Call me crazy, but I am planning a trip this summer to drive one of my Golden Retrievers from my home in NJ to live with my son in Orange, CA.

I'm sure I'll have a ton of questions as I delve further into this, but right now my biggest concern is what to do with Kobe when I have to make a rest stop. Won't it get too hot in the car to leave him, even for a few minutes? I can't count on finding a cool, shady spot to park everywhere. What have others done in this case?

Also, has anyone ever found a hotel that will let dogs swim in the pool?

Any other tips experienced dog-trekkers have would be appreciated.

My brother moved to San Diego and drove his dog down from Seattle. (Not as far I know, but still the same issues). Most highway rest stops have a dog area so you can walk the dog and give him a break. He did not find any hotels that would allow the dog to swim in the pool, although the hotels would take a dog (for an additional deposit). You will need to check on hotels along your route ahead of time so you know where you can stay with the dog.

My brother really had no issues, his lab is so calm anyway........

I'm planning an extended trip with my dog this fall and have been doing a little research. I found this site http://www.petswelcome.com/ has a handy feature which will locate pet friendly hotels along your travel route.

One thing I noticed was that the associated pet fees in hotels vary greatly even within a particular chain. ie. Various Best Westerns had a $15-20/night or $100/stay. Big difference if it's just one night. Holiday Inn Express was $90 rate with a free breakfast + $20 pet fee, while a Holiday Inn 7 miles away was $90, no breakkfast, with no pet fee. Since I don't eat $20 of breakfast food, HI wins. La Quinta Inns seemed to be the most consistent as far as little or no pet fees so I'll be experimenting with them.

As far as rest breaks go, I'll crank up the AC in the car right before I stop and then run into the restroom while the car is still cool. Hopefully, that shouldn't put too much heat stress on my doggie.

One sister drives with her 3 dogs from Yuma to New Orleans and my other sister has driven from San Fran to Birmingham with her dogs. I'll have to ask them specifics, though I don't recall hearing them complain about leaving the dogs in the car, etc.

I'll get back to you on that.

I know Drury Inns take dogs as does the more upper scale Lowe's. My mother pet sits in her spare time and Lowe's calls her occasionally to come to the hotel and exercise some dogs. (that's not really your situation as you have a destination and not going somewhere for a vacation... just thought I'd throw that in).

When my GFIL takes his dogs on errands, he brings an extra set of keys and he keeps the car locked, idling, the air on (lol... I know) while he runs in and out.

I'd also bring a copy of vet records, including shot records (which you probably are anyway) just in case something horrible happens and the dog has to be boarded for a few days. You can't be over-prepared.



I'll report when I speak to my sisters.

I have driven from Chicago to Northern California with 2 dogs in the car. I was not traveling alone, but if you stop at the highway rest stop, I would walk the dog, let him do his "business" then take him in with you to the bathroom.
I would also look for another dog lover who would watch him for a minute while you use the loo. I have often asked if people looked like they could use a hand. I would never leave a dog locked in a car in any weather over 60, just too much that could go wrong.
We had really good luck with hotels, althought we booked them all out before hand. I think for health resaons, they will not allow the dog in the actual pool. We did eat dinner one night at a pool side table and the dogs slept under the table with us. You might want to reseach a dog park with water fun for one of your stops on the way out.
Good luck, take your time and have a sense of humor, all will help! ;)

There is another option that can work for quick stops. Carry a second set of car keys with you. At the stop, leave your car running, a/c on, with the pet in it. Lock the doors. When you come back, unlock the door, pet the pet, and go on your merry way.

There is another option that can work for quick stops. Carry a second set of car keys with you. At the stop, leave your car running, a/c on, with the pet in it. Lock the doors. When you come back, unlock the door, pet the pet, and go on your merry way.

I would not recommend that approach for two reasons. There is a double temptation for anyone with a criminal mind.

1) you are leaving keys in a vehicle so they can steal it.
2) your Golden Retriever will disappear at the same time.

I would never leave a dog in a vehicle especially with keys in the ignition. If it is a gas station where you are stopping, take your dog into the rest room with you. @:-)

I would take the dog into the restroom with us.

I would die if I came back and found she made a mess in the car like this guy! (http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/04/infiniti-g35-dog-with-stomach-pains.html)

My sisters didn't have anything to offer because they have never traveled alone with their dogs.

What I'd do is this: (if you can..... sometimes nature calls at inopportune times)... Hit drive thrus for your meals (blech, I know...) and then hit roadside rest areas for bathroom breaks and take the dog in the restroom with you. That;s kind of gross because you know how dogs are.... but... it takes care of the problem.

With leaving the car on with a large dog, I'd be more worried about the dog somehow getting the car out of park, the emergency break off and then taking the car somewhere it's not supposed to be.

My Boxer rolls down the windows and unlocks the doors himself. My friend's Mastiff can actually OPEN the doors of her Suburban and he lets himself in.

I don't have any practical advice but I'll chime in anyway!

Find a copy of Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley" (preferably audio) for the trip.

Jim

I would take the dog into the restroom with us.

I would die if I came back and found she made a mess in the car like this guy! (http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/04/infiniti-g35-dog-with-stomach-pains.html)

OMG.... That is HORRIFIC!! I'm still laughing though... sent the link to DH as we have a Boxer and had that same car...

I've driven cross country with a dog 4 times. I love it.

First, make sure you get your dog a seat belt. It's a harness that you can hook your leash to to walk the dog and in the car, the car's seatbelt slips through a loop on the back. This way the dog can't go flying if the car stops suddenly.

Second, for rest stops, I make sure to get Triptiks from AAA and find the parks along the drive. This way, I get a meal from a fast food restaurant along with cold water for the dog and then drive to the park. I take the dog with me to the bathroom and then we eat together at a park bench. Lots of room for you and the dog to stretch your legs. I would never leave a dog in a car alone for any length of time especially in the summer. In the winter, I have for a short time and parked right next to the window where I could see the dog.

AAA also notes which hotels accept pets in its tour books. Always check with the hotel, though, as pet policies change. AAA also puts out a directory called, I think, Traveling with your Pet. However, it's not free like the other tour books. I used to love when Holiday Inns took pets. AFAIK, they don't any longer. I see the post above said that he or she found HIs that accept pets but that hasn't been my experience in the last few years. As always, it's best to check with the hotel directly as policies are not consistent throughout a chain.

dogfriendly.com and petswelcome.com have listings but it's not always easy to know where you'll want to stop for the night.

Have a great time! It's an adventure for you and your dog.

According to their website, yep, some Holiday Inns do accept pets.:D The policy will vary by location. For example:

Holiday Inn Express $10-20 pet fee (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/srdva?_requestid=501393)

Holiday Inn with no fee (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/frbno?_requestid=503725)

According to their website, yep, some Holiday Inns do accept pets.:D The policy will vary by location. For example:

Holiday Inn Express $10-20 pet fee (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/srdva?_requestid=501393)

Holiday Inn with no fee (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/frbno?_requestid=503725)

Glad to see they've gone back to their old policies. HIs are much nicer than Motel 6 (obviously!) and they can be just as convenient. I guess I just got unlucky on my last trip.

I would not recommend that approach for two reasons. There is a double temptation for anyone with a criminal mind.

1) you are leaving keys in a vehicle so they can steal it.
2) your Golden Retriever will disappear at the same time.

I would never leave a dog in a vehicle especially with keys in the ignition. If it is a gas station where you are stopping, take your dog into the rest room with you. @:-)

I suppose that the risk of theft is slightly increased. However, with the doors locked, they still have to either pick the lock or damage the vehicle. In most cases the bad guy would know how to hotwire the car anyways. It also matters what kind of dog. Toy poodles aren't particularly threatening, but I think that the thief would think twice before meeting a [insert your favorite guard-type breed here].

I don't have any practical advice but I'll chime in anyway!

Find a copy of Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley" (preferably audio) for the trip.

Jim

Travels With Charley is one of my favorite books. In fact, I gave the book to a visiting relative who lives abroad when he was planning his cross country trip and he didn't even have a dog:) Yet, he found the book very helpful. Ever since the first publication of the book I have entertained the fantasy of hopping into my car with my dogs and heading to the east coast. Some really good suggestions in this thread. ^

dogfriendly.com and petswelcome.com have listings but it's not always easy to know where you'll want to stop for the night.

That's a good point. Last year when friends of mine were travelling with thier dogs, they'd give me a call near the end of the day with a destination about 30-40 miles away and I'd go online and give them a few pet friendly hotel options. That way, they weren't held to a specific location each night if they made better/worse time than they estimated.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm not sure I can even lock my car when the engine is running (Porsche Cayenne), but I'm going to try some practice runs and see how it goes. He wears a seatbelt in the car (otherwise he wants to sit on my lap), so I'm not worried about him knocking the car into gear, but I do know he could never look intimidating enough to keep someone from breaking in.

I can't imagine taking 90 pounds of dog into a bathroom stall with me!!!

I would not recommend that approach for two reasons. There is a double temptation for anyone with a criminal mind.

1) you are leaving keys in a vehicle so they can steal it.
2) your Golden Retriever will disappear at the same time.

I would never leave a dog in a vehicle especially with keys in the ignition. If it is a gas station where you are stopping, take your dog into the rest room with you. @:-)

If you have a car with remote start you can eliminate this risk. Just lock the door and restart the car with the remote. It can't be driven away or knocked out of park and the engine/AC should run for 10 minutes or so.

Recent euro cars (Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, etc) have a REST mode on their AC. With key out of the ignition and the engine off, you can run the ventilation / heat for a few minutes. It uses the residual heat of the engine or coolness in the AC to try and maintain the interior temperature. On our car it's a button marked REST, but I don't know if it's a standardized label. In the summer, it works probably just long enough to quickly use the restroom, but winter residual heat works better.

Recent euro cars (Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, etc) have a REST mode on their AC. With key out of the ignition and the engine off, you can run the ventilation / heat for a few minutes. It uses the residual heat of the engine or coolness in the AC to try and maintain the interior temperature. On our car it's a button marked REST, but I don't know if it's a standardized label. In the summer, it works probably just long enough to quickly use the restroom, but winter residual heat works better.

Thanks Tummy -- my car has this. I knew it worked for heat (and have used it for the dogs in the past) but I didn't know it worked for A/C too. I also have roll-up sunshades in my back windows, which should help.

Recent euro cars (Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, etc) have a REST mode on their AC. With key out of the ignition and the engine off, you can run the ventilation / heat for a few minutes. It uses the residual heat of the engine or coolness in the AC to try and maintain the interior temperature. On our car it's a button marked REST, but I don't know if it's a standardized label. In the summer, it works probably just long enough to quickly use the restroom, but winter residual heat works better.

Excellent info: Thanks.^

Maybe not so excellent... I tried this over the weekend while parked in the sun on a hot day. The cooling air ran out in around 5 minutes, so the car got stuffy rather quick after that. This was in a two seat convertible. Based on this, I don't recommend this method anymore in the summer, unless you can run in and out very fast. Residual heat lasts longer in the winter though.