5 Favorite Summer Travel Tips for People and Pets

Do you travel with your pet? Even in a big city, we see creative ways people like to travel with their dog. Besides the expected service dogs on the MUNI bus or BART train, we are seeing more people around town accompanied by their pooch, like this little guy riding in a bicycle basket.

With Memorial Day brings the official launch of summer vacations and long weekends away. Traveling with family members takes a little planning to make sure everyone has a good time. If you take your four-legged best friend with you, be sure and consider these five tips:

• Bring a water bowl that your dog is familiar with, besides extra water.
• Pack a blanket that smells like your home and dog, it adds comfort emotionally and physically.
• Call ahead to any place you plan to stay for their current pet policy: ask about a weight limit, extra fee and any restrictions.
• Just like with people, plan pit stops for potty breaks along your route.
• Bring healthy snacks for both human and dog: carrot sticks, apple slices and green beans can be a nice addition to cookies.

Those are some of my favorite little ideas that can make a big difference. However, another essential for traveling with your buddy is bringing along a copy of your dog's current vaccination records. We also have a list of emergency numbers on our cell phones. The last thing you want to panic over is finding the Animal Poison Control Center's 24-hour hotline. We have Cleo's most important numbers set up as a separate contact in our address book on our cell phones and on our laptops.

If you are not traveling out of town, don't forget that summer in the city also means hot cars and pavement. Touch the ground with your bare hand before letting Fido go on their afternoon walk. If it is too hot for you, then it will be too hot for their tender paws.

If you take your dog with you in the car, please please please, park in the shade and keep your windows cracked out for fresh cool air. However, when in doubt, leave your precious furry cargo at home.

More great travel resources:

Go Pet Friendly Pet Travel - lots of tips!

FIDO Friendly Magazine and their Blog online - great information!

Animal Poison Control Center's 24-hour hotline at (888) 426-4435

Comments

[Peggy @Peggy's Pet Place]

We have a cool dog canteen that has an attached bowl that folds out. Very handy too!

[Pup Fan]

Great tips... thanks!

[Tony Collazo]

So here's a post all traveling pet owners should read, like mondatory reading! Sometimes when we leave on our road trips with our dogs it's double the getting ready due to our dogs, it's just part of traveling. Great post!