Many people consider their animals to be part of the family, so they often want to take their animals along with them on vacations. Millions of animals make journeys with their owners every year. Your reasons for traveling with your pets may be re-location to another city or just for a short weekend trip or longer vacation. Moving from Lilburn, GA to Savannah GA is very different then moving from Lilburn, GA to Hawaii. There are a lot of considerations.
Traveling can be highly stressful, both for you and your animal companions. With thoughtful preparation, you can ensure a safe and comfortable trip for everyone.
When planning a road trip, traveling with a pet involves more than just loading the animal in the back seat and motoring off-especially if you will be driving long distances or plan to be away for a long time.
What are your options?
It’s tempting to want to bring your pet with you, but you have to consider that some animals aren’t suited to travel due to temperament, illness or physical impairment.
Putting their interests first: The most humane approach is to think of the animal’s (not your) needs first. You may think that your dog won’t be able to tolerate separation from you and that taking him is a good idea. But if you are vacationing, will you have to leave him in a hotel room or strange kennel? That will make him more anxious than ever, so finding a pet-sitter and leaving him in his own home would probably be a better choice.
Cats do not enjoy change and taking them on trips is usually not a good idea. Unless you are moving or going away for an extended period, get a pet-sitter so that your cat will not have to experience the stress of riding for hours or days in a crate and adjust to a new, temporary living arrangement.
Animals’ temperaments, how well they travel and other important travel logistics must be considered before packing up and heading out on a trip.
- Think about how your pet travels on short trips around town.
- Next, write down how well your pet did when you took a short vacation.
- Did your pets travel well in the car if you were driving?
- How frequently did you need to stop along the way for your pet?
Your end destination and how long you will be gone may determine if you are going to take your pets with you or not on the trip. If you are visiting friends and family be sure to check before deciding to travel with your pet to see if your friends or family can accommodate your animals.
Here are some questions to ask them when making arrangements:
- Does anyone at the destination have an allergy to your kind of pet?
- Do they have a fenced yard?
- How close is the place where you could walk or exercise your pet?
- Are there animals in the home that may not get along with your animal’s?
- What things have they planned to do after you arrive and would those activities include your pet?
From my book “Pet Travel Tips”. Let me know what you think. It can be purchased at Pet Travel Tips.
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