Advice for cross-country drive?

[Rooney's Mom]

My husband has been transferred from Arizona to Indiana, and we've decided to drive one of our cars out there, since we don't think Rooney would do particularly well on a plane - He'd be miserable in cargo, and probably a nuisance in the cabin! So we're going to be on the road for about 2 1/2 -3 days. I've found some pet-friendly hotels along the route, so I'm not too worried about that, but I'm more worried about the actual drive itself. I usually take Rooney in the car with me in the front seat in a harness (Hug-a-dox or similar) and a small strap that hooks in to the seat belt. It's not an ideal solution, as he can still wander around, but I can always throw a hand over to hold him in place if I'm taking a sharp turn, etc. I had a booster seat for him at one point, but it didn't work very well - the front tended to kind of collapse under his weight, and he kept turning around and getting all twisted on the strap that was supposed to keep him in place. On the cross-country trip, either Rooney's Dad or I will be occupying the passenger seat, and neither of us wants Rooney in our lap the whole way. I've thought of using his harness/seatbelt combo in the back seat, but I think that will give him too much freedom, and he's likely to get tangled, hurt, etc. That leaves either a more expensive, heavier duty booster seat (preferably tangle-proof, if there is such a thing, or Rooney's kennel. We've never had him in the kennel in the car, because we've only taken him short distances, and I expect that he'll be very upset initially, although eventually he'll HAVE to sleep, right? I have a vet appointment next week to get him a booster shot and some other stuff, and I'm going to ask about tranquilizers, but I'd rather not go down that road if it's not necessary. Has anyone ever used them in this situation, and with what results? Maybe it's not that big of a deal - I just don't know. Also, what about Rooney's safety inside the kennel - won't he slip around a bit when the car moves, and what's the best way to anchor the kennel in the car I can see it now, our SUV is going to be filled about one-third with our clothes and supplies, and two-thirds with Rooney and all his gear:blush: - I don't think the kennel will have room to slide around, but inside the kennel is another story. We do have a smaller kennel available, but it seems TOO cramped, even though it's technically probably the right size for him. Any insight and/or recommendations from those who've made similar trips would be MUCH appreciated! We leave next weekend!

[Irminsul]

I absolutely LOVE my girls booster seat. I just used it all this weekend and was thinking it's one of the best things I have ever bought for them. They are so comfy in it and also use it as a bed at wherever we are going.

Not sure you can get one at such short notice. They love looking out the window as well.

In general, make sure he gets a nice long walk before you leave. Stop every three hours or so and walk him around some. Let him strech his legs, sniff around. They get fed up being so inactive for such a long time.

Travel kennel would work, too, but not allow him to look out and might make him more whiney.

I'm sure other's will have more recommendations. Good luck!!

[Schatz's Mom]

My guys travel really well in their carseats too! They love being able to see out the window and then having a comfy place to sleep. We stop every few hours for a potty break and to stretch our legs.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v691/cwharriman/100_0513.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v691/cwharriman/100_1077.jpg

[zoeysmom]

I just came across the state - I had Zoey's kennel seat belted in the back seat in case she needed to be confined. (And a part of me thinks she probably would have been safer in the kennel to begin with.) I did let her ride on the passenger seat.

I plan to ask the vets if I can get a very small dose (no more than 1/2 dose and maybe even just 1/4 dose) of tranqulizer for the trip home. She settled down and dozed when the roads were nice, but with bumpy freeway - she was restless. Sadly there was a lot of bumpy freeway, so that's why I'm going to ask for a very lite dose of doggie downer for the trip home.

Happy trails!

Take along some bottled water (or water from the old place so that if you stop and theres a lot of chlorine or something they'll still eat and drink normally)

[Rooney's Mom]

Thanks for the advice so far... I'm taking lots of notes!
For those of you who have the nice padded booster seats, where did you get them? The seat that I had was from PetSmart - I can't remember the brand name - and was just kind of vinyl without any real side support. I haven't seen anything better on subsequent trips to PetSmart, so I'm thinking I need to look elswhere, maybe online? Perhaps if I ordered fast enough I could still get delivery in time...

Edited to Add: Has anyone tried this one? http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?siteID=cGIWmFFQG7Q-X1CdTTp8frGKT7EELH.hoQ&cm_ven=LS&cm_cat=null&cm_pla=null&cm_ite=ProductFeed&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023689&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302032887&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441806370&bmUID=1159848392830

[oscarforevermom]

We travel from FL to Atlanta in one day...over 8 hours.

It's a long trip but the little men do just fine in their wire crate. We have their blankies in the crate - just like at home when they sleep in it. We keep their collars on & leashes handy for when we stop.

They have never missed looking out the window...are quiet - & fall asleep after a while. We stop periodically for potty breaks & exercising them a bit. They are great little travelers.

[fdcutee]

We moved from Florida to Alaska in June this year and boy was it an experience! You'll be surprised at how well these lil' guys do on road trips. My boys slept a lot... almost as soon as we started moving, they tuckered right out. They also let me know when they had to go potty as well. I bought some of those disposable bowls with lids and a big bottle of bottled water (to prevent tummy upsets). So whenever we stopped, I'd offer them some water in one of those bowls and if they didn't finish it, I could just snap on the lid and we were ready to go. Same thing with their food except I fed them only once a day. I loaded up a couple of those bowls full with their kibble and that made it very easy to get to and use. Two other essentials that we were so glad we remembered... wet wipes (we did have some runny poo due to stress so these helps keep hineys clean) and benedryl (at a rest stop, the pups were hanging out in some grass and shortly afterwards they both broke out in terrible rashes). If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. :) And good luck with the move!

[Orchid Crazy]

Buddy is a traveller, he's been up and down the Eastern Seaboard all the way from Nova Scotia to Florida as well as a ferry ride over to NewFoundland. When we go somewhere we normally do one long day with maybe 12 hours of travel, then a shorter day. NewFoundland takes us 3 days to drive to and we've now done it twice.

I have the same car seat as Connie - in fact the same fabric as Schatz and I love it - got it with the drawer under it. I keep food, treats, bowls and a bottle of water in the drawer.

Helpful hints:
1 - get something as fast as possible.
2- when it arrives, starts driving Rooney around in it for longer and longer periods of time.
3- on the day of the departure, don't really feed Rooney much, just a few pieces of kibble and a few laps of water.
4 - at each pit stop, give him a few pieces of the rest of his meal through out the day. This way, he doesn't have a full belly on to get sick on. I give a larger than normal meal once we stop.
5 - carry a few extra towels and rolls of paper towels. Since he hasn't travelled before, line his seat or kennel with a towel, just in case. You can always throw a towel out on the way, but wouldn't want to have 3 days in a car with a dirty car seat.
6 - carry LOTS of plastic baggies for presents along the way, I stick these in the seat under him.

You can use a kennel instead of a car seat, making sure that it is locked in using the seat belt. A childs pool noodle can be folded or cut up and placed along the back edge of the kennel where the seat back meets the seat to level the kennel up. If you get the car seat in Connie's picture, you install it the same as a child's car seat. Place it on the seat, snap the seatbelt in, pull the top portion of the belt all the way out, put your knee in the center of the seat to give pressure and release the top portion of the seatbelt making sure the top of the strap is behind the top of the back of the car seat (this way he can't chew on the belt - been there - done there - was NOT cheap to replace the seatbelt!). This locks the seatbelt so nothing can move.

Petedge has the Lookout (we have the oversized medium model for Buddy) as does www.snoozer-dog-beds.com where I got ours. If you are interested in the Lookout, do a google search and check for prices. Snoozer has the oversized for 109.99 with the drawer in it.

[kpm_tex]

My recommendations for car travel.

Dog in Crate with crate strapped in. IMO that is the safest place for them. I've tried the car seats but I am convinced now from past events that the crate is the best place.

If you do not have any way to disable your car's air bag, DO NOT put your dog in the front seat . Air bag deployment would likely kill them. You don't put child seats in the front passenger seat for that very reason... why would you put your dog? In my Hyundai the air bag is not active with less than 40 lbs in the seat and in the truck I can turn the passenger side all together.

Keep a collar with tags on your dog at all times. If you use a harness... put a collar on anyway with the tags. Harnesses can be escaped from a lot easier than a collar. Make sure your cell phone number is on the tag.

If your dog is not microchipped... consider it.

For the hotels... make sure you follow their rules. I always bring potty pads so there are no accidents.

P.S.
Keep a note on their crate that if there is an accident and you are incapacitated that the dogs are to be taken to the nearest animal hostipal for boarding NOT THE POUND. Provide your vets number and a number to call to ensure payment up front.

[longtimecouple1]

I have a petseat, where the base is a suitcase, I keep extra treats, travel bowl, etc for car trips. The top part is a car seat, very plush seat, and the sides are soft mesh, the front can be rolled down and velcroed out of the way so (s)he can look around and see you in the front, the sides zip down to give him more space to stretch, but there is a velcro strap in the back that holds the seatbelt secure, and the clip in the seat just clips onto their collar/harness. Coco loves it because it's high enough so he can see out the window, and very comfy for naps.

I got it at Improvements. just type in Improvements and find the online catalog, on the left are the sections to the catalog, home/garden/pets etc.
click on pets, then on dogs. Just scroll through and find the petcruiser.
I noticed they will do 2nd day express delivery, don't know how much but if you need it quick it might be worth it. Plus the suitcase underneath holds quite a bit, and is very convenient with a side zipper so you don't have to open the whole thing just to take out something from inside.

We are going on our first overnight with him on Friday-Mon to VT, and I think it will work well. I just keep it in the car for all of his rides.
Eileen

[Orchid Crazy]

Good catch on the air bags Karen - I am so used to not having anything other than an adult in the front, I don't even consider that someone else may do so. Love the suggestion on info in case of an accident. That will be added to Buddy's stuff for our next trip. Thank you!!!