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The Whole Family
Including Pets in Your Holiday Travel Plans
By Teri Brown
So exactly how does one travel successfully with pets? Planning has a lot to do with the success or failure of taking a pet companion along with the family, but first a loving owner must take into account the type of pet he has and the temperament and health of that animal.
The first thing you should take into account is how much travel experience your pet has. Paul Owens, an experienced dog trainer and author of The Dog Whisperer (Adams Media Corporation, 1999), believes if you are considering taking a dog with you, it depends on the individual dog.
"Dogs who have been acclimated to traveling in the family car normally don't have a problem with longer trips," Owens says. "This is not a breed specific issue; it's a temperament issue. Obviously a distressed dog, who throws up, eliminates or has diarrhea while riding in the back seat, is not a dog who is going to be a happy camper on a long car trip."
Christine Rosenblat, a public relations specialist for the San Francisco SPCA, believes temperament and the experience of the animal should definitely be taken into account before planning a trip with your family pet.
"It's a rare cat that enjoys any kind of travel," Rosenblat says. "Cats are very territorial and are not happy when they're removed from familiar surroundings. It's best to leave them at home with a pet sitter who either moves in temporarily or who comes in each day to feed and care for them. Dogs, on the hole, are better travelers. However, depending on age, temperament and health, a dog might also be happier at home with a pet sitter or at a well-run boarding kennel."
