The last thing we’ll cover in this series is lodging and international travel with your dog. Lodging isn’t as difficult of a scenario to navigate in the US as there are so many pet friendly places to stay, and visiting a hotel’s website or giving them a quick call will usually give you the answers to your questions quickly. International travel can be much more daunting, and we’ll provide some good rules of thumb for both situations so you can be prepared and travel with ease of mind.
With lodging, first thing to do is just find out if the hotel or motel will allow dogs in the first place. If you show up after a long day of driving and you didn’t do your research, you may end up having a much longer day than you anticipated. When you get to your pet friendly hotel, be considerate of the other guests staying there. There is little I find more frustrating than someone who leaves a barking dog in their room all day while I’m trying to relax or take a nap. You may be asked to leave the hotel if they receive too many complaints about your dog. On this same note, leaving your dog unattended for long periods of time can result in them destroying property. If you haven’t left your dog along in a strange place, you don’t know how they’ll react. The costs could add up very quickly for a destructive pooch. The best advice I can give is to keep your dog in their crate while you’re not present. This will help prevent unwanted messes, them escaping and if you’ve conditioned them properly to be comfortable in their crate, it will also provide them a safe place to reduce their anxiety. Ask the hotel where to walk your dog and potty them as well. Sometimes it’s evident, sometimes not. Last tip is to simply remind you to be respectful so the hotel continues to allow dogs for other guests.
International travel is loaded with a million different scenarios I can’t possibly cover in this short post. Each country is going to have their own rules. Many countries, even US states outside of the mainland, have quarantine periods. You’ll need to check with the embassy or consulate to find out the particulars of where you’re going. You may be able to google the country in question, but I still recommend you call the embassy of that country because websites are often not updated properly, google may have outdated information, and you don’t want to end up stuck in an airport without authorization to enter the country because you read some old news. Make sure your dog has a good leash and collar. The collar should have ID tags, a license and proof of rabies vaccinations. Include your home phone on there as well. A helpful tool in the modern era is a permanent ID for your dog in the form of a microchip or tattoo in case you get separated and they lose their collar. Carry recent pictures in case you become separated and need to show the local authorities what your dog looks like. Take the phone number of your veterinarian and any special medication your dog needs. If your dog has a sensitive stomach, it’s a good idea to pack their regular food in case they can’t adjust. Lastly, if you think there may be a chance you’ll have to board your dog, bring your dog’s complete vaccination records. It’s too easy to load them up on a thumb drive or on a cloud drive so you can just print them off if needed.
We hope this series was beneficial to you. If you have any questions on something we haven’t covered, feel free to leave a comment here or hit us up on social media and we’ll get you taken care of. Have a happy and safe trip!