Travel with a dog or what?

[DawnM]

We have a long time to figure this out, so I thought I would start by asking thoughts here.

 

There is a strong possibility we will be driving from the East Coast to the West Coast for a long visit, probably 3-4 weeks, including drive times, visiting family, and going back to SoCal to visit friends and where we used to live.

 

So......it will be here and there, and not anywhere consistent.

 

That is a long time to leave a dog, even with someone coming in to feed her and let her out.  She will be really lonely.  IN the past, we had 2 dogs, and they could play.  We never left them more than 10 days though.

 

How do we take her with us?  We don't want to stay in dive hotels, or even in small hotels.  There are 5 of us, 3 teen boys.  It is not easy to stay in a small place.

 

And many days we hope to be out and about, not necessarily to dog friendly places (museums, etc...)

 

Here are my questions:

 

1.  Would you find a boarding facility that is more open and feel comfortable leaving a dog there for 4 weeks?

 

2.  How much would you pay someone to stay with her in our house?  (I would actually love it if someone could watch her at their house, but so far we don't know anyone willing to do that, but if we did, would the amount to pay still be the same?.)

 

3.  Or would you still find a way to take her along?

 

 

 

 

[mommyoffive]

I don't know what I would do.  The cost of boarding her would be a lot I bet.

 

I do know that Homewood suites takes dogs.  And you can get 2 bedrooms, 2 bath and a living room and kitchen.  2 queens, 1 king and a pullout.  That might be enough room for everyone.

[Um_2_4]

My parents and I use to take long trips in the summer, driving all over. I would not take any animal through that. Especially since you will be changing locales often, doing "touristy" stuff and visiting friends who may not have pet friendly homes (allergies, no fences, landlords that do not allow pets?). We've had plans to reach xxx city, but bad weather or construction made us stop in yyy city, what if they have no pet friendly rooms? (Back in my youth it was looking for smoke free rooms for my dad's allergies).

We paid someone to spend time with them daily. If you can find someone to house sit, even better for that long. We will leave DS's cockatiel with friends when we leave and have friends house sit (maybe not sleep here, but come and hang out often so it is not empty 100%).

[Mama Geek]

Extended Stay and Candlewood Suites both take dogs.  If your dog is up on bordetalla, it isn't hard to find a doggie daycare most places for a day.  I would take the dog with you.  Also look at dogfriendly.com  They have hotels, attractions, outdoor restaurants, information on parks etc that accept dogs all across the country.

 

I have spend 6 weeks on the road with a dog traveling across the country and through parts of Canada.  It wasn't really that hard.

[kitten18]

There's a lot of chain hotels that allow dogs. We've stayed at Residence Inn several times with our dogs. We like those kind of extended stay/suite type hotels anyway.

[Pawz4me]

Many hotels are dog friendly nowadays, not just the dumps.

 

A good boarding kennel is going to be a substantial cost for that period of time.

 

I'd either take her along or find someone to stay with her. Leaving a dog in a strange environment (especially a boarding kennel) with strangers is extremely stressful to them.

[zoobie]

I wouldn't take the dog because that would be a stressful pain to me on vacation. Boarding for that long alone doesn't sound ideal either. Our dogs really like our kennel, and they go together, but 3-4 weeks would be a really long time. I'd look for a house sitter or someone who would dogsit in their home.

[barnwife]

Disclaimer: I am not a dog person.

I wouldn't want to have to think about finding dog friendly places everywhere. Furthermore, if you will be staying in people's houses, will they want the dog there? 

My sister has a dog. My parents are not dog people. At all. And yet, she consistently brings her dog. My parents would love to say "no," but they are afraid that then she just wouldn't visit at all. So they put up with a dog in their house. (While I realize that's their choice, I am using it as an example that everyone may not love it. It just seems so rude to me that a dog owner would have an "of course people won't mind my dog" attitude.)

I would start looking for a house/dog sitter now.

[ktgrok]

I think you need to take the dog, stay in dog friendly hotels, and look up dog daycare places/boarding places where you will be, for when you are at hotels, etc. Or be ready to pay a lot for someone to stay at your house with the dog. 

[heartlikealion]

Think outside the box? Rent an RV??

 

I don't know, that's a tough one. And you probably wouldn't want to sleep in the RV, so I don't know if you'd want the dog to sleep in there alone, either.

[Guest]

I would not take the dog. I'd get a pet sitter for sure.

 

Actually what *I* would do is ship my dog to my SIL to take care of. But... not really a viable option for you :laugh:

 

You can't leave dogs in dog-friendly hotels if you're not there.

[kitten18]

I would not take the dog. I'd get a pet sitter for sure.

 

Actually what *I* would do is ship my dog to my SIL to take care of. But... not really a viable option for you :laugh:

 

You can't leave dogs in dog-friendly hotels if you're not there.

When we lived close (3.5 hours away) we would have our dog go to my parents house while we were away. They loved him, especially my mom, he was her baby.

 

When my BIL lived closer to us he would always drive his dogs to our house and then fly out of an airport close to us.

 

 

We also had a pet/house sitter once for about two weeks. She was our babysitter, in college, about 20 years old. That was about 10 years ago. I paid her about $35/day plus I left her a couple hundred dollars for food.

[MercyA]

IMO, 3-4 weeks is way too long to leave a dog in a boarding kennel, even a nice one. My dog was always super stressed by even a day or two.

 

We have stayed in nice hotels with a dog many times. We always left our dog in the hotel room, inside a fold up pen, with a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. I came back to the hotel once during the afternoon to let him out. He understood the arrangement quickly and knew we would come back. I don't think he always knew that at a kennel.  :( It probably helped that all our "stuff" was in the room with him.  

 

If you hire someone to come to your home and take care of your dog, please be sure they are very responsible and take time to play with and snuggle with your dog. She's going to be very lonely (not trying to guilt trip you; it's just a fact). 

 

You could try dogvacay.com if you want to hire someone to care for your dog in their home. I have no experience with it, but I'm sure it would be more pleasant than a kennel. The sitters usually have pets of their own as well. However, your dog may still wonder if you're coming back for her!

[MercyA]

You can't leave dogs in dog-friendly hotels if you're not there.

 

I've done it many times and never had a single complaint. Maybe it's against the rules at some places?

[Ausmumof3]

I'd look for an in home care type place. I have friends who run one and the dogs are very well cared for - hour long walks every day and separate areas for each dog to run around freely, never more than four or so dogs at a time so they all get individual attention. Far nicer than any of the kennels.

[DawnM]

I know you guys are mentioning pet friendly hotels, but I know that Marriotts, like Residence Inn, charge $150 per stay. So, you stay one night with a dog, an additional $150. You stay 2 weeks with a dog, an additional $150.

 

Since we will be in a lot of different places, we would be paying A LOT of money!

 

Which ones don't have additional fees, or have fees that aren't really high?

 

Thanks.

[Mama Geek]

I know you guys are mentioning pet friendly hotels, but I know that Marriotts, like Residence Inn, charge $150 per stay. So, you stay one night with a dog, an additional $150. You stay 2 weeks with a dog, an additional $150.

 

Since we will be in a lot of different places, we would be paying A LOT of money!

 

Which ones don't have additional fees, or have fees that aren't really high?

 

Thanks.

Dogfriendly.com gives a pretty good idea if pets can stay free or not.  Check the areas you are wanting to stay in and see what hotels are there that are dog friendly and then click on the hotel.  It will tell you if there is a fee or not and will give you a ball park idea of what the fee is...do check with the hotel because they go by people providing the information not the hotels and things may change without them knowing it.  It is a good guide.  

[Mama Geek]

Disclaimer: I am not a dog person.

 

I wouldn't want to have to think about finding dog friendly places everywhere. Furthermore, if you will be staying in people's houses, will they want the dog there? 

 

My sister has a dog. My parents are not dog people. At all. And yet, she consistently brings her dog. My parents would love to say "no," but they are afraid that then she just wouldn't visit at all. So they put up with a dog in their house. (While I realize that's their choice, I am using it as an example that everyone may not love it. It just seems so rude to me that a dog owner would have an "of course people won't mind my dog" attitude.)

 

I would start looking for a house/dog sitter now.

If we stay with friends or family not fond of dogs we either tie the dog outside and spend then spend a fair amount of time walking him or playing with him outside or often they don't mind if the dog is in a garage.  Usually if you don't insist on the dog coming in, most people in our circles are fine with us bringing our dog. 

[kitten18]

I know you guys are mentioning pet friendly hotels, but I know that Marriotts, like Residence Inn, charge $150 per stay. So, you stay one night with a dog, an additional $150. You stay 2 weeks with a dog, an additional $150.

 

Since we will be in a lot of different places, we would be paying A LOT of money!

 

Which ones don't have additional fees, or have fees that aren't really high?

 

Thanks.

The Residence Inns that we stayed at (for 1 night each) were $25 per dog.

[JFSinIL]

Does your vet board animals?  Our vet has a nice couple rooms for cats and dogs they know (and love).  They get lots of attention.  

 

If you do take doggie with you, take a copy of his shot record from the vet, too.  Places may want proof he is up-to-date on everything.  Plus get the bordetella shot if haven't already.  And maybe vet can recommend some doggie motion sickness meds, just in case?

Edited September 26, 2016 by JFSinIL

[catz]

Do you have any friends with dogs that might be willing to do an exchange?  Might it be a good fit for a college student in your area for not too much to stay in house and possibly still be able to work another job?  I would definitely not take the dog.  Having done long x-c trips it's really nice to have some flexibility about your sight seeing and where you are going to stay.

[DawnM]

Do you have any friends with dogs that might be willing to do an exchange?  Might it be a good fit for a college student in your area for not too much to stay in house and possibly still be able to work another job?  I would definitely not take the dog.  Having done long x-c trips it's really nice to have some flexibility about your sight seeing and where you are going to stay.

Not yet. We are thinking about any possible options.

[DawnM]

The Residence Inns that we stayed at (for 1 night each) were $25 per dog.

Really? That I would pay.

[Lanny]

I would take my dog with me and you will not need to stay in dives. I never boarded my dog for more than 2 weeks.

[lewber]

I would be so sad to leave our dog for that long! But I don't think I could take him either. Depending on the dog, ours would be a lot of work. We took him once for a week trip and he was more work than fun. We were gone and busy all day and then when we would get back he still needed walked. We were in a friend's house so we crated him while we were gone. I'm not sure if it was better or not.

We have a great teenage boy that stays with him now. He hangs out at our house and takes him for walks. We trust him explicitly and sometimes he even brings friends over to watch a game or a movie, I feel like that's about the best I can do. But I still feel guilty the whole time! To me, It's the hardest part about having a dog.

[Pam in CT]

We take our dog all over the place.

 

Many Starwood (Sheraton, Westin, aLoft, Element) properties allow dogs -- here's a list -- without charging.  Most (maybe all?) Homewood Suites and Embassy Suites do too, but they do charge -- the one's we've used charge $75 a stay, which if you're staying a week is quite reasonable but if you're moving every night as you cross the country it adds up fast.  We've had very good experiences at aLofts (where the kids can play billiards and jumbo-sized electronic games! and you can hang with the dog in the lobby, where you can eat off the bar food menu.  Elements are like Homewood Suites with small kitchens.  Generally speaking you can't take dogs into restaurants so you have to think that part through.  (Sometimes outdoors restaurants do allow dogs, if you're traveling when the weather is good.)

 

We've also taken the dog on RVs.  It works well with the dog (better than leaving the dog in a hotel room, which some hotels forbid you to do b/c noise; and again you can eat without worrying ) but it works better as a destination that a mode of interstate travel -- finding campsites takes you far off the highway.

 

Long road trips with dogs are definitely doable, just take more planning.

 

The main thing though, as pp have noted, is do your friends and family really want your dog along with you.  They may have allergies, skittish kids, OCD housecleaning standards, whatever.  Even so it still might make sense, with the plan of boarding the dog for just a few days at a kennel at a particular destination.

[poppy]

You could go look at dogvacay.com for an in-home sitter.  I've left my dog for 8 days in the past and it was $35/day or $30/day for stays of 7 days or longer....... you could probably negotiate a lower fee for an extended stay.

 

I love my dog but I wouldn't want to have to plan every day around making sure she got enough exercise ... but my dog is a big lab who gets antsy if she's not walked a couple miles a day.  Maybe a bitty dog would be a lot easier.

[kitten18]

Really? That I would pay.

I hope it hasn't changed.

It looks like they charge different fees all over the county.

One that we stayed at two years in a row was in Grand Junction, CO.

 

This lists fees for a bunch of hotels in Grand Junction.

Hope this works.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hotelplanner.com/Hotels/2122-Pet-Friendly-Hotels-in-Grand-Junction-CO%3famp=1&ampmode=1?client=safari

[kitten18]

You could go look at dogvacay.com for an in-home sitter. I've left my dog for 8 days in the past and it was $35/day or $30/day for stays of 7 days or longer....... you could probably negotiate a lower fee for an extended stay.

 

I love my dog but I wouldn't want to have to plan every day around making sure she got enough exercise ... but my dog is a big lab who gets antsy if she's not walked a couple miles a day. Maybe a bitty dog would be a lot easier.

I've never used that dogvacay but I think it's an awesome idea. My parents would have loved that. They didn't want a full time dog of their own but they loved it when dogs would come visit.

[DawnM]

You could go look at dogvacay.com for an in-home sitter.  I've left my dog for 8 days in the past and it was $35/day or $30/day for stays of 7 days or longer....... you could probably negotiate a lower fee for an extended stay.

 

I love my dog but I wouldn't want to have to plan every day around making sure she got enough exercise ... but my dog is a big lab who gets antsy if she's not walked a couple miles a day.  Maybe a bitty dog would be a lot easier.

Maybe I can ask around at church too. There might be an older teen or college student who would like to be on his/her own a bit but have local parents who would make sure things are taking care of.

[AK_Mom4]

Two years ago we had to travel for three and a half weeks. I hired a house sitter (college student) to move in while we were gone and ca for two dogs and a cat. $600 and well worth every penny since the animals could not go with us and cat is really too old to be boarded happily.

 

If you have to leave the dog, look for a live in sitter. Our two dogs were happy because they had some one there with them at night and the old cat had a lap every evening.

[foxbridgeacademy]

We took our dog with us on long moves and long camping trips but he's a Chihuahua. We just left him in the hotel, with food, water, and a potty pad, while out and about.  We were at a Ramada Inn for 4 or 5 weeks and it was a pain but the cost of boarding would have been at least $500 to $800. I think if I had the $$ to spend I'd get a house sitter.

[Joules]

My sister uses http://www.bringfido.com to find dog friendly places.  She also used to keep a copy of the AAA PetBook in her car:

http://www.aaa.com/petbook/ . Though with smartphones, I don't know if it is as useful now.

 

Since you are moving so much, I don't know if it would help, but we've been finding AirBnB and VRBOs that are dog friendly.  Our last vacation we had a small fenced backyard in downtown Asheville.

 

I don't think I'd do a kennel.  I would pay for someone to stay at the house, or someone to keep her at their house.  Is she a specific breed?  Maybe a local rescue could put you in touch with someone who would love to have an extra for a month.

[Pawz4me]

We have an RV and our dogs always come with us. Previously we had a Brittany and a beagle, and now a Shih Tzu. The Tzu is easy peasy to travel with--we got him as a puppy and so he got used to it at a young age. We didn't get the RV until our previous dogs were well into middle age but they acclimated to it very easily and absolutely loved traveling. Most dogs don't care where they're at as long as their family (their pack) is with them. OTOH, being separated is incredibly stressful for them (especially for the first few days) and being plunked down in a kennel or other unfamiliar surrounding is even more stressful.

 

If you decide to take her with you you'll want to make sure she's up to date on all her vaccinations and bring several copies of her current vet (vaccine) record with you. You'll also want to bring several copies of her rabies vaccination certificate. That's the document you're most likely to be asked to provide. A rabies tag is not legal proof of vaccination! You have to have the certificate that has been signed by a vet, has a description of the dog, the maker and batch number of the rabies vaccine given, etc. If you don't have her current one your vet can make a copy for you. Make sure she has an ID tag with cell phone numbers and maybe also another number (someone back home or some of your family in CA). Assuming she's been microchipped you'll want to make sure you have the contact info for the registry and her ID number. Out of an abundance of caution you could go ahead and upload a current photo to the microchip maker's site. You'll want to bring along the food she's used to eating, of course. Out of an abundance of caution I always use bottled water for the dogs when we're traveling. For dogs who have any tendency toward easily upset tummies just the frequent change of drinking water can do it. A gallon of water is less than a dollar, so it's not a big expense.

 

A microfiber dog towel is a good thing to have. At some point you'll probably have to stop and walk her when it's wet and you'll want something to wipe her off with. A microfiber towel dries quickly, and if it gets dirty from wiping muddy feet you can wash it out in a sink.

 

I'd take along some pee pads. They can be used for SO many things. If she gets wet or muddy you can spread out a couple of them for her to lay on until she dries. If you stop for a picnic lunch at a rest stop and the table is less than clean -- spread out some pee pads.Got out to sight see and everybody has wet, muddy shoes? Put pee pads down to help keep your car mats clean. Suspect your car is leaking something? Put a pee pad under it and weight it down with some rocks. You'll be able to tell if anything is leaking. And certainly not least of all, I'd take some in case she gets an upset tummy. They work very well for "catching" vomit.

 

Traveling with two adults, three teens and a dog for that long -- I'm guessing the logistics of getting every body and your luggage in your vehicle may be a challenge.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Pawz4me

[kewb]

I would find a live in pet sitter. That is a long time to travel with the dog when you're staying in hotels.

[DawnM]

We have an RV and our dogs always come with us.

Traveling with two adults, three teens and a dog for that long -- I'm guessing the logistics of getting every body and your luggage in your vehicle may be a challenge.

We have considered renting an RV or getting some kind of trailer.

 

We have an SUV, Sequoia, and for long trips we take one of the back seats out so luggage will fit. We also have one of those grate hitch things for the back to hold some additional things.

 

This summer we all went to MI for a week. We didn't use the luggage hitch and we took the dog. But we left the dog at DH's mom's house while we stayed in a hotel.

[J-rap]

I'm a dog person all the way, but I wouldn't bring my dog on this trip.  It sounds like a special family trip where you'll be doing lots of things, seeing lots of friends, and going to lots of different places.  I think having a dog along would make it more difficult for so many reasons.  For example, you can't stop spontaneously and eat lunch at a little roadside cafe or visit a museum that you just discovered, because you wouldn't want to leave your dog in a hot car.  Many hotels really do only allow you to have your dog in the room with you if you're there.  Even if they do allow it, he may bark a lot.  Or, you'll have to constantly think about heading back to the hotel in the middle of your day to let him out.  What if friends you're visiting or staying with don't want a dog at their house when you're spending a long day there with them and had planned to bring him?  Etc.

 

We've left our dogs for a month before.  Once it was at a boarding facility in the countryside, which was very nice.  They only took on a few dogs at a time and he was always in a large area, and they let him run every day.  (It was in a rural area so not as pricy as inner-city ones I've seen.)  It was close to my parents' home so they would actually drive up and visit him on weekends.   :)  Another time we left a dog with a good friend whose family is farmers.  He got to wander around with them all day on their farm land and and sleep in their house at night.  Another time we had a college student stay at our house.  The student was actually looking for an apt. to rent in our town for the summer, so we worked out a deal where he stayed at our house for free and took care of our animals.  It was an even exchange and everyone was happy.  Once, my dd was hired to stay in someone's house for a month to take care of their dog and their house.  That one was not an even exchange because it was a real hassle for her!  ha  It was way out of her way -- a long drive from her school and her job, and they were very particular about when the dog needed to be let out and fed.  (It had to be at an exact time.)  (They paid her $500 for the month although she said she wouldn't do it again!)

 

More recently, one of my dd's began leaving her dog in a private home through rover.com.  So if you can find nothing else, I'd do something like that.  She has had only really great experiences with them.  She usually ends up paying around $30/day, and the person caring for her dog generally sends her little text message updates daily, often with photos.  You could do something like that, maybe trying them out a couple times for a weekend ahead of time so you get to know them and your dog gets comfortable there.

Edited September 27, 2016 by J-rap

[Pawz4me]

We have considered renting an RV or getting some kind of trailer.

 

We have an SUV, Sequoia, and for long trips we take one of the back seats out so luggage will fit. We also have one of those grate hitch things for the back to hold some additional things.

 

This summer we all went to MI for a week. We didn't use the luggage hitch and we took the dog. But we left the dog at DH's mom's house while we stayed in a hotel.

 

It's been many years since we looked into renting an RV, but for a cross country trip for that length of time and considering what the gas would cost you -- I don't think it would be feasible financially. At least not from one of the national RV rental places. It's possible you could find a local place or a private person to rent one from for a lot less. But if you could find a good deal on an RV rental, ate a lot of your meals in it . . . I don't know?

 

One thing to keep in mind is that you can't normally travel as fast in an RV as a smaller vehicle, especially until you get the hang of driving one. Even then it's really not usually safe to travel as fast as a car due to handling and braking issues in a bigger, heavier vehicle. It also takes longer to get fuel--you can't whip an RV into just any station. So I wouldn't plan on being able to travel as far per day in an RV. 450 is really our max and that's a long day and we've been RV'ing for eight or nine years now. For us that's about the equivalent of a 700 mile day in a car.

[Desert Strawberry]

Our dogs travel with us.

They are small, and they travel well. Both are crate trained. We put their crates on the floor by the doors of the van, and pop them out for a quick walk at every stop. They are so quiet, I have forgotten we even had them with us. 

We stay at the Choice Hotel chain (Econolodge, Sleep Inn, Comfort Inn, Rodeway,Quality Inn, and others). Not all take dogs, but many do. We typically pay $20 per dog. The rooms are not pricey, so it works out. 

For approximately the same price, there are amazingly luxurious kennels in Phoenix that honestly look better than our rooms. I would not be thrilled to be away from my puppies for so long, or to leave a single dog alone, but if it were necessary, it would definitely be worth boarding at a nice facility. I actually felt a little disappointed for our dogs when we decided to take them with us rather than board them. 

 

[dirty ethel rackham]

How big is your dog?  Some chains are dog-friendly, but only up to a certain size.  Our dog was too big for those chains (65 lb labradoodle.)  We did find some places and had to pay a fee, but I think it was per stay, not per night.  But, we only did it when we knew that our dog would be welcomed at the homes we were visiting.   Our dog gets really nervous boarding anywhere so we exchange dogsitting with friends.  We take their dog for their trips and they take ours when we need sitting.  It's like doggie sleep-overs.  If you can't find an arrangement like this, I would pay someone to stay at your home to take care of your dog.