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Posts Tagged ‘routes’

  1. Route Planning For Your Dog

    September 14, 2013 by admin

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    Part of our Continuing Series on Traveling With Pets

    Once you’ve gotten your car all packed for a road trip with the pup, you need to consider your travel route.  While this may seem daunting, it’s actually quite easy.  After a few adventures, planning will become as natural as any other part of the journey.

    When considering a car ride with your dog, think about how long of a trip you are taking.  The longer the trip, the more extra thought your pup requires.  Ponder these questions:  when will your dog eat? drink? get exercise? relax in nature?

    Whether you prefer an online map, an atlas, or a folded paper map- your best bet is to check your route for a park along the way.  We like to search in two or three-hour intervals for a stopping place—you may have to stop more often if you have an older dog, or a puppy (when Moo was a pup, we stopped every 30 or 45 minutes to let her out.)  A few stops built into the trip and your dog can go potty, get a drink of water, and maybe have a bite to eat.

    Many of these stops will bring you into towns you might not have noticed before and give you a chance to see natural sights you may have otherwise missed.

    Tip: Your car can get hot very quick.  Never leave your dog alone in the car!

    We do a short bit of internet research on each selected stop before we leave to make sure that dogs are permitted, and where they can go off leash.  Giving your dog a chance to get her run-on will help keep her happy and help her sleep when back in the car.

    Things to pack in your car:

    • A water/food bowl:  we use one metal bowl for both purposes.
    • A container of food
    • A bottle of water: ours is a half gallon size- plenty of water is important!
    • Chew toys for the ride: we have a hard ‘chew bone’ that stays in the car and helps our pup relax.
    • Toss toys for stops at parks.
    • Check our complete dog packing list HERE.

     

    You not only get a great travelling companion with your dog in the car, but an added reason to check out some parks and natural areas that you might have driven right by on the interstate.