Traveling With Pets
Traveling With Pets
How hard is it to bring your dog along with you on your travels?
This is a question I am often asked.
Traveling with a pet is much easier than most people think.
In this case I will focus on traveling with a dog. I own a Chihuahua named is Lola, who is almost four years old. Lola goes with me almost everywhere I go. She is quite the globe trotter. Granted, Lola is only four pounds, but traveling with bigger dogs is still easier than people think. Before Lola came into my life I knew I wanted a dog for a very long time. I always wanted a Lab. I was also very into Rottweilers. So for about a year I researched on various dog breeds. Because my lifestyle is such that I travel so much and also I am usually in a hotel room or a small apartment, I realized it was just not the right timing for me to have a bigger dog, as much as I would have liked one. It just wasn't a smart choice. It turned out that a dog such as a Chihuahua made a lot of sense in my life. So I welcomed Lola.
Our first year together wasn't a very easy one, only because small dogs are harder to potty train and also because Lola started her "doggie bag training" when she was about two months old. Doggie bags come in very handy while bringing your pet around with you. It's basically a purse but for your dog to stay inside.
During our first year together, while socializing Lola, the most important thing for me was training my dog to be well behaved while out in public places. Notice I said "well behaved" and not "friendly.” Yes, I would love if my dog was the friendliest dog in the world towards other people, but honestly it isn't that important.
However it is very important that your pet is well behaved while out in public places and being exposed to other people. When I say well behaved I mean, he or she won't attack other people or other pets, is potty trained, does not bark non stop and for the most part is a quiet pet when out in public.
Pets have their own personality, it's important for us, as pet owners to understand and accept this fact. I never impose other people on Lola. She makes her own choices of who she likes and who she doesn't. Also, I prefer when people ask me if they can touch her, since I never know how she will react. I usually let people know she might bite. Usually biting or not depends on weather she likes the person or not and also on her mood during that specific day and time. In the case she does bite and the person brings me to court, at least in my defense I will tell the judge the victim was well aware this dog might bite and this might protect me from a lawsuit.
Contrary to what most people think, you do not have to be nice to my dog in order for me to like you. My relationship with you has nothing to do with how my dog feels about you. I don't care if you like or if
you don't like my dog. In fact not paying attention to Lola sometimes is a good thing; she likes her space and privacy.
The other thing that is very important on your first year of training is to expose your dog to various foods and not only "pet food". Even though Lola's main diet is dry dog food, since a very early stage in her life she has been exposed to many different types of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, breads, cheese, etc… make sure to find out what foods dog's cannot eat, such as chocolate for example.
If you are traveling a lot there might be times when your pet will be somewhat stressed out and won't eat his or her pet food, therefore your plan B is to give your pet a tasty adequate human food; example: cheese and potato. Lola's favorite is grilled beef and grilled chicken. She loves cheeseburgers and all kinds of cheese.
If your pet's stomach is used to human foods sporadically it won't hurt him or her. It's a much better choice than allowing your pet to starve.
Flying With Your Pet
Traveling with a pet requires you to call your veterinarian and ask him or her about the legal requirements and procedures for your pet to travel. Countries vary on their requirements. Unlike most people think, most countries do not require any sort of quarantine for your dog. However they do require vaccines, health certificate and at times a document given to you for your pet by the Department of Agriculture,
as well as a visit to the Consul or Embassy in your destination (call the office or visit their website).
The whole process might sound long but it's not that complicated. Usually you need to do all this up to four or five days before your trip, no longer than that. The whole process going to a Vet for the health certificate, to the local Embassy and to the Department of Agriculture might take you an entire day. One day.
Not all countries require you to stop at the Department of Agriculture, so check before you make any decisions on how to go on with your pets traveling plans.
Traveling with a pet in the United States is a piece of cake!
I always bring my dog's health certificate with me, but I am not even sure if it’s required within the US. All you have to do is pay a domestic fee and if your pet is small enough than you can bring him or her "In Cabin", all you have to do is let the airline know you want this at the same time you are making your reservation and say the magic words; "In Cabin.” Airlines charge $50 to $75 for domestic one-way flights, and $80-$100 for international flights. If your pet is bigger and needs to go under the plane the fees are about the same.
There is a special place for animals under the plane and it's usually not so bad. Yes, there are stories of pets that have died or gotten hurt in some shape or form but this is very very rare.
Perhaps your other option is to leave your pet in a "pet hotel,” while most likely they will survive; it is a much more traumatizing experience for your dog.
Pets and Hotels
Many hotels allow pets.
I suggest you ask if the hotel is pet friendly when making your reservation. Some hotels will require a pet fee, while many hotels will not require any pet fees or pet deposits whatsoever. My favorite hotel while traveling with Lola is The Hotel Monaco (www.kimptonhotels.com/hotels.aspx), the staff are extremely pet friendly and they even offer a pet sitter if needed—plus the hotel does not charge any pet fees. The Ritz-Carlton also allows pets as well as The Standard Hotel in Los Angeles.
For those who are allergic to pets-Do Not Worry- most pet friendly hotels designate certain floors for guests staying with pets.
Pets and Restaurants
Unlike finding hotels and airline companies, finding pet friendly restaurants is a bit more difficult. Restaurants are subject to strict policies by the Health Food Department, for sanitary reasons. These rules can be very strict. There are a few restaurants that can get by with allowing pets, most by having a terrace or tables outside. Lola loves to eat outside so for the most part it works well for us.
I prefer to take Lola to restaurants during lunch, usually at night she stays in sleeping while I can go explore some of the cities most fabulous restaurants.
As a happy and proud pet parent I only stay in pet-friendly hotels, and I only travel on airlines that allow pets "In Cabin,” even when traveling without Lola.
I do not support companies, which are not pet friendly. Lola is a very important member of my family and so I will not support anyone who discriminates against her.
Everyone should be given the choice to travel with a pet.
Traveling with your pet is not difficult.
At most you’ll need to spend one day of work.
Traveling with pets is only difficult for lazy people and for people who don’t want their pets with them.
Places Lola and I have visited together:
France (various cities)
Mexico (various cities)
USA (all over)
Brazil (various cities)
Austria
Holland (Amsterdam).
Lola's favorite places: Paris, Saint-Tropez, Big Bear Mountain, New York City's Soho, Los Angeles, and many Brazilian beaches (she loves the beach).
Lola loves to travel with me.
When I take out my traveling bags and start packing, she gets so
excited! Even more excited when I take her pet carrier out.
It's funny to watch her spinning around and getting so happy!
I guess I can understand. After all there is a whole big world out
there for us to explore!
More importantly, IT IS SO WORTH IT!!!!
Check out these websites if you are interested in traveling with your pet:
www.petswelcome.com
www.LetsGoPets.com
www.pets-allowed-hotels.com
How hard is it to bring your dog along with you on your travels?
This is a question I am often asked.
Traveling with a pet is much easier than most people think.
In this case I will focus on traveling with a dog. I own a Chihuahua named is Lola, who is almost four years old. Lola goes with me almost everywhere I go. She is quite the globe trotter. Granted, Lola is only four pounds, but traveling with bigger dogs is still easier than people think. Before Lola came into my life I knew I wanted a dog for a very long time. I always wanted a Lab. I was also very into Rottweilers. So for about a year I researched on various dog breeds. Because my lifestyle is such that I travel so much and also I am usually in a hotel room or a small apartment, I realized it was just not the right timing for me to have a bigger dog, as much as I would have liked one. It just wasn't a smart choice. It turned out that a dog such as a Chihuahua made a lot of sense in my life. So I welcomed Lola.
Our first year together wasn't a very easy one, only because small dogs are harder to potty train and also because Lola started her "doggie bag training" when she was about two months old. Doggie bags come in very handy while bringing your pet around with you. It's basically a purse but for your dog to stay inside.
During our first year together, while socializing Lola, the most important thing for me was training my dog to be well behaved while out in public places. Notice I said "well behaved" and not "friendly.” Yes, I would love if my dog was the friendliest dog in the world towards other people, but honestly it isn't that important.
However it is very important that your pet is well behaved while out in public places and being exposed to other people. When I say well behaved I mean, he or she won't attack other people or other pets, is potty trained, does not bark non stop and for the most part is a quiet pet when out in public.
Pets have their own personality, it's important for us, as pet owners to understand and accept this fact. I never impose other people on Lola. She makes her own choices of who she likes and who she doesn't. Also, I prefer when people ask me if they can touch her, since I never know how she will react. I usually let people know she might bite. Usually biting or not depends on weather she likes the person or not and also on her mood during that specific day and time. In the case she does bite and the person brings me to court, at least in my defense I will tell the judge the victim was well aware this dog might bite and this might protect me from a lawsuit.
Contrary to what most people think, you do not have to be nice to my dog in order for me to like you. My relationship with you has nothing to do with how my dog feels about you. I don't care if you like or if
you don't like my dog. In fact not paying attention to Lola sometimes is a good thing; she likes her space and privacy.
The other thing that is very important on your first year of training is to expose your dog to various foods and not only "pet food". Even though Lola's main diet is dry dog food, since a very early stage in her life she has been exposed to many different types of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, breads, cheese, etc… make sure to find out what foods dog's cannot eat, such as chocolate for example.
If you are traveling a lot there might be times when your pet will be somewhat stressed out and won't eat his or her pet food, therefore your plan B is to give your pet a tasty adequate human food; example: cheese and potato. Lola's favorite is grilled beef and grilled chicken. She loves cheeseburgers and all kinds of cheese.
If your pet's stomach is used to human foods sporadically it won't hurt him or her. It's a much better choice than allowing your pet to starve.
Flying With Your Pet
Traveling with a pet requires you to call your veterinarian and ask him or her about the legal requirements and procedures for your pet to travel. Countries vary on their requirements. Unlike most people think, most countries do not require any sort of quarantine for your dog. However they do require vaccines, health certificate and at times a document given to you for your pet by the Department of Agriculture,
as well as a visit to the Consul or Embassy in your destination (call the office or visit their website).
The whole process might sound long but it's not that complicated. Usually you need to do all this up to four or five days before your trip, no longer than that. The whole process going to a Vet for the health certificate, to the local Embassy and to the Department of Agriculture might take you an entire day. One day.
Not all countries require you to stop at the Department of Agriculture, so check before you make any decisions on how to go on with your pets traveling plans.
Traveling with a pet in the United States is a piece of cake!
I always bring my dog's health certificate with me, but I am not even sure if it’s required within the US. All you have to do is pay a domestic fee and if your pet is small enough than you can bring him or her "In Cabin", all you have to do is let the airline know you want this at the same time you are making your reservation and say the magic words; "In Cabin.” Airlines charge $50 to $75 for domestic one-way flights, and $80-$100 for international flights. If your pet is bigger and needs to go under the plane the fees are about the same.
There is a special place for animals under the plane and it's usually not so bad. Yes, there are stories of pets that have died or gotten hurt in some shape or form but this is very very rare.
Perhaps your other option is to leave your pet in a "pet hotel,” while most likely they will survive; it is a much more traumatizing experience for your dog.
Pets and Hotels
Many hotels allow pets.
I suggest you ask if the hotel is pet friendly when making your reservation. Some hotels will require a pet fee, while many hotels will not require any pet fees or pet deposits whatsoever. My favorite hotel while traveling with Lola is The Hotel Monaco (www.kimptonhotels.com/hotels.aspx), the staff are extremely pet friendly and they even offer a pet sitter if needed—plus the hotel does not charge any pet fees. The Ritz-Carlton also allows pets as well as The Standard Hotel in Los Angeles.
For those who are allergic to pets-Do Not Worry- most pet friendly hotels designate certain floors for guests staying with pets.
Pets and Restaurants
Unlike finding hotels and airline companies, finding pet friendly restaurants is a bit more difficult. Restaurants are subject to strict policies by the Health Food Department, for sanitary reasons. These rules can be very strict. There are a few restaurants that can get by with allowing pets, most by having a terrace or tables outside. Lola loves to eat outside so for the most part it works well for us.
I prefer to take Lola to restaurants during lunch, usually at night she stays in sleeping while I can go explore some of the cities most fabulous restaurants.
As a happy and proud pet parent I only stay in pet-friendly hotels, and I only travel on airlines that allow pets "In Cabin,” even when traveling without Lola.
I do not support companies, which are not pet friendly. Lola is a very important member of my family and so I will not support anyone who discriminates against her.
Everyone should be given the choice to travel with a pet.
Traveling with your pet is not difficult.
At most you’ll need to spend one day of work.
Traveling with pets is only difficult for lazy people and for people who don’t want their pets with them.
Places Lola and I have visited together:
France (various cities)
Mexico (various cities)
USA (all over)
Brazil (various cities)
Austria
Holland (Amsterdam).
Lola's favorite places: Paris, Saint-Tropez, Big Bear Mountain, New York City's Soho, Los Angeles, and many Brazilian beaches (she loves the beach).
Lola loves to travel with me.
When I take out my traveling bags and start packing, she gets so
excited! Even more excited when I take her pet carrier out.
It's funny to watch her spinning around and getting so happy!
I guess I can understand. After all there is a whole big world out
there for us to explore!
More importantly, IT IS SO WORTH IT!!!!
Check out these websites if you are interested in traveling with your pet:
www.petswelcome.com
www.LetsGoPets.com
www.pets-allowed-hotels.com
posted by Nat at 5:18 PM
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