Think You're Ready? 10 Tips on How to Spring Break With Your Dog
Don’t you just love spring break? It’s like the annual notification to welcome the warm weather seeping into each day, a little bit more at a time. There’s something kid-like and delightful about taking a break in the springtime. Kick off the cold weather clothes and break out the shorts. For our dogs, it often signals the time for their annual buzzcuts. We love to take a spring break vacation with our dog, we hit dog-friendly spots and enjoy five days of freedom! Here’s how to do spring break with your dog.
Things to Do and to Pack
Regardless if you are traveling by plane, train, or automobile, there are a few things that you need to include when you take your dog with you on spring break. First things first, however. Make sure that you take your dog to the vet just to make sure everything is good. You’ll want to do this particularly if you are traveling by plan. Talk over your travel plans with your vet just in case she notices something about your dog that warrants attention prior to travel. When that’s done, here are the things to check off your list.
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Review: Plan your spring break well, and know where you are traveling to so that you can understand a few things. Mainly, you want to know if there are specific vaccination requirements that are different from the ones required in your location. This can happen when you travel to different regions of the country, and outside of the country. Also, by doing this you learn where dog-friendly restaurants, hotels, and other stops are along your route.
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Reservations: Hey, it wouldn’t be a spring break if you didn’t have to hustle for a good vacation spot. Call around to find the places with the best dog-friendly accommodations. Bring Fido and Go Pet Friendly are great resources for getting up-to-the-minute information about places to visit that simply adore dogs.
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Identification: Make sure that your dog’s license, rabies, and other required vaccination tags are up-to-date. Also, review your dog’s contact tag and make a new one if you’ve moved or your phone number has changed. Lastly, make sure that your dog’s microchip information is updated. Particularly if you adopted your pup. You want to make sure that you are contacted should your dog get lost.
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Leash and Harness: When you walk your dog around your home, they tend to learn the drill and don’t get too out of hand. They’ve marked their territory and spend the rest of their lives remarking it to ensure Betsy down the road doesn’t claim their favorite spot. But when you travel your dog is more apt to want to wander and explore. That’s great, as that is what vacations are for. Just make sure you have a solid harness and a 5 to 6-foot leash. This is the perfect length to allow your pup to explore and yet keep him close.
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First Aid Kit: A good solid pet first aid kit is a must when traveling. Many of the items in a human first aid kit cannot be used on dogs, that’s why you want to secure a quality pet-focused one. Pet first aid kits typically contain bandages and gauze in the right sizes and material to stay on your fuzzy companion. Also, they often include saline solution and iodine, as well as a tick remover.
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Medicine: Wherever you go and whatever you do, if your pet is on medication, do not forget to pack it with you for your spring break travels. You’ll want to pre-check the amount of medications you have on hand and order refills as needed. One of the last things you want to have happen is be out of medication your dog requires and have to be reliant on a vet that doesn’t know your dog’s history. Save that for emergencies.
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Food: Most dogs respond poorly to swift changes in their diet. This is what it’s so important to pack foods that you typically feed your dog. His regular daily meals, plus snacks, and a few chews are what’s important. If you are going to buy your dog’s food once you get to your destination, make sure that you review local nearby pet food stores to ensure that they have your dog’s specific type of food.
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Potty Bags: Now this should go without saying, but we’ll go ahead and say it. Pack plenty of bags to pick up your dog’s precious droppings. You definitely don’t want to be one of those people that doesn’t pick up your dog’s poop just because you forgot to pack the bags. Tip: in a pinch, you can use a used paper coffee cup for emergency poo pick up duty.
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Toys: One of the last things you want to happen, that will surely ruin a few hours of your spring break, is to forget your dog’s toys. Without toys and chews, your dog can become under stimulated, particularly if traveling in a car. Toys that hide treats are a great way to feed your dog while traveling. They tend to keep your dog motivated, engaged, and eventually, he will get tuckered out and rest.
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Water: Definitely don’t forget the water. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had to stop on our vacations to buy some water because we forgot it back at our house. While you can buy water on the road, there’s really no sense when you can pour a bunch out from your home tap and store it in a nice carry along that will keep it fresh and cool for your pup, anytime he gets a little thirsty.
Now that you have all of our tips to help make your spring break with your dog a big success, you are ready to hit the open road. Have fun and don’t forget to send us some pictures!
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