Advice - taking the little bugger out of town

[janis]

Advice Please. We are going to take Kirby with us for a weekend at a State park. I have booked a pet friendly 1st floor room. I am planning on taking: leash, harness, car harness, car blanket, food, a few toys, his crate, some of his "good boy" snacks (did I pack this much for my kids?) and of course his food and bowls, proof of immunization.... do any of you frequent travelers have any other suggestions for something I'm forgetting?

[Marty & Sherry]

How long of a trip? A little Benadryl can be handy if your pup is hyper in the car.

A couple of old towels in case he barfs or finds something good to roll in.

[TazTalk]

An easy to pack bed?

When we drive with the dogs, we often bring an X-Pen. Comes in handy if a place has a patio or deck - you can block off the stairs, block an open door, block off a room off, etc. Or just have a little corral outside.

[kjwarnold]

If Kirby isn't used to riding in cars, paper towels come in handy to clean up any barfing. Old towels are good for cleaning up dirty dogs if you're going to be hiking, and plastic bags to clean up after your dog, when they go potty.

[SARpartner]

Wet wipes, never take a Cairn without them!

[wallEsmama]

We just took wallE on an 8 hour road trip to Columbus from Toronto. We had his crate halved, with his pillow in it for his comfy spot and just gave him free reign of the back seat, blocking him from getting up to the front. He had a raw hide bone to keep him occupied as well as his favourite toy. Also agree with the towels. We had an old blanket covering the whole back seat so if he did vomit (which he did, twice) it wouldn't ruin the seats.

From your list, you seem about good to go! Have a great trip!

[Dempsy's Mom]

Sounds like wallE is going on a great adventure .... you guys too. Have fun and let us know how it went.

[janis]

Thanks! It seems like a vote for barf supplies! He goes in the car with me alot no problems so far, but this will be about 2 hours in the car! Poop bags! Didn't think of those either! We will do a little hiking in the park so thoses will be important too.

[cairnsby3]

Before you turn him loose in the motel room, check under the bed and in corners for things, such as pills the maids may have missed. Some people take water from home, or bottled water. My dogs just drink whatever is there and haven't had a problem, but it's up to you.

[jimnconnie]

When we drive with the dogs, we often bring an X-Pen. Comes in handy if a place has a patio or deck - you can block off the stairs, block an open door, block off a room off, etc. Or just have a little corral outside.

When we took a long weekend drive this summer, we took the X-pen & looked for fast-food places with picnic tables outside when we wanted to stop. We did't have to leave the dogs in the car, and they had lots of attention from kids & adults while we were enjoying our lunch alfresco. Of course they loved the pieces of hamburger bun that we tossed them too!

[angelscairns]

We like to take paper plates or coffee filters to put their kibble in at meal time - they take up less space than two bowls and you don't have to worry about washing them and/or packing them to take home. We started out using paper plates, but discovered by necessity that the coffee filters work really good so now I keep a stash of those in the dogs' "travel" bag (A Lands End diaper bag I got at a thrift shop for $3 - it works great because of all the different compartments.)

Have fun!

[janis]

You guys are awesome! Great advice. Will let you know how it went!