Resources offer tips for traveling with pets
I took my dog, Kasey, to the veterinarian last week for his distemper/parvo vaccinations. We went into the treatment room and took our seats. While Kasey hid under the wooden bench I was sitting on, I spotted a book on the magazine shelf. The book was "Traveling With Your Pet AAA Petbook."
There are many resources for those of us who travel by car with our dogs and this book is one of them. The Buddy Foundation is not endorsing this book, but we find it extremely informational.
The AAA Petbook lists websites, phone numbers and addresses for organizations offering travel information, materials, brochures and tips for happy traveling, including the AAHA, American Boarding Kennels Association, ASPCA, AVMA, Dogpark.com, HUS and USDA-APHIS.
Travel tips include updating your dog's vaccinations, and getting a health certificate proving up-to-date rabies, distemper and kennel cough vaccinations. The documentation will be necessary if you cross state or country lines. They will also come in handy if your pet gets lost and must be retrieved from a local shelter.
Depending on your destination, ask your veterinarian about preventive measures for Lyme disease and heartworm.
Also, make sure your dog has a collar with a license tag and ID tags listing his name and yours, along with your address and phone number.
In addition to offering tips on selecting a carrier or crate, the AAA Petbook offers airline contact information, suggestions for traveling between the United States and Canada, and what to do in case of an emergency. The guide also contains a list of Emergency Animal Clinics in the United States and Canada.
It's good to know there is emergency veterinary medical care available when we're on the road with our pets. The list is provided by the Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Society as a service to the community for information purposes only.
The bulk of the AAA Petbook contains destinations that accept pets in the United States and Canada. The first destination is a list of dog parks in both countries provided by Dogpark.com. Dog park entries include website contact information, location, hours of operation and description of the park and amenities, e.g. fenced/unfenced, disposal bags, trash cans, trees, water, benches and phones.
Another destination list is attractions in the United States and Canada that accept pets. These listings include a website, location and description of the attraction; hours of operation; and if kennel facilities are available or pets are allowed on leash. I never knew pets on a leash were allowed at the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.
The largest portion of the AAA Petbook Guide is the section with listings for lodgings across North America that accept pets, domestic cats and dogs. From a motel in Abbeville, Alabama, to a cottage near Yellowstone National Park, each listing provides information such as property name and lodging classification: motel, ranch, large-scale hotel, cabin/cottage, country inn, condominium or small scale hotel.
Other information provided includes special amenities offered, telephone number, two-person rate, address, highway location and pet policies. Pet policies include size, species, deposits and fees, designated rooms, housekeeping service, supervision and crating.
The Lodgings section also lists campgrounds where our pets are welcome. Information in these listings include location, campground name, telephone number, fees, campground amenities and discounts
Whether you use this guide, or one of the other many guides, websites or resources available to help you travel safely with your pet, remember to call ahead to get up to date information on your lodging destination.
It was fun looking at all the places Kasey and I could visit together. Maybe next year we'll be more than armchair travelers. Our thanks to Dr. K. Bertoglio, D.V.M., for sharing a book from her library with us.
Adoptables
Doyle is a male Staffordshire terrier/Dalmatian mix. He's about six months old and weighs about 54 pounds.
Ginger is a female cairn terrier. She's about 6 years old and weighs about 18 pounds.