TripAdvisor sent me a survey today about traveling with pets. I don’t really think of it often, but we do it. My answers made me sound like I have a little “accessory” dog in a gold lame purse. That is not the case. We’ve been sent on short-term travel assignments in the US and abroad. When our 45 lb. hipless wonder was a year old we heard my husband may be sent to London. The next day I started on getting her on the DEFRA British travel scheme and she’s been on it for over five years now!
Do we like going away for a weekend and taking her to a hotel and everywhere we go? No. We’ve put her on a plane halfway across the country once and she was OK, and Continental Airlines was terrific in taking care of her but it is a jolt to the system especially with being in a strange place for the next couple of months. So when we were sent overseas we did not take her, but left her with a dear friend where she thrived, even put on a few pounds.
Our Zoe does love the car, and the test of that was driving cross-country on this move. She was in the passenger seat of Jim’s car, as both cars were loaded with personal items because we left all our furniture in storage. But we needed our computers, my food processor, his PSIII, some clothes et al. She was a trouper. She didn’t get altitude sickness, we did.
Indeed, Zoe likes to be in the car just to be with us. When the weather is right (70 degrees is my cutoff for heat) I leave the windows open and she just likes being out and seeing the world while I pick up the drycleaning or a few items at the grocery store. A couple of times a year we like walking to a local restaurant and sit at the outdoor tables and have a snack, and she enjoys the walk and company as well.
With people starting a pet airline (haven’t gotten any emails from those folks lately) there is a need for accommodation of people with a pet. We stayed mostly at La Quinta en route here on the move and mostly we were given what was probably a smoking room at the back next to the back entrance, soda and ice machines. Not ideal. The Grand Hotel in Cheyenne WY was fantastic as it was the quietest room we had, the dog was accepted and we weren’t given a crummy room because of having a dog, there were places to walk AND entertainment! There was a beauty pageant going on, with older ladies, and we got to hear some stories.
I would ask hotels to consider that sometimes people have to bring an animal along, such as when they’re moving across the country, and to treat them well. Hotels don’t want animals to be left alone in the room but no place allows them outside of the hotel, so restaurants should be able to allow leashed dogs on an outside patio. Leaving them in the car in heat is not an option. So more has to be done to not make dog owners pariahs when they have to travel with the pooch.
If all else fails, remember that if you treat us well when we bring Fido, chances are we’ll be back, choose your hotel without the dog, and refer our friends as well. Cheers, Dee
