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Road trip with a bc! Any suggestions?


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We walk Ferg around at rest stops because we need the rest stops. If we're on interstates, we don't want to go looking for side-trips. We may be old, but we can make it from Durham, NC to Worcester, Mass. in time for cocktails than dinner after finding a motel.

 

Another thought: when we know where we'll be, we get a tag with that info to replace the one with our home address on Ferg's collar. She's chipped - and our daughter is the alternate contact. But we feel the cost of the tags (from PetsMart) is minimal. If this is a wanderlust trip, maybe you could make a tag with info about someone who can contact you wherever you are. Or your name and cell phone number.

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I'm not scared of rest stops, but my dogs and I have always lived in big cities. They are exposed to other dogs' and people's ickies whether I like it or not, so the odds that they're going to pick up something they're not ready for at a rest stop are probably minimal. That said, we prefer more open, less frequented spaces if we can find them.

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What everyone else said and

A lot of people attach a page in a plastic sleeve on the front of the dog's crate with a photo and pertinent information about the dog in case of an accident.

 

I have made up flyers for each of my dogs, one in color and one in black and white, offering a reward and including photo, brief description, and lots of contact info. I did these on card stock and keep them with me when travelling just in case someone gets lost, so I can make up flyers to post right away. I have them at home between trips just in case someone was to stray.

 

After Kat was lost and found, that was one of the first things I did. It gives me a certain peace of mind to be prepared.

 

Have fun!

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My dogs really appreciate having their crates in hotel rooms because they are their homes away from home. I leave them with the doors open but generally find the dogs inside when I get back.

 

When I stay in hotels I try to always use the back door and minimize the time my dogs are in public areas. Even though the hotel takes pets you can still expect some people to be there who don't like dogs, are afraid, allergic, etc. I am proud to say that my dogs are far cleaner and less obnoxious than most children. Oh, and I always have a large blanket with me to cover the bed since my dogs sometimes sneak onto the bed at night.

 

BTW, Freya's favorite things about hotels are 1) room service and 2) automatic doors. She thinks she is a goddess because the doors open magically for her and gets a kicked out of making them open over and over again.

 

I haven't been to Canada for awhile but I know for quite some time they were not letting any meat products, including dog food, cross the border.

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When we went to Canada in June/July last year, we didn't have any problem getting Allie over the border and they let us take an appropriate amount of dog food for the days we were planning on being there. We did have to have her vaccination records. Coming back, we encountered no problems, either.

 

When we adopted Rusty from TDBCR in May, my aunt and cousin drove up from Seattle, WA to Vancouver, BC to pick him up and bring him over the border. He had to have his vaccination record and the Certificate of Health. The only problem they encountered was that the dog food sent by Rusty's foster mom was confiscated at the border.

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I've traveled with dogs to Canada and back and all that I needed was the Rabies paper both directions. I do carry the paper that lists all vacc, just in case I need it, I did NOT need health cert (this was for traveling to BC & AB).

 

Make sure you have a tag (even temporary one) that has your cell phone on it. That's the number you want people to call if your dog is lost away from home.

 

I too keep a 2 liter bottle of water in the car and a bowl esp for traveling. You never know.

 

Pet Hotel Finder:

http://www.letsgopets.com/index.php - all inns/hotels

http://www.letsgopets.com/pet-friendly_roadsidehotels.php - roadside hotels (enter state & HWY to find on your route)

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Oh, and I always have a large blanket with me to cover the bed since my dogs sometimes sneak onto the bed at night.

 

What LizP said! Actually, I remove the quilt and blanket that belong to the motel and put them in chair, and use my own "travelling with dogs" blanket so the dogs can sleep on the bed!

 

Also, never leave dogs alone in the room in case they should get anxious or start barking. Many motels have strict rules about this, and so do campgrounds. That said, on occasion, there is nothing else you can do if your dog will be totally reliable and quiet.

 

Be cautious about your dog being extremely active on new surfaces. My dog, who has had no problems on our pavement, carpeting, grass, etc., at home, managed to lose chunks of pad and take some nails down to the quick in a few turns on some unfamiliar pavement that had some sand on it while vacationing at the beach.

 

Final rule is to have fun and enjoy new places with your dog.

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I have made up flyers for each of my dogs, one in color and one in black and white, offering a reward and including photo, brief description, and lots of contact info. I did these on card stock and keep them with me when travelling just in case someone gets lost, so I can make up flyers to post right away.

 

I carry a good photo of my dogs, one that any fool could easily use to recognize them in the unlikely event they should get lost, and it's laminated so it doesn't get dog-eared during the trip. But I also like to have an electronic (digital) version of that photo, so I could make up a flyer on the fly, as it were, or send it to relevant email lists and shelters/rescues. The easiest way to do this is email a copy of the photo to yourself before you leave. There it will sit, in your inbox, and if you should ever need it all you have to do is find an internet connection.

 

I second the recommendation for getting a piece of shade cloth. Of course you will always park in the shade, but it can still come in handy and it takes very little space. You can buy it here:

 

Shade cloth

 

As far as good places to stop, the main thing to keep in mind is that dogs aren't very welcome in national parks or most state parks (except the campgrounds), but there are very few dog restrictions in national forests. I would take the time to scope out in advance what national forests are on your route and what trails in them you might want to check out.

 

If you are into dog activities (herding, agility, etc.), and who isn't, you might want to see whether there are any trials on your route that you could take in. Here are a couple of useful calendars:

 

USBCHA trials

Southwest Agility Calendar

 

In August, I'd rather camp than stay indoors, but outside of dog-friendly motel chains (Red Roof Inn is another good one besides what have already been mentioned) you can also seek out more unique accomodations. Here's one in Bisbee, AZ that I've always wanted to stay at (and the owner even has a BC!):

 

Sleep Dog Guest House

 

This place is on I-5 in Northern California, in a beautiful mountain setting, and it's pet friendly. You stay in your own railroad caboose, incredibly nicely restored. Definitely one of a kind (I *have* stayed here and will definitely go back):

 

Railroad Park Resort

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I don't think it has been mentioned on here yet but i always take some non-water handwash. The stuff that kills bugs on my hands with no water needed. I usually keep some on me whilst out and about with Holly anyway. Just in case she has an upset tummy and i have to clean it up. I don't need to go into details with that one though :D . Very handy though when messing about near the sea or playing ball in strange parkland then you want to eat. :D I am a bit of a worry wart really. lol :rolleyes:

 

The water thing i must admit even though here in the UK tap water is ok and at home we all drink it, i do get bottled for us all including Holly when on holiday. She has a delicate tummy anyway so it's not worth risking using the local water. It can really smell and taste quite different to at home in some places. :D

 

It is fantastic though to take your dog/dogs with you. We always do, if she can't go, we don't go. It is nice to read on here of so many BC's getting there holidays too. :D

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In August, I'd rather camp than stay indoors, but outside of dog-friendly motel chains (Red Roof Inn is another good one besides what have already been mentioned) you can also seek out more unique accomodations. Here's one in Bisbee, AZ that I've always wanted to stay at (and the owner even has a BC!):

 

Sleep Dog Guest House

 

This place is on I-5 in Northern California, in a beautiful mountain setting, and it's pet friendly. You stay in your own railroad caboose, incredibly nicely restored. Definitely one of a kind (I *have* stayed here and will definitely go back):

 

Railroad Park Resort

 

Thanks for the recommendations. I am SO going to the one in AZ! And the other is not too far (relatively speaking) from here either.

 

A couple of dog-friendly places I have stayed in NoCal:

 

Mar Vista, Mendocino

 

A little more upscale:

 

Tradewinds Carmel

 

The dogs loved both.

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In August a friend and I are driving from Georgia to Seattle, down to the south west and back. We are taking my bc with us. She is great in the car, and doesn't mind long trips. So I guess my question is, does anyone have any suggestions on things I might be forgetting to bring, or helpful hints for such a long trip? I think we are covered but there are always little things you remember once you are already gone! Also, if anyone has any suggestions for great dog friendly places please do tell!

They have those little fold up bowls that hold water,that is great for car trips. Our BC gets car sick about after 3 hours so we rarely take him on long trips...be safe and enjoy.....Rod/Edgewood New Mexico

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I don't think it has been mentioned on here yet but i always take some non-water handwash. The stuff that kills bugs on my hands with no water needed. I usually keep some on me whilst out and about with Holly anyway. Just in case she has an upset tummy and i have to clean it up.

In a similar vein, I always travel with baby wipes, a roll of paper towels, and a roll of toilet paper. The former two come in handy if your dog has accidents in the crate (and for personal clean up as well) and the latter is, well, pretty self-explanatory.

 

Oh, another reason I seek places other than rest stops to walk dogs: With 9 dogs and near a highway, I'd be forever walking dogs two or three at a time on leash. If I stop someplace off the beaten path (but not too far off), I can usually let everyone out at once, and that can be a real timesaver! I realize most people won't have that problem, but if you have several dogs, it is a consideration.

 

I also usually have a number of clean dog blankets with me, and will often spread these on the floor in a hotel room, especially if I'm "hotelling it" at a trial because I want to try to minimize the stuff the dogs might track onto the hotel room floor. I realize that the floors are vacuumed, but I figure the less mess I leave behind, the more likely hotels are to continue to welcome dogs.

 

J.

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I just drove to NJ and back with my three BCs. They were angels the whole time. The things that I took were:

 

1. food (I also looked online to see where I could buy their brand of food in nj in case I ran out)

2. toys (could not forget chuck it and frisbee)

3. collapsable water/food bowls

4. plenty of bottled water to give them on the way

5. pop up crates just in case I went somewhere where they couldn't be running around free (bought these at Target for $24.99 each) The downside is that Willow figured out how to unzip hers from the inside and Ginger just rolled across the floor in it like she was in a giant hamster ball.

6. brush and comb

7. vet records in case of emergency

8. first aid kit (lots of thorns in New Mexico!!!)

9. an extra leash in case I lost one

 

We stayed at Motel 6 all along the way. They are all over the place.

 

We had a lot of fun and the dogs were great travelers.

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We're getting closer to the start of our vacation.

 

- we just came back from the vet, where in exchange of $45 (office visit), we were given a certificate atesting he's as healthy as one can be (luckily there wasn't any psychological testing :rolleyes: )

- for $18 we got one dose of Frontline, for the Canadian mosquitos you guys warned me about

- will get all his vet records with us

- At people's suggestion I got him a new extra tag saying

Traveling from Colorado, USA

If found please call : my cell, Chris' cell, my SIL's phone

Reward if returned

- bought him a cool water bowl from Big Lots (love that place for cheap dog toys!) for $3 which is freezable - has some liquid in the plastic walls that allow you to put it in the freezer and keep his water cold for longer (what a neat idea, isn't it?!)

- will get him a smaller bag of his food to have for the trip

- I always have an extra leash - a 6 foot one, since he's always on the flexi leash of 26 feet, but he's chewed three of those last year, so i learned my lesson

 

And of couse now it's the time when he decided to act rebelious and disobey our recall. He did it once at the dog park yesterday, since we didn't stay as long as usual, and he wasn't going to take it just so easly. And once today to Chris, ran out of the dog run to greet the maintenance man, and Chris couldn't find him for 5 minutes, looked for him everywhere, at our apt, in the street, only to find a smiling Ouzo siting pretty in front of the gate to the dog park, waiting to be let in! Bastard! :D

 

Thanks everyone for all your priceless suggestions! It's so nice to know you can ask this group for anything you need to know, and you'll get detailed asnwers and suggestions! Love you guys!

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Anda, I hope you have a wonderful time on your trip. Canada is a great place to travel with dogs -- they are a lot more dog friendly. We bought Allie a bandana (for a Loonie :D ) up near Banff (it was over Canada Day weekend which you will probably encounter, as it is July 1st!). She proudly wore her "Canadog" bandana for a good portion of the trip when we were out in public. Be sure to take lots of pictures!

 

One thing, if you intend to visit multiple Canadian National Parks/Historic Sites it is well worth it to buy the annual National Parks pass. We did (of course, we did Waterton, Glacier, Jasper and Banff, but we were able to bypass a lot of crowds by flashing our annual pass in our window. :rolleyes: The line going through Banff on Canada Day was horrendous, but we were able to drive through a special fast lane because we had our season pass.

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And of couse now it's the time when he decided to act rebelious and disobey our recall. He did it once at the dog park yesterday, since we didn't stay as long as usual, and he wasn't going to take it just so easly. And once today to Chris, ran out of the dog run to greet the maintenance man, and Chris couldn't find him for 5 minutes, looked for him everywhere, at our apt, in the street, only to find a smiling Ouzo siting pretty in front of the gate to the dog park, waiting to be let in! Bastard! :D

 

 

:rolleyes: Little devil, hehe. Holly had a moment yesterday in the park/lake place we take her. She didn't run off but ignored the leave it - she wanted to eat those rabbit droppings!! Yuk :D

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