Do you like to travel with your dogs?

[crazedACD]

Is it only a real vacation if you get away from everything (including the pets!) or do you like to take them with you?

I like to take mine with me if possible, if I can be in a place where they can be left for a bit (cabin or beach house).
I wouldn't really like to bring them to something like a hotel where I couldn't leave them in the room to go to dinner or something.

 

[skKi]

I love travelling with Pit! He's so good everywhere I go. He's good in the car for hours and hours, great at getting settled in any type of arrangements I've booked to stay in, he enjoys exploring new cities and trails everywhere with me and takes it all in stride. We just went on a trip to Tofino and he was stellar. There was a point where he was chilling, staring at the birds on a patio at a restaurant while I enjoyed my breakfast, and I just couldn't help but notice I was just smiling at him the whole time instead of admiring the beautiful ocean views!

A vacation isn't a vacation without my orange dog. <3<3

 

[LostAndConfused]

Since getting Hudson we've done a few long weekends without him, but generally he always comes with. Our last 2 vacations, we've brought him along. He comes with us when we go back to Ohio. The only time he doesn't come with is if we are flying, or going somewhere that we plan on being out and about in non-dog friendly areas

 

[Laurelin]

I love traveling with the dogs! Though I haven't gone far now that I have 3 so that could be more difficult.

 

[MilliesMom]

I love travelling with the dogs when we can, miss them too much when we leave them home. Last year we just took Rig with us camping because Jesse was still settling in (very shy) and now that Holly's older she's more comfortable at home.

Next year we're going to stay a few days at Woodhaven Country Lodge, I hope. Love camping, but there's something to be said about a real bed every once in a while.

 

[Bruschnazzy]

I do enjoy it either way, but on the no-animal trips, it's been nice to just get a break from taking care of them.

 

[k9krazee]

We plan to travel somewhere pretty much every other weekend on our four day weekends. Most of time (probably 80%) with dog(s) in usually a dog-centered trip, but once in awhile we do trips that it just isn't feasible for them to come. Then once or twice a year we fly on a plane without them. Long vacations are usually somewhere out of the country that they can not attend.

 

[Ozfozz]

For the most part I do.
This summer my mom and I took all 4 dogs in her Chevy Cruze to PA. All 4 of them settled into the hotel, and the house we were guests at, with ease.

It was a great time. Sure it hindered our opportunity to do things like shopping and what not. But luckily they were all good in the car for a few minutes at a time and it was still relatively cool out.

I get anxiety when I leave my dogs to go on vacation too long anyway. Rigby is a little special and all, I worry about something happening.

 

[Red.Apricot]

I hate traveling without Elsie.

 

[GaelicBlues]

We used to go overseas every couple of years for a month and I didn't mind leaving the 2 then 3 dogs; it was good to have a break actually. Then we got up to 4 and it got too expensive to board them. Earlier this year when we only had the 2 again we took them with us for just over 2 weeks in our own country and loved it It was winter so accommodation was quiet and the dogs stayed inside with us, sharing a crate. Now we have the pup we probably won't do that again for a while and 2 was okay but 3 would be too many, and I don't like to board them under a year or so... but now I also find the idea of leaving them hard

Scout is 2 and a half and has never stayed anywhere but with us. She is a bit spoilt and clingy. I would worry about leaving her even though I used to leave my girl who had epilepsy.

 

[amberdyan]

For the most part Hugo comes with us. He won't be coming on our honeymoon to Hawaii though : p If we have to fly anywhere, he'll be boarded.

I'm also kind of a terrible person and even though you're not supposed to leave dogs alone in hotels, he's so well crate trained that I have left him in a hotel for 1-2 hours in a crate with a "do not disturb" sign left out.

 

[Fran101]

I do enjoy it either way, but on the no-animal trips, it's been nice to just get a break from taking care of them.

This.
He's good in the car, good on the bus, good on planes and I do enjoy having him around as he adjusts well to new living situations.

but it really does depend on the vacation.
Romantic trips? No.
Party trips? No
he'd much rather be with a dog sitter than left in a hotel room all the time or somewhere mostly city scape without off leash or dog friendly activities.

He has been on the more beachy/outdoorsy family fun trips, or trips where my friends also bring their dogs and those I do bring him.
Typically if no other dogs are coming and we are staying somewhere that isn't a house/with some off leash wiggle room... he stays home.

 

[SpringerLover]

Honestly, if I have a trusted sitter I would rather leave them home. I don't mind if they come along sometimes but I love being able to leave them behind. Gabby travels great but isn't good about being left in new places alone so that complicates things. Bailey is good at traveling but she can't do a whole lot physically. And the cats always have to stay home.

If I didn't have someone I trust to watch them I would/have felt very differently.

 

[sassafras]

It depends on what the vacation is. A getaway with my husband? Visiting family? Nooooo.

But, I love to go camping or cabin-ing up north with a dog or dogs. A lot of the things I like to do on that kind of vacation are things that I like to do with my dogs - hiking, scootering, skijoring - so it's natural that they would come. And if my husband can't get off work, I don't feel like I'm going anywhere alone.

 

[JacksonsMom]

I love traveling with Jackson. I don't think I'd want to deal with him on a plane, etc, but anywhere I go within driving distance? Yes, LOVE having him with me. He's gotten worse, it seems, with age with me leaving overnights and I often feel so guilty when I leave him, even though I know he's in good hands with my dad - it does add stress to my dads life, lol (I went away for 3 nights a few weekends ago and my dad said he had to sleep upstairs in my room with him to settle and even so, he just slept under the bed all night).

He's a good traveler. He gets nervous when driving in the RV because it can be so loud and bumpy, but in my car? He's fine and just loves being with me. He always behaves well in hotels or guests homes. He's well behaved in public and just loves being a part of whatever we're a part of.

 

[JacksonsMom]

For the most part Hugo comes with us. He won't be coming on our honeymoon to Hawaii though : p If we have to fly anywhere, he'll be boarded.

I'm also kind of a terrible person and even though you're not supposed to leave dogs alone in hotels, he's so well crate trained that I have left him in a hotel for 1-2 hours in a crate with a "do not disturb" sign left out.

Are you really not supposed to? lol. I always leave Jackson in the hotel when we visit Gettysburg, as the fam likes to go to dinner at night, so it's only for 2 hours and right across the street, and I do get nervous doing it, but I leave the TV on, put the do not disturb sign on door, and block off the entrance doorway. I watched him one time after I left my phoot booth on my mac on, and he just slept on the bed the whole time.

 

[CharlieDog]

The only places Indy doesn't come with me, are friends houses where I know their dogs and her would get into it.

Otherwise, she goes everywhere. Vacation with the SO? Ozzy and Indy came with, two years in a row, and we had the BEST time on the beach with them. It was so much more fun and relaxing than the previous year where we didn't bring anyone.

Indy ROCKS at party scene, she schmoozes everyone if I'm comfortable enough to let her off to mingle, everyone loves her because she's super well behaved, and is a riot of a dog. Harrison will get there eventually as well.

All of my friends know I usually show up with a dog (or two now) in tow, and Indy is so well traveled (to CO and back twice in a car, she's flown on places, been on every kind of transportation, including boats, and she just rocks it) that she can go anywhere and is immediately at ease and comfortable. I couldn't ask for a better companion.

Sure, sometimes we'll leave them at the house if we're going out to dinner together, but since she's my SD, half the time she gets left is because SHE'S tired and needs the break, not that I don't want her with me.


If I travel ANYWHERE without her, I feel worse by the second day and it just goes downhill from there. She endeared herself to my aunt when we flew up there in PA and my uncle tried to keep her. He's always wanted a GSD and then I show up with a Dutch Shepherd, lol, and we had a long conversation about different types of Shepherds, and in the end he was poking fun of my saying he was just going to keep Indy since she was already in love with him (the man carries around dehydrated sweet potatoes for his dogs) and saying she liked him best anyway, and was already trained as a Service Dog lol (he's disabled)

I'm hoping Harrison will follow in her footprints, and do a few of the things it's not in her nature to do. Then I'll travel with TWO dogs everywhere lol.

The last half of my trip home this time from CO I had Harry and Indy with me, and I never felt more secure, even with an idiot six month old Malinois flailing at the end of the leash, people get the hell out of the way for a dark faced prick eared dog that looks like it wants nothing more than to break loose and cause havoc (which he did, with abandon, in the hotel room. He came right in and jumped onto the table )

In short, Love Me, Love My Dogs. Invite Me, Expect My Dogs. Dogs aren't invited? I can't make it.

 

[Toller_08]

Both. I like going on nice beachy, adventurous vacations without dogs. As much as my dogs are my world and I love it that way, a break once in a while is appreciated also as long as I have dog sitters that I trust. It's niceties go and do stuff and not worry about their needs or getting back in a timely matter. Doesn't mean I don't think of them while I am gone or get sad about all of the photo ops they aren't around for though haha. I miss them a lot as much as I do enjoy the freedom of a dog less week.

But I also love doggy vacations. Especially outdoorsy ones. When i go away in the summer for a week or so yearly, i always try to bring a dog with me if i can. I also plan on taking myself and my dogs on a road trip either next summer or the spring/summer after. I think that would be a lot of fun.

 

[SoCrafty]

The whole reason we are getting a Sheltie is so that she can come with us when we travel!:rofl1:

Seriously though. Its much easier to travel with a 20-30 pound dog that can fit on your lap, rather than my sister or even sister in laws 70+ pound giants!

 

[JacksonsMom]

The whole reason we are getting a Sheltie is so that she can come with us when we travel!:rofl1:

Seriously though. Its much easier to travel with a 20-30 pound dog that can fit on your lap, rather than my sister or even sister in laws 70+ pound giants!

That is true, and why I'm reluctant to go "bigger" in the future. I thought about it on our last family trip when their minivan wasn't working so we had to use my Jeep Patriot to fit 4 people and Jackson and honestly? with all the bags, cooler, etc, Jackson ended up on my lap 95% of the time, there was really no where else for him to squeeze and fit. I was like "man this would suck if I had a 40+ lb dog" LOL.....