Dog is my copilot
It's not always easy to take your furry buddy with you on the road, but it's always an adventure
That’s my dog. We were at a pet-friendly hotel on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and I had to run out for a little while. I left him on the bed, but this is where he was when I returned. Well, they are pack animals.
I’ve never flown with a dog, but I’ve taken my dog on road trips. I also have a cat, but, like most cats, he’s not a big fan of traveling. The internet is full of videos of cats out skiing and surfing and rappelling with their people, but those are Adventure Cats, and they are a rare breed. In general, cats are rooted to their home, while dogs are rooted to their pack. A cat likes familiar surroundings, whereas a dog doesn’t really care where she is or where she’s going as long as she’s got her fam with her.
I did travel with a cat once. When I was a kid, my parents rented an RV and we spent a week lumbering around in it. I can’t remember where we went, but I remember we did bring our indoor cat because we had boarded our previous cat while we went on vacation, and she caught a respiratory infection at the kennel and died, causing massive trauma to my young self and therefore to my parents—so this kitty was coming with.
The high point of the trip was the night my father was awakened by thumping and flapping noises. He lay paralyzed with growing horror as he realized that (1) there was a bat in the RV, (2) if it woke up the wife or the kid, or actually touched them in any way, there would be catastrophic panic and violence, and (3) the cat, who was loose somewhere in the darkness like a very small leopard, would naturally want to catch it, potentially contracting rabies and OH GOD ANOTHER DEAD CAT.
None of these dire scenarios came to pass. Ninja Dad stalked the bat, caught it in a towel, and released it outside without incident. I slept through the whole thing. But I have never again attempted to travel with a cat. I buy my friends dinner and invite them to enjoy my good scotch when they come to feed and water my cat and scoop his litterbox until I come home. He always gives me a good scolding, but at least I know he’s safe.
My dog is great in the car, but not every dog is. Some get carsick. I am blessed to have a dog who reclines quietly on the seat, keeps his breakfast on the inside and even emits a few discreet whimpers when he needs a potty stop. The only thing I wish he wouldn’t do is Houdini out of his car harness, which brings me to my first important tip: Your dog shouldn’t be unrestrained in the car. If you have an accident, can you imagine how you’ll feel if your dog gets smashed through a window or panics and runs out onto the highway? Not to mention the fact that an untethered 50-pound animal makes a terrifying projectile within the car; nobody wants to get hit with a 65-mph golden retriever.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to find a car harness that’s actually crash-tested and reliable. You want one that attaches to a seat belt, so that the belt locks on impact and the dog is held in place by a harness that distributes the force over his whole chest. Good harnesses are not cheap, and they’re not always easy to work with—I almost bought one that had no way to attach a leash to it for those vital potty stops!
You may want to travel with your dog but feel unsure what to do with Luna or Bear when you get where you’re going—or where that should even be. A good starter trip, if you’re new at this, is to visit a dog-friendly friend. I took my dog to visit friends in another city; they didn’t have a dog, but after our visit, they adopted one of their own.
I’ve even taken my dog abroad. We drove up to Canada; I was surprised at how easy it was. Of course he was up to date on all his shots, and I brought a folder with the receipts and certificates to prove it, along with my adoption certificate that proves that he’s mine and not holding me hostage, and his certificate of neutering that proves I’m not planning to outrage any nice Canadian dogs with my scruffy American mutt. Nobody every looked at his paperwork. Both going and coming back, everyone seemed satisfied with my answer to “Is that your dog?”
There are dog-friendly beaches, if your dog is a water-loving pup, and if your dog likes hiking with you, that’s a good vacation activity. If you’re not staying in a friend’s home, there are dog-friendly hotels, and AirBnB and Vrbo have dog-friendly rentals with yards—but be careful: Dog-friendly accommodations, particularly hotels, come with significant caveats, and it always pays to shop around and call properties to confirm what the rules and fees are before you commit.
Many kinds of Marriott properties allow dogs, and Loews and Kimpton hotels positively welcome them. Luxury properties offer treats, dog beds, and even special room service menus (!), but the most important considerations are more basic:
What is the pet charge? Is it per night or per stay? Is it a nonrefundable fee or a refundable deposit that you get back if your dog behaves and doesn’t poop on the ottoman?
Is there a weight restriction? Some hotels will accept only smaller pups.
Must the dog be traveling with a crate? Many hotels require dogs to be crated if they are left alone in the room, for the safety of maids and other hotel staff who prefer not to be mauled, tackled or barked at if they need to enter the room in your absence. Some hotels actually require that you never leave the dog alone in the room at all, which makes meals a bit of a challenge.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to research these considerations before you show up at 10 p.m. with a carload of canine, because you do NOT want to be surprised. Even within the same chain, “pet-friendly” hotel policies vary widely, and the hotel website may not be a definitive source of information.
Summer and warm climates will furnish dog-friendly outdoor eating possibilities, but cooler climates and seasons may really limit your dining options. Breweries are always worth checking; many are dog-friendly, and though they don’t all have a kitchen and serve food, food trucks may be on site. There are even dog-friendly brewery-hotels, which is pretty much where I want to go when I die. Again, doing research in advance—including a phone call to double-check—will set you and your pup up for success.
Some of your dog’s things may be too big or cumbersome to take on a trip—nobody wants to travel with a 40-pound bag of kibble, for example—so you may want to look into the clever doggy travel supplies available from your favorite purveyor. Everybody has stuff—Chewy, Petco, PetSmart, Amazon, Kurgo, RuffWear—and, if you’re like me, the hard part is not buying more cool collapsible water bottle/bowls, hiking jackets, luggage, and so on than you actually need. I’d say the most important things to have on hand are safety equipment (restraints) for the car, a bottle of water, a container of food (mine has bowls attached), and some old towels for spills, drying off, and to spread on the hotel bed if your pup plans to sleep in it with you. (A clean one for that, obviously.)
Finally, a source of much more inspiration and advice than I can hope to give you in one newsletter: BringFido.com. Not only is BringFido a useful listing of dog-friendly hotels worldwide, with deets on policies and prices and ratings in bones (not sure your friends will understand if you tell them you stayed in a five-bone hotel last night), but it also features restaurants, activities (dog beaches, parks, resorts), events (Dog Days at a sculpture garden in Milwaukee, a doggy Night Out in Mesa, Arizona, a Yappy Hour in Washington, D.C.), services (pet-sitting, boutiques, training), and a blog jam-packed with questions answered, best lists, and a weekly deal. There’s even a whole article on whether or not you should let your dog sleep in a hotel bed with you, with comments ranging from insightful to possibly actionable. As for me, I prefer not to discuss my sleeping arrangements with the internet …