Read About Safe Travel with Dog

Your pet can travel safely with you when you do some advance planning. Some things to consider are:

1. If you are going on an extended road trip with your dog, you should plan your trip to incorporate stops every 2-3 hours to give your dog a chance to stretch his legs and relieve himself. Leash your dog at all times when you're traveling. You may want to carry two leashes, in case you misplace one and to assure that you have a backup so that your dog is always on its leash.

2. Lodging with your dog is not difficult, but staying in a hotel/motel will also require some pre-planning. You should contact several establishments in the location that you are planning to stop for the evening. Not all lodging facilities accept pets and some allow pets to stay only at the discretion of the hotel/motel manager. To locate those lodging facilities that will accept your pet, the internet is an excellent resource. You can find numerous websites that list pet-friendly accommodations, along with reviews from other pet owners that have used that facility.

3. If you are traveling by air, you need to contact your airline carrier well in advance of your trip to discuss arrangements. Generally, only small dogs are allowed to travel in the airline cabin with you. Larger dogs need to travel as cargo. When flying a large dog, you need to speak with your airline carrier about their policies of flying animals in cargo, especially during the summer months, or to hot weather locations. Because the dogs in the cargo hold may need to transfer to another aircraft during your trip and could end up spending time on hot airport tarmacs, many airlines have restrictions that you cannot fly your large dog if the temperature exceeds a set limit. Since large dogs are placed in the pressurized cargo holds, excessive heat is not as much a factor on the plane as it is for the loading of the dog into that cargo hold. In either case, you pet is considered checked or carry-on luggage. If you will not be traveling with your pet but sending them alone, they are cargo. In all cases, you need to keep the time that your pet is confined to a minimum. You should schedule direct flights when possible, and confirm that your pet was loaded onto your flight. When you board, it is advised that you notify a flight attendant that your pet is traveling with you and that you would like verification that your dog has been loaded on the plane.

If you take some time to prepare, traveling with your dog can be a lot of fun, and a great experience for both of you!