Author Topic: Dog-Friendly Travel  (Read 8262 times)

jpo

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Dog-Friendly Travel
« on: August 22, 2012, 11:18:23 AM »
I am planning on taking a two week car trip from NC to MI and back, bringing my 75lb shepherd along.

  • Problem 1: The dog and her crate won't both fit in my car. Any ideas, other than renting an "Intermediate SUV", which would cost ~$500 for the rental?
  • Problem 2: Some of the family stops along the way do not care to have the dog in their house. I would prefer not to board her somewhere I'm not familiar with, which leaves staying in a dog-friendly hotel, and leaving her crated in the room for part of the time... pretty sure hotels frown upon this, plus it is decidedly unmustachian/expensive, plus I wouldn't really get to see the family much... which is the whole point of taking the trip!

Any ideas on how to strike a balance without spending too much 'stache along the way? The driving distances are such that we could just pass through this particular stop in question on the way to see other family, but that's not ideal either.

totoro

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Re: Dog-Friendly Travel
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2012, 11:44:50 AM »
I don't crate my dog, even when I leave her in a hotel room.  I travel with her a lot.  Would your dog be okay without the crate?  You can get a seatbelt harness for your car if you want.

If you can do this you could take your car and stay in the hotel when needed - I take my dog for a long walk before I go out and leave her with a couple of treats and her bed.

jpo

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Re: Dog-Friendly Travel
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2012, 11:53:44 AM »
I don't crate my dog, even when I leave her in a hotel room.  I travel with her a lot.  Would your dog be okay without the crate?  You can get a seatbelt harness for your car if you want.

If you can do this you could take your car and stay in the hotel when needed - I take my dog for a long walk before I go out and leave her with a couple of treats and her bed.
We crate ours at night and during the day. She does great most of the time when we're around to supervise, but there are certain things she still does that I don't trust her out when we're not at home (like sneakily pick the edge of the carpet, super naughty).

The biggest reason we'd be taking the crate is because we're staying in other people's houses, and I don't want the risk of her getting into something dangerous or destructive when I'm not watching. Plus it limits the dog hair shedding radius. She is crate-trained and stays pretty quiet when she's in there.

We do have a seatbelt for the dog, the problem is the crate is so large in order to fit it in the trunk of my sedan the back seat needs to be folded down.
« Last Edit: August 22, 2012, 11:56:35 AM by jpo »

totoro

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Re: Dog-Friendly Travel
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2012, 11:57:14 AM »

jpo

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Re: Dog-Friendly Travel
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2012, 11:58:30 AM »
I would just get a foldable crate then - way cheaper at about $150: http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/3/HouseHome/PetSupplies/PortableBarriers/PRDOVR~0428786P/Foldable+Pet+Crate.jsp?locale=en
The crate already is foldable like that one, acquired on craigslist for $40. In fact, on closer inspection I think that is what we have.

totoro

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Re: Dog-Friendly Travel
« Reply #5 on: August 22, 2012, 12:00:57 PM »
Gotcha.  There are other versions out there that fold much smaller.  http://www.overstock.com/Pet-Supplies/43-Inch-Portable-Folding-Soft-Dog-Crate/5098441/product.html.  Would one of those work?

totoro

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Re: Dog-Friendly Travel
« Reply #6 on: August 22, 2012, 12:04:43 PM »
Buying crates is pretty cheap used... would buying a couple along the way work?  Or, could you get a rooftop carrier?

jpo

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Re: Dog-Friendly Travel
« Reply #7 on: August 22, 2012, 12:41:32 PM »
Will look into the soft crate - that is a great idea and would solve the car issue.

bobthetree

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Re: Dog-Friendly Travel
« Reply #8 on: August 22, 2012, 01:12:52 PM »
If you have a friend or family member who isn't very tied down, consider paying someone to house/dog sit for $20-$30 day.  Any collegeish aged kids living at home with parents might be a good option. I have a friend who does this in my area.  The main hurdle is knowing someone you trust who can do this for a good rate.  It would cost about as much as boarding the dog.

JohnGalt

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Re: Dog-Friendly Travel
« Reply #9 on: August 22, 2012, 01:21:21 PM »
I took my dog on a week long road trip back in the spring.  We were doing lots of outdoors stuff so I thought it would be great for him to get to come along - but it turned out to be a problem on the trip.  He normally does fine in the car around town - but got really restless spending that much time in the car.  The couple nights we stayed in hotels we had to pay an extra pet fee.  Lots of the outdoor places we wanted to go didn't allow dogs so we ended up boarding him for a couple days anyways so we could go do that.  In the end - it may have been marginally better for him to not have been either boarded or staying with friends - but it was a big drain on us.

jpo

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Re: Dog-Friendly Travel
« Reply #10 on: August 22, 2012, 01:23:02 PM »
If you have a friend or family member who isn't very tied down, consider paying someone to house/dog sit for $20-$30 day.  Any collegeish aged kids living at home with parents might be a good option. I have a friend who does this in my area.  The main hurdle is knowing someone you trust who can do this for a good rate.  It would cost about as much as boarding the dog.
We are planning on doing this on a trip next summer, but really want to bring her with us for this trip.

cadamsgis

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Re: Dog-Friendly Travel
« Reply #11 on: August 22, 2012, 03:44:35 PM »
we camp while traveling bringing both beagles with us -very rarely are there campsites that don't allow dogs


TLV

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Re: Dog-Friendly Travel
« Reply #12 on: August 22, 2012, 04:53:56 PM »
All of these ideas sound great compared to what my in-laws did for their two dogs: Bought a brand-new full-size extended-cab pickup truck. (I think they put the dogs in the back seat of the cab, with the crates in the truck bed.)

jpo

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Re: Dog-Friendly Travel
« Reply #13 on: August 24, 2012, 08:46:55 AM »
All of these ideas sound great compared to what my in-laws did for their two dogs: Bought a brand-new full-size extended-cab pickup truck. (I think they put the dogs in the back seat of the cab, with the crates in the truck bed.)
How awesomely efficient... although I am getting closer to purchasing a car, it definitely won't be a truck.

ShavinItForLater

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Re: Dog-Friendly Travel
« Reply #14 on: August 24, 2012, 08:48:17 AM »
What, no horse trailer or 5th wheel for the dogs?

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!