What You Should Know Before Taking Your Dog on Vacation

Nobody likes leaving their pooch at home when on vacation. Sometimes it’s hard to find someone trustworthy to watch them (and sometimes hard to trust your dog in someone else’s home ;P ) and the right boarder can be hard to find or maybe very expensive. So why not take your beloved family member along? Here are some things to consider when deciding whether to bring’em or leave’em.

1) Immunizations/Health

Is your dog up to date on his/her immunizations? This is important whether you decided to bring them or leave them. If you are going to board them, they will require up to date immunizations. But, they should have them while traveling too as they might be exposed to other animals and different environments.
How healthy are they? Are they going to be able to keep up with your hikes or walks? Do they require shots or medications throughout the day? Are you going to be able to carry them if they are too tired or get overheated?
If your doggo is young and healthy, you probably don’t have much to worry about. But please take their health into consideration.

2) Type of Trip

You’ll need to consider what type of trip you’re taking. If your camping or doing a lot of outdoor activities, then taking them along is a good idea as you will likely not have to worry about restrictions bringing them along. If you are planning on going out to fancy resturaunts, late night clubbing, or lots of indoor activities; you might want to reconsider. Not a lot of places will let you bring along a dog unless its a certified service animal. Do your research or call ahead and see if places you are wanting to visit allow non service animals or not.

3) Accommodations

Are you wanting to stay in a hotel(s)? If so, you need to make sure they allow it and if they have an additional pet fee. Same goes for a lot of AirBNB properties. It seems a lot of them do allow dogs/pets, however, expect to pay not only an extra pet fee that could be additional $20-$50 per night but also a pet cleaning fee. I have seen them for up to $150.
If you are doing the camper/van life or just tent camping, this shouldn’t be as much of an issue for you however, some campgrounds don’t allow pets or may only allow pets if you have an RV and still may require an additional fee.

4) Temperament

Is your dog well-behaved? Does he/she have accidents when left alone? Do they get along well with other dogs? Do they bark at every little thing? Are they very protective or overprotective of you? This is very important to consider. If you’ve trained your dog well then this shouldn’t be an issue but still something to ponder based on what your vacation plans are. If you are going to be in hotels or AirBNBs and plan to leave them even just for a few hours, make sure they aren’t the type of dog that starts to chew or urinate when they are anxious and left alone in an unfamiliar place. You can always get collapsable crates to take along with you if you are unsure. It might be good to test this out by staying at a friends house or a cheap rental nearby and using an indoor security camera that you can monitor their behavior. I bought this camera off Amazon for a nice price and I love it!

It hooks up to WiFi so you can have a live feed of your pet’s actions. You can add a microSD card as well and be able to record hours of footage. It even has a feature that you can talk to your pet through the camera! You can take this along on your vacation as well to help monitor your pet while you are out.

5) Transportation

Consider how you are planning to get to your destination. Is it far enough that you have to fly? If so, is your pup small enough to fit on your lap? Large dogs may not be allowed on certain flights or airlines. You also are very likely to have to pay an extra fee. Southwest charges $95 each way per pet carrier. The airlines are also allowed to deny your pet to board if they feel it is engaging in disruptive behavior such as excessive barking or scratching and aggressive behavior.
If you are planning on driving, remember to plan for extra time getting to your destination as your pet will likely need to relieve him/herself or just need to get out and stretch their legs. You also may want to invest in a pet vehicle hammock that will protect the interior of your car and can be easily removed and cleaned in case your pet has an accident or gets sick. Something like this, will be helpful.

Make sure your pet has plenty of room to sit, lay down, or even move about a little. They need to be just as comfortable as you are!

6) Identification

This is really important. Make sure your pet can be easily identified. A collar with their name, your name, and contact information is a good start but it also may be best to get them microchipped as well since pets don’t typically have distinctive features within their breed and can be difficult to identify, especially if their collar is missing or has been taken off. Microchipping is not too expensive these days and a lot of Humane Societies that offer vet services can do this pretty cheap.

I hope this has helped you with the difficult decision on whether to leave or take your furbaby along or not. If you already decided to, I hope this helped you remember things to do and prepare for!

Happy vacationing!