While some hotels say they are pet friendly, if the hallways echo, if the walls are thin, if there is an adjoining room with people making noise, these could all affect your pets ability to stay calm and enjoy traveling with you.

   *Research the area first. I once went to a hotel in Columbus that said they were pet friendly but there were zero grass spots for my dog to use. When you live in suburbia and your pet only goes on the grass, this can be very confusing for them to know what to do. It's like asking them to violate the very things you taught them not to do. It can be confusing. I actually left that hotel and went to one down the street that had grassy areas. When I switched hotels, tons of other dog owners were there too with their dogs outside. It was a much better situation for my animal and he immediately used the 'restroom' (grass) when he refused to even go at the place we had left.

I typically like to research in advance and make sure there is a trail nearby, a park, grassy areas, all things my dog is accustomed to using at home and doing with me. One of the best hotels I ever stayed at with my pet was the Columbus Autograph Hotel in Downtown Columbus Ohio. My pet was welcomed and adored by the staff, the room was spacious, they put us at the end of the hall, the shower was huge, and there was a park and river trail across the street.

Ensuring where you stay is able to accommodate their needs, is the number one thing you can do. Not every place that says they are pet friendly is pet friendly. Not every place that is pet friendly has the right set up for your pet. If you feel uncomfortable and especially if your pet is physically and emotionally uncomfortable and not able to settle down, leave and find a different place if you can. Or you'll both be up at night unable to sleep and that's not good for driving and traveling.

Deborah and her dog Joey on the road

If I could, I would take our furry family member with us everywhere. It's just not possible. While more and more restaurants and hotels are open to pets, cruises and airlines have restrictions. The stress on your pet going on the road with you and the costs can certainly add up as well. So, keep you furry family member as content as possible and keep these Top 5 Prep Items for Travel with Pets in mind when booking your next getaway.