Help with moving question--How do I get my three dogs from CA to TN? (bite, rescue)

[Pocketplayer]

I am moving from CA to TN and I have three rescue dogs I am taking with me. Two of three are larger dogs. I plan on driving the 2000 miles and there is no way I can take all three dogs with me.

Airlines seem to have weight limits.

Any advice is welcome!

Thanks.

[Viralmd]

There are professional pet transport companies - try looking on google for 'pet transportation.'

[ShelbyGirl1]

Originally Posted by Pocketplayer

I am moving from CA to TN and I have three rescue dogs I am taking with me. Two of three are larger dogs. I plan on driving the 2000 miles and there is no way I can take all three dogs with me.

Airlines seem to have weight limits.

Any advice is welcome!

Thanks.

I have flown my big guys in cargo. You will pay by the size of their crate and of course, they have restrictions about the size of the animal in the crate...in other words, no "stuffing" a large dog in a med. size crate.
It may be worth your time and money to rent a van and move the dogs yourself. If nothing else, peace of mind!

[c99]

When I moved from Colorado to South Carolina I took my 4 large rescue dogs (2 were over 150# and my other 2 were almost 100#) with me for the 1700+ mile trip - TWICE (once to find a place to live and another time to move). I pre-planned my two hotel nights each way via an online pet friendly site (I also called the hotels to be sure) and ultimately did not have any problems traveling with them.

If transporting them yourself is not an option I would look into ground pet transportation. I hope someone has some recommendations for you if you need to go that route.

Although it was somewhat inconvenient to locate lodging at first, I found the piece of mind knowing that my dogs were well cared for comforting. Plus, they really enjoyed traveling. Sadly, 3 of my 4 dogs have passed away due to old age and cancer.

Best of luck to you.

[Pocketplayer]

Thanks...

c99 you are talking my language.

Could you break down some specifics--name of hotels, online pet friendly site mentioned.

My trip is 2000 miles so we are in the same ballpark. Pro is it won't be hot for the dogs--hot dogs...no pun intended...

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I always found Motel 8s to be pet-friendly. I moved from Miss. to UT with 2 dogs and 3 cats in my Honda Accord. We were a full car!

You can go to a local Motel 8 or Motel 6 and get their directory brochure. Then, you can plan your stops along the way. My dogs were fine oin the trip. I get tired/cramped and stop every 3-4 hrs anyway and I walked them briefly at each stop. Once I started up again, they lay down and went back to sleep.

[dreamhunter65]

There are a few pet transport places out there but contact a few. Research them see what restrictions and contracts are. Will they be in a trailer,van,rv?
Some do regular east/west coast runs and if have space available may be cheaper. Make sure they are insured and have references. I see alot now advertising on pet rescue railroads and some seem like scammers.

[Mattie]

We moved our dog 1000 miles during a hurricane. The biggest problem was letting her out in the absolute wall of water. My husband had the great idea of stopping at banks with drive through windows. The banks were closed, but the overhangs allowed us to open the car long enough to get her out of the 3rd row seat without drenching everyone involved. We stayed at a Residence Inn for a week waiting for the movers. It was very pet friendly. Actually, a lot of places are these days.

[c99]

Originally Posted by Pocketplayer

Thanks...

c99 you are talking my language.

Could you break down some specifics--name of hotels, online pet friendly site mentioned.

My trip is 2000 miles so we are in the same ballpark. Pro is it won't be hot for the dogs--hot dogs...no pun intended...

Hi Pocketplayer,

Sorry I'm a little slow to respond. I forgot to check this topic for any replies ...I tried to send you a Direct Message with the below info, but it said something to the effect that you do not have DM's set-up. I hope I don't get in trouble for providing the website info below.

Here's the run down of what I do on our cross-country adventures. First, I check petswelcome.com to see what hotels are available in different cities along my route. You can check via state, then by city on their site. Then I check out the fees, restrictions, etc. and call the hotel to make sure the details are accurate - which isn't always the case. After verifying (I always get a name of the person to whom I spoke), I usually make my reservations via my favorite online travel re-seller due to the excellent customer service I have received.

I always call the hotel to verify pet-friendliness, regardless of the info I find online. I've seen some hotel chains that say on their website they are pet friendly, but when I called they indicated that they only accept one dog 25# and less. However, I have also found that the website of some hotels indicate a 50# weight limit, yet they would allow my 2 huge and one regular sized dog. That's why I always called.

I've also had good luck with La Quintas throughout the country. Most I've come across have not charged extra pet fees. We've also stayed in Comfort Inn/Quality Inn/Days Inn/Ramada Inns with varying degrees of success. We've had good luck with Drury Inn's as well, but they are not as plentiful as other chains. We used to stay at Super 8 Hotels a lot, but not all of them are pet friendly. Now that I think of it, it's been quite a few years since we've stayed at a Super 8.

Red Roof Inns I have encountered are sticklers with their 1 pet and under 80 pounds policy. Either way, we were way above all limits so we didn't bother calling them and giving them the whole - my dogs are well kept/groomed/potty trained and stay in my nice house, etc. routine.

I've not had very good luck with Motel 6's either. I can't remember if it was the pet size limit or number that we had problems with - maybe both. One Motel 6 we stayed at was horrible (dirty/gross) and after that we avoided them.

Even after I make reservations I bring a list of pet-friendly hotels that would fit my criteria along the trip - just in case something unforeseen happens (lousy hotel, car/moving truck break down, etc.). I try to remember to, at the very least, bring 800 numbers of hotels that are typically pet-friendly.

That's great that you are not going to be traveling when it's hot. I typically would stop for a stretch, treaties, and more water every 4-5 hours, but my dogs were big with big bladders and were quite content to travel.

Cheers!
c99

[rural lady]

I moved cross country with 3 dogs, what i thought was gonna be a nightmare was just my imagination. My dogs did fine, fi after first and second rest stop, they got with the program and understood the ride.


Best Western's, Super 8 and Motel 6 were best, i stayed at mostly Best Westerns, they did not ask me for a deposit, nor did they want to check the room when we checked out.

If your dogs are good and quiet you don't need to tell them you have 3 dogs.

I usually asked for a room at the end near walking area.

I would stop every 2 hrs at rest stop, I backed in to a spot where no one was, I had a long run i ran thru my post in back to hold 2 dogs and my small one a small leash.

If you are a female, no one is gonna bother you at rest stops with the big dogs when they ask to pet your dog or if pet will bite just say yes.

Call your hotels in advance, I did this in AM about 1 hr after i started driving usually i could get a room and get there by dusk.

You can call Best Western, super 8 and Motel 6 they will send you a book with all there hotels listed. I know motel 6 has a laundry which came in handy for me.

You could rent a larger SUV or Van, sometimes shipping your car is cheaper than shipping pets, and your pets are happier.

If going thru Nebraska, they had the best food out of all the states I went thru, meals included salad & soup, entree, dessert and drink in one price.

I loved the bowl of mashed potatoes. You Nebraska people are AOK, loved the town of York