Anyone who has ever owned a pet knows the dilemma of spontaneous travel. It’s possible if you travel inside the country, have a small animal and the airline is willing to transport your tiny furry friend on board. Of course your pet will need to be in a special carrier, which should fit below the seat in front of you. Then, you must make certain that the hotel or any other accommodations are pet friendly and that you have a stash of your regular pet food (bad idea to change pet food on a trip, upset tummies can put a crimp in your trip).
Some of us are fortunate enough to have close friends and neighbors we can entrust with our fur babies, especially for shorter trips. The problem, however, becomes more than stressful, when there is a sudden trip and you haven’t the luxury of anyone to stand in and care for your pets.
These are my solutions:
1. I have a short but excellent list of people who board dogs or cats. One or all of them will always be available at any given time. It’s relatively expensive but the peace of mind I get by knowing that my puppy is staying with people fill the below criteria is invaluable:
a. They are state certified and require every pet’s vaccine history and vet contact.
b. They keep my pet at their home with their dogs.
c. They are professional trainers and groomers and their home smells great and is clean.
d. They make sure to feed my pup her special food.
e. They take her for long walks and supervise her playtime with the other animals.
2. If I travel by car or take my dog on a plane and then board a ship in a different state, I have made provisions for that too. On my last 8 day Kosherica cruise, I flew to Miami from New York and left tiny Matilda at a kennel which was recommended by a friend. It turned out to be like a pet camp, with video cameras, accessible on ones’ computer, lots of supervised playtime, naptime, fun, fun, fun!
And if you haven’t yet gotten a pet and you do travel a lot, consider getting a kitten or a full grown cat as opposed to a dog. Much more independent, can be left alone for periods of time as long as their food and water supply is replenished every few days by a neighbor. Make sure the home is safe, leave nothing they could get entangled in like wires, leave a nice litter box with smell absorption, and you’ll have very little to worry about while you’re away.