When you’re traveling, it’s often more expensive and troublesome to leave your beloved pooch behind rather than bringing him along. If you have to hit the road, there are a few things to remember when bringing man’s best friend along for the ride.
- If you’re planning a long journey to a different state, it’s important to take your dog to the vet before a trip to find out whether or not he is able to travel. Make sure he has up-to-date shots if you are traveling in an area where rabies may be present.
- Make sure your dog has up-to-date tags with your contact information. If he gets lost, the person who finds him will be able to return him back to you. Getting your dog microchipped costs very little and is the safest bet on getting your dog back. Remember that a frightened dog may slip his collar or lose his tags in his efforts to get back to you!
- You should also pack for your pooch. He’ll need food, bottled water, separate water and food bowls, toys, and treats for the road. Bring any medicine that he might need as well. Don’t forget doggy poop bags! You can get all these things from your local pet supply store, so make a stop before you leave for anything you might have forgotten.
- It’s good to make sure you have some type of vehicle restraint. From pet carriers to harnesses, which act as doggie seat belts, your dog will be safer in the vehicle if he is strapped in tightly. Here are 15 posts of dads absolutely adoring their pets after they refused to have them in the house.
- The most important safety tip we can give you is to never, ever transport your dog even a short distance in the back of a truck, restrained or not. Even a pet carrier in the bed of your truck is not safe in the event of a roll-over accident or rear-end collision.
- Keep in mind that animals can get car sick, so bring along medicine to prevent sickness.
- Never let your dog stick his head out of the window. Debris can get in his eyes or nose, or he can be stung by flying insects traveling at high speed!
- Never roll the window down more than a quarter, even in warm weather, if he spots another dog outside the car, even the largest dog can easily wiggle through a half-open window and be gone before you know it. If the car is moving, they may be badly injured in the fall or run over by the car directly behind you.
- Regulate the vehicle temperature and never leave your furry friend alone in the car, even for 10 minutes while you bump into a store. Temperatures inside a car parked in or near hot-sun can quickly rise to over 125 degrees in under five minutes, the temperature of the inside of an oven – which is enough to kill your dog in just a few minutes from heat-stroke.
- Need to stretch? So does your little furry pal! Let him get out of the car and use the bathroom frequently. Bear in mind the excitement of a car ride may make him pee more frequently.
- Last but not the least, clear the car out first, particularly if you’re putting the dog in the back of your car. Dogs love new objects and they love to chew, which could spell the end of your pooch if you leave him unattended with a bottle of anti-freeze. Before you leave, make a list of vets numbers in the town or state you’ll be traveling to, and call a vet or poison control immediately should your dog ingest any poisonous or toxic substances, even if they seem fine.
