Traveling with Pets

I have been reading a bit in this topic. I could not have traveled with my last dog (coonhound) due to his anxiety issues, but I think my little Shih Tzu puppy will be up for the challenge.

There would be times I need to leave him, behind in the T@b, as well. Right now he shows no signs of being a barker, but it might be a little soon to know. Barking is probably concern #1.

I am contemplating taking him to Colorado this fall. The temperatures should be cooler and that makes it easier to think about it. I plan on doings few dry run through, first.

Some people use the tent room for the dogs. I think that could be a solution, but you would need to be careful not to leave them as bait for more aggressive wildlife.

Since my dog is small, I will bring a crate for him to sleep in and to contain ohm while I am gone. If I expect to be out for more than 4 hours, I will probably take him with me.

It seems as though the states you reference don't make it illegal altogether, altogether, just if you are negligent in the way you do so. I probably would not take my dog west in the summer. There are times have to use the rest room or run ion a grocery store. https://www.animallaw.info/topic/table-state-laws-protect-animals-left-parked-vehicles

Pretty much every campground I've ever been to seems to have rules against leaving pets alone. They also usually need to be on a leash at all times.   Also, some national parks do not allow them at all.  Some allow them in campgrounds but not on trails.  Some campgrounds don't allow them at all or only in specific dog-friendly loops.  For those reasons, my little 11-lb Japanese Chin rarely gets to go camping with us.  He only comes along when we are on short weekend trips where I can plan out the weekend so that he'll always be with us.  I just find it too limiting on long trips, especially in the summer.  All that said, some people seem to travel very successfully with their dogs.  I'll be interested to hear how they avoid leaving them alone without seriously limiting their own activities.  In the summer, it is especially problematic because of the heat.  I don't know how I'd even be able to stop at a visitors center since I couldn't leave him in the heat of the car.  When I do bring him, I am always sure to bring an ample supply of water with me for him (either from home or bottled) to avoid any potential digestive upset.  I also have one of those tie out stakes to comply with leash rules.  However, that is always a big tripping hazard, plus he ends up tangled up.  Needless to say, I'll be interested to hear how others navigate these issues!

Oh I almost forgot Cleo our hamster who went on our last 2 1/2 month camping trip with no problems.

I live in an area on the east coast where they'd pretty much form a lynch mob if you left your dog in the car when it is over 70 degrees or so, regardless of shade or cracked windows  I really resent that nanny state perspective, but it seems to be reality around here.  They'll literally call the police and some will consider breaking your window.  I've seen the discussions on my town's Facebook page.  "Dog locked in car on Main Street!"  People literally respond, "break the window!"  Nuts.  I am all for treating animals well, but leaving your dog in the car in the shade with windows cracked on an 80-degree day for 5-10 minutes is not beyond the realm of reasonable and kind pet ownership.  

http://www.peta.org/issues/companion-animal-issues/cruel-practices/dog-hot-car/

I almost always have my shih tzu along, and sometimes my daughter's lab.  I never leave the shih tzu in the Jeep without the AC for any length of time in the summer. I have a bike basket and a pet stroller,  and choose to take him with me, and am sometimes surprised at the places that allow it.  If not, I just don't go.  If it's a half day excursion, you can sometimes find pet sitting locations.  I've never been to a campground that said pets weren't allowed, and I find that a high percentage of folks travel with a dog or  two.  I use my add-a-room for longer stays, or when others are along, but the dogs don't stay in the room without me present.  I have crated my shih tzu and left him in the T@B.  He isn't a barker and sleeps while I'm gone.  You can buy temp monitors that send an alert to our phone when your preset temp is reached.  We were camping at a large COE area one very hot and humid summer when the whole loop lost power.  Rangers were frantically trying to find the owners of the camper beside me, as they had their camper locked tight with dogs inside.  It was like looking for a needle in a haystack because the area had 5 campgrounds on a huge lake.  We left before discovering the dogs' fate.  So sad, and that really stayed with me....

Actually the Moab area is pretty dog friendly. There are a lot of trails that they are legal on. My dogs have a great time there.

Ya, I don't stop for food.  I eat out of the T@B at various places so that he can be with me.  I do stop for gas and the bathroom, but those are too quick to worry. I have an electric start, so I can run the AC with the doors to the Jeep locked for a bathroom break.  We've made it work without issues.  I'm not doing long road trips in July and August.

I left my best frie d with our daughter when we went to Tanzania for a month. When she delivered him back to us he was glad to see us but tried to get in her car when she left. He apparently thought we had abandoned him. To make it worse he was homeless when I rescued him. I told myself that I would never do that to a dog again. If my dog ain't welcome neither am I.

Lisa, you make a very good point, "Every dog is different."

Hamster, yes.  I can see the blog now.  Rabbits, guinea pigs, and rabbits are also nice and calm.  After the cats die.

If you pay attention to police vehicles with K9 in them you will see that the officers leave their vehicles running when they leave them. What you will not notice is that they have a device that alerts them if their vehicle stops running so they will know to tend to their partners. I'm not really sure if the notification is triggered by the vehicle not running or by the temperature. Never asked, just know they alert.