Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Alright first let me start with this dog is my baby, heck I even call him my first born and I have 2 young children as well. My husband and I are going on a trip to check out a place 6 hours away from us. We plan on moving to the area and would like to get a feel for it before we do.
Well our dog is a long haired purebred chihuahua and is a little spoiled brat. Lol he doesn't like to be away from me at all. Also last time we left him with someone to watch, we were gone for only 3 days and he stopped eating and they lost him because he ran home... We lived right next door but still... It of course freaked me out and really upset me as I couldn't do anything about it since I was giving birth to my daughter.
So I know that for this week long trip he will have to go with us. But the problem is that every hotel we can afford says we can't leave him in the hotel while we look around and possibly get a place. So we will have to take him in the car with us. Now before anyone gets all upset about leaving him in the car, we wouldn't be gone for more than 45mins to an hour at a time. But I would check on him every 15 mins. And if it's a place that will allow him to go in, than he will be going in with us. Also he will have a small crate with a warm bed and bunch of blankets, I'm also going to put a blanket around the outside except the front of the cage. Lol he will also have a sweater on and food and water available at all times.
But my husband and I are worried about someone breaking into the car because we are "neglecting" him. I don't want my dog stolen or taken because I feel he would starve himself for one and for two he literally is my whole world just like my kids. We plan on putting the crate on the floor behind the passenger side door. My daughters car seat should block him from view so no one should be able to see him unless they were snooping and looking through our windows, like they shouldn't.
So I guess my questions are:
Do you believe we would have a problem with people or the police about it?
Also with everything we will do before we leave him, is it neglecting him?
I honestly don't believe we would be neglecting him but I would like opinions and experiences with traveling with dogs. Oh and of course he will be sleeping in the hotel with us(in our bed), every night. The only time he would be left is if we had to go to the bathroom/eat/ or go into a place to get things set up that wouldn't allow him.
Thanks for all the comments and experiences in advance. Also I don't mind if you disagree with what we plan, but please be respectful.
I think you'll be fine taking your dog. Unless he's the kind who shrieks like a banshee when you leave him, I doubt anyone will even notice that there is a dog in your vehicle.
If you have a remote starter, why not keep it running while you are inside looking at houses? It will cost you more for gas, but worth your peace of mind. If you don't have a remote starter, then checking on him every 15 minutes is fine. He's not going to freeze in 15 minutes.
Have a good trip! Hope you find a nice house!
No, not everyone is rude on these forums. I just ignore the nasty ones
Omg thank you so much for replying! Nope he's very quiet actually for a chihuahua(lol). So I'm not worried about him making noises. Unfortunately we have an older car that doesn't have a remote starter, so I'll check on him every 15 mins. Thank you we hope to as well. A little nervous as this is our first road trip and it so happens we will have 2 babies, 14 months and 4 months along with our dog. So I'm a little scared but I'm planning way in advance for less stress. Thank you I will have to ignore the rude ones too I guess. I just honestly didn't expect it but you can't have everyone be nice. But thank you! You eased my mind quite a bit.
We've traveled a lot with our dogs and most hotels let the dog stay in the room...what kind of hotels are you looking at? Some may want your dog to be crated when you're gone, but I've never come across one that says you can't leave it. Even B&B's and cabins say you can leave your dog as long as he's crated. Do you think he'll bark a lot if he's alone and crated?
Another possibility is to find someone to watch him while you're gone...in their home...dog sitters are used to dogs with separation anxiety and just make sure their yards are fenced so he can't run away. There are sites like rover and dogvacay where you could find someone.
He should be fine in the car if the outside temperature is OK. Even if it's only 65 or 70 outside the interior of the car can heat up quickly. You need to leave the windows cracked and park in the shade. I know you plan on checking on him every 15 minutes but something may come up and you forget or something unexpected happens and it's not possible. I've left my dogs in a crate in the car with the windows cracked when it's cool and they were fine. Of course they're GSDs so no one is going to break in and steal them.
If it's going to be winter and cold, I'd put a blanket over the crate just make sure there is enough room for air to circulate, put a blanket in his crate, if it's below freezing maybe put a sweater on him and he should be OK.
If you do leave him at the hotel, I'd be sure to crate him while you're gone.
He should be fine in the car if the outside temperature is OK. Even if it's only 65 or 70 outside the interior of the car can heat up quickly. You need to leave the windows cracked and park in the shade. I know you plan on checking on him every 15 minutes but something may come up and you forget or something unexpected happens and it's not possible. I've left my dogs in a crate in the car with the windows cracked when it's cool and they were fine. Of course they're GSDs so no one is going to break in and steal them.
If it's going to be winter and cold, I'd put a blanket over the crate just make sure there is enough room for air to circulate, put a blanket in his crate, if it's below freezing maybe put a sweater on him and he should be OK.
If you do leave him at the hotel, I'd be sure to crate him while you're gone.
Good luck
Good idea about the blankets if it's cold and the OP can even leave a hot water bottle (filled with warm water) in the crate for extra warmth (unless the dog is a chewer but it would take a long time for a chihuahua to chew through one lol)
I am not a little dog person but what about a purse type bag for him to ride in and go places with you? I see little dogs at all sorts of places that say no dogs but because they are being carried in these bags they seem to be allowed.
I've gone to Open houses with a dog in my arms and it has never been a problem. I've also left dogs with a sitter that allows the dogs the run of the house. I swerar she must have had them on a hamster wheel generating electricity because they slept for two day when I got them back but I know it was because she had up to 8 dogs at a time and it was dog party central.
We will be staying at the red roof inn. They have told me that they don't charge for the dog to be there with us, but the dog is not allowed alone in the hotel room. Also I'm already planning on doing blankets and warm bed, as I've never left him in the car before and I feel better knowing he has plenty of warmth. No he's not a chewer so that's a good idea for the warm bottle. But it's only going to be a max of 1 hour and no I won't forget him. I'm a worrier, I'll spend the whole time thinking of what he's doing and if he's ok. He will not be able to stay with anyone as he doesn't like strangers and other dogs intimidate him because he was attacked by a pit bull when he was about a year old. Also they may have fenced in yards but that won't help if he stops eating. He's an big baby and doesn't handle being away from me very well. So he will be going, but I'll look at a dog carrier! I didn't even think of that! Great idea! ��
Also it will be winter time when we go, as we will be going in February or March. If it's too cold than I'll stay in the car while my husband does whatever or vice versa. im now going to eBay to look for a carrier! Thank you so much for the replies!
You may have a good situation to test out new vets or doggy daycare for the daytime. Could have your spouse or kids walk around apartment complex with dog on leash while you are looking at apartments and filling out application. If you are REALLY serious about the apartment complex, could ask the sales person if he/she would like to meet the pet. Some apartments want to view pet first plus need to bring the vaccination records anyway to most apartments if you want to keep a dog there. Another option is post a 'gig' on the craigslist for city you will visiting seeking a pet sitter situation for a few hours...
If you are visiting place with temps in 60s or lower, could leave dog in car with windows rolled down.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
