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.
I have stayed in hotels that accept pets. No need to crate them. Keep the leash on them, though.
On taking them in the car, just get a harness you can attach to the safety belts in the back seat. This works fine. I took two dogs from California to Washington this way.
The only things to remember are to keep the dogs hydrated, stop every three or four hours so that they can go to the bathroom and just get some air and get their legs back under them. You might also go to the vet and see if they can prescribe anything if the dog gets car sick. I don't recommend that you tranquilize your dog. Some will have a terrible reaction. I tried that on the first leg of the trip and one of my dogs, a German Shepherd, didn't react to it very well, so no more doggy tranqs the rest of the way and they were fine. I felt totally guilty for giving them that one dose, though. I really spoil my dogs generally. It would also be a good idea to do the lions share of your travelling beginning in the early morning hours (4 a.m. or so) so that you can get in some major miles before the heat peaks in the afternoon and you can spend the rest of the day at the hotel. That also makes it easier on the little fur balls.
My lab/golden is 55lbs and when we moved from MI to NC she was just in the back of my kia sportage. She had her water, a few toys and her blanket. Make sure that you always have the leash on them before opening the car door at a rest area! We had no problems finding pet friendly hotels but I did map out our trip on a web site (I believe it may have been petfriendly, but not sure) I had hotels picked up in several cities.
Honestly, Cassy has traveled with us on several occasions and we never had a crate, but we never left her alone in the motel room either.
Good luck, and I hope you all can enjoy the trip.
A friend of mine was traveling cross-country with her dog and two cats. At a rest stop near Concordia, Missouri, she got out of the van to let the dog out for a potty break. She then returned to the van and unfortunately, she didn't think to check and be sure all the "children" were counted. She then headed to her friend's house in Kansas, about 70 miles away.
When she arrived, she noticed one of the cats was missing. She immediately drove back to the rest stop, but couldn't find her. This was about two weeks ago. She has called numerous animal shelters, ran ads in papers, told all the workers at the rest stop about the cat, but as yet, no kitty to be found. Callie was 14 years old. I'm posting a photo of her because one never knows who might have seen her or maybe even picked her up and took her home. I surely hope so. It's the not knowing that makes it even more difficult.
She said she couldn't believe she didn't see the cat sneak out of the van. The cat hardly ever gets out of the van and/or home-on-the-road she pulls behind her, an indoor cat for sure, with the litter box in the van or the traveling home on wheels.
There is a terrific feature on the site someone else mentioned -- petswelcome.com It will map your trip, you plug in the variables (how far off the road you'll go for lodgings), & it will provide the pet-friendly places. They also have an excellent book "The Portable petswelcome.com" which I found super helpful (am contemplating a cross country drive w/two cats) & it answers every question I had (also stuff like emergency vet clinics, which I hadn't thought of, but good to know.
On behalf of Scooby & myself, Thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread for us. We've finally made it to Missouri! Yeah!!! It took 2 1/2 days and, Thank God, the weather & traffic were kind to us.
Our dog made the trip just fine. She slept most of the way. We put her big pillow in the back seat, and she was comfy & cosy.
The hotels we stayed at were Quality Inn & Holiday Inn Express. Neither asked for health records and neither stated she had to be crated. I don't recall now, but I believe the pet fees for each hotel was $10.
The only issue we encountered was the fact that our girl wasn't used to traveling, and she didn't like going potty in strange areas. (Too many strange noises & smells). She's just now starting to get back on schedule. But other than that, the trip went on without a hitch. Praise The Lord!!!
Again, thanks for the tips and suggestions. They were all very helpful!!! 'Moving across the country...$?000.00. Doing it with a little help from our friends...PRICELESS!'
Can anyone tell me what their experience is staying at hotels with a pet. We will be traveling from California to Missouri and will need lodging at least 1 or 2 nights and we were wondering if we need to take the dogs crate. Its very large and we would like to not have to if necessary as trunk space is at a premium.
hi I came to Florida with 2 pets, I did have the carrier only for car safety. Anyway the terrier decided to share my bed, the Bichon decided to take over the other bed herself. it all worked out fine. I think we used the sleep in motel and comfort inn both which do allow pets. i think they charge a small fee but if you have either aarp or aaa you get a discount.
Boof, my Cassy does the same thing! She acts as if she needs to get out of the car and go potty, but once out she won't do a thing except race back to the car. As if we would forget her............
Boof, my Cassy does the same thing! She acts as if she needs to get out of the car and go potty, but once out she won't do a thing except race back to the car. As if we would forget her............
LOL Yep, sounds like our Maggi. I'm glad to hear we aren't the only ones with a dog with a 'shy bladder'. LOL As for the 'forgetting her' part....she's still not over that. She sticks to us like glue when we're home. But I think it's just because she's in a different environment and thinks we're going to go home soon. Just wait till we move her to her new permanent home in a few weeks. We're gonna be back to square one....again!!! Heaven help us! But, we know what's happening, so we make sure to encourage her to be with us as much as possible. We're hoping it helps her feel more secure if we include her as much as possible.
That is what we did with Cassy, lots of walks. She still hates to get in the car, but will if she must. Cassy was pretty funny after we relocated to NC, she was real quiet, only wanted outside for necessary things, changed eating habits and HAD to have soft food mixed into her hard (yep, we still have to give it to her). Now she is still not the gal she was in her old house, but her character is back and she will stay outside as long as we are out and if the weather is not too hot. Yep, moving is hard on them.
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.
~~ Lost Cat In Missouri ~~
Thank You Everyone!!!
Praise The Lord!!!
As for the 'forgetting her' part....she's still not over that. She sticks to us like glue when we're home. But I think it's just because she's in a different environment and thinks we're going to go home soon. Just wait till we move her to her new permanent home in a few weeks. We're gonna be back to square one....again!!! Heaven help us! 
But, we know what's happening, so we make sure to encourage her to be with us as much as possible. We're hoping it helps her feel more secure if we include her as much as possible.
