Driving with a dog in the summer?

[lifelongMOgal]

Originally Posted by brattpowered

Hm, looks like it's plastic bottles and drive thrus for me :P

I used to travel extensive numbers of miles solo with my dogs (1000+ mi.) It takes planning but can be done in relative comfort.

No reason to take "plastic bottles" when you can purchase reuseable thermal water jug or two. I kept these for my dogs so while on the road they had cool water from home to reduce stress.

Pack a cooler so you can pull over in a shady spot, give your dog some time outside the car (leashed of course), and both stretch your legs. Take a portable kennel/crate in case of emergency/unforseen breakdown. Doodie bags, food, treats, have water readily available throught the ride in a bowl. Suggest having your dog "chipped" if you have not done so just in case it might get lost far from home.

If you plan to stay overnight at a hotel pre-plan and know where along your rounte the pet friendly hotels/motels are. If you can stick to a plan an have a reservation in advance so much the better.

Try to do much of your driving during the "cool hours" of pre-dawn and early evening/night perhaps planning your hotel sleep recovery time during the hottest part of the day. This way you don't have to worry so much about your dog being in a hot vehicle alone.

[Thursday007]

Originally Posted by grannynancy

That is why I have a truck now with a camper with a locking crate and set up to keep a dog cool.

But - you can leave the car locked and running with the A/C for short errands and check on it every few minutes - that is what those of us who have working dogs in the South and still have to attend to such things - do. Obviously that is not for anything more than a few minutes and where we eat, someone is usually out there checking on the dogs every 10-15 minutes.

I once left a car idling while I walked a child up to his house and as his mom came out to get him she screamed - the car had popped out of gear and was rolling backwards down the street. I would excerise caution about this.

[lifelongMOgal]

Originally Posted by Thursday007

I once left a car idling while I walked a child up to his house and as his mom came out to get him she screamed - the car had popped out of gear and was rolling backwards down the street. I would excerise caution about this.

No emergency brake when in park?

[Sillypups]

TOO hot in the Summer to leave a dog in the car.
As much as I LOVE our pups and would love for them to come along, I would advise not doing this.
Hubby told me a long time ago... if we have or need to travel with our dogs, we would have to buy or rent an RV that has AC in it, if we had to leave the dogs for any length of time.

I think in this case... as much as you love your dog, he/she needs to come first on this issue.
You'll be back before you know it & you can bring your dog some special treats back.
Just think about all the love the two of you will share when you get back from the trip.