Has anyone drove to Florida with a dog in the car?

[Samantha]

In June, we are headed to Florida from Mass and we are bringing our Golden Retriever with us. We are staying with my parents down there (who have a golden and are happy we are bringing ours), so boarding won't be a problem. Also, we have all the time we need and we are taking 3 days to get down and 3 days to get back with 2 weeks to stay in between.

Has anyone ever done this? I hate to leave our pet behind as we love her like a family member and both my children really want her to go, but in the same sense, I don't want her to suffer the long rides each day if it isn't good for her.

If you have done this, how was it? We plan on stopping a lot (we have 2 children under 8 yrs), which is why we planned on 3 days to drive down. Also, if you have done this, what did you take to prepare for the drive? We have a Town and Country with Stow and go, so we can store the seats in the back so the dog has plenty of room.

Any help or comments would be appreciated! Thanks

 

[goofy4tink]

My ds was going to take his cat in the car with him when he moved to Tampa last fall from Mass. He checked out the places he could stay along the way that allowed pets in the room. But, he had so much stuff in his car he ended up not taking her (I flew her down later). I imagine that you have already found lodging that will take a dog overnight. I have a golden and he would rather spend 3 days tied to the top of the car rather than be left behind!!! He always just lies quietly in the way back of the car. Since it will be such a long drive you may want to consider crating her. Crating is the absolute most safe way to travel with a dog. And it keeps them from jumping around with the kids. But that takes up a lot of room in the back. But so much safer if there is an accident.
So, all in all.....be sure to make stops every 3 hours for everyone to stretch their legs and 'use the facilities'. A nice walk at night would be good. If she normally travels well, she should be fine for the 3 days. By the way...stretching it over 3 days is a terrific idea for everyone in the group. Much less stressfull.

 

[padisneylover]

We made several trips for Pa to Florida with our German Shepard and it was not easy but like you we hated to leave her in a kennel. That being said if you are going at that time of the year your biggest problem will be the heat. Make sure you take water with you in the car for the dog since we found our dog would not drink water in some places due to the strong chlorine in the water and we ended up buying bottled water for the dog. Another thing is unless South Carolina has changed their laws you can not have a dog in your room in any hotel there. Some do have kennels out side but they were not very nice so we made it a point to stop in North Carolina or Georgia when traveling with the dog. Our dog has been dead for 12 years now so things could very well have changed. We found that all of the rest stops along the way did have special dog areas and it was easy to walk the dog at each of our stops.

 

[ougrad86]

I've had experiences both good and bad. When I was a child we had a dog, and he was fine with laying in the back of our station wagon on our trips. However, as an adult I had a cat. She hated traveling, and would always get car sick, even when she wasn't in the carrier. For her, we ended up getting sedatives from the vet when we had to move cross country. Both times, she was fine...not happy, but fine.
If your dog is used to riding with you, I think you should be fine. We loved having our dog with us. I traveled as little as possible with my cat - even sedated, her yowls were something until it really kicked in!

 

[KristinU]

How does she do in the car now? Does she like riding in the car or no? Our DDoggie (yellow lab) was in a fender-bender with my mom when she was about a year or two old (on their way to pick us up from a WDW trip no less!) and has not been comfortable in the car ever since. We moved from MN to CT about 6 years ago and ended up playing a soothing Disney Princess album the whole way because she just wasn't thrilled about it at all and never was able to relax. I know our situation is unique, but it makes me aware that each dog is different and has different feelings about riding in the car. What is the longest amount of time she's ridden for in the past? How did she do?

The heat is another factor that someone else mentioned...you guys might want to tag-team for meals and make sure she stays cool and comfortable.

Although playing with her "aunt" or "uncle" dog would be awesome for both of them once you got there, personally I'd opt against it. But, we also have a boarding kennel that we love and trust so I know that our dog has a great time there and I can relax. Actually, depending on where you're at in Mass, the boarding kennel we use might be on the way down! It is off of 84 in Willington, CT. PM me if you want some info on them...I can't say enough about how much we like them. For example, in her file it is noted that she's afraid of thunder (also a result of the fender-bender) and they'll bring her into their home in the middle of the night if it is thundering and she's scared. I totally know what you mean about your dog being a member of your family

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Samantha]

Thank you, I do appreciate all your comments~! Right now, our dog travels with us wherever we go, be it 3 hours away or 10 minutes and she loves to go in the car. She hops right in and is ready! LOL We plan on taking plenty of water with us, as that is what the kids drink as well. In our van, we have our two front seats and then way in the back is where the kids sit, so the entire middle part is empty where the dog can lay down. We have never crated her and we have taken her to places before where she had to ride 12 hours in the car. She was fine and never bothered us once. We stopped every 3 or 4 hours and she got out, did her thing and jumped right back in for some cold water waiting in the car for her. Once we got there, I took her for a nice long walk and then she slept the rest of the night in the room with us. She is a super good dog, so I don't see too much problem with her going down, I just wanted some feedback on how everyone else did it. We have never been this far with her.

Once again, I appreciate all your comments and love reading about all your experiences. We also have a cat, but no way would I ever take him anywhere! Wow, he would be climbing the walls!! LOL Thankfully our daughter is going to take the cat while we are gone. Isn't that weird, I can't bear to leave the dog with someone else, but I have no problem leaving the cat?

Anyway, I haven't actually checked with any places that take animals on the road, does anyone have any information about this or has anyone stayed at a place off I 95? I am not sure where we will be stopping, as we are spacing this out over three days, but if anyone has any recommendations, I would love to hear about them!

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[swillis]

As a Vet Tech, I have to tell you that unless you travel with your dog on a regular basis he would probably be happier at home either with a pet sitter, or in a well run boarding facility.

That is a very long drive (I know I live in MA) and the safest way for your dog to travel is in a secured crate. You would need to take frequent breaks for the dog's sake, and then you will need to find lodging along the way that is pet friendly.

Then once you get there having the 2 dogs together could be more chaotic than you had planned. I speak from experience on this one as I frequently take in dogs/puppies to foster and while my own dog is usually very laid back, calm, doesn't bark etc....when I bring another dog into the house it's always "Crazy Doggy Wrestlemainia"

I think your children would understand that the dog may not like to travel as much as they do, and he might be happier either staying in his own home (if that's an option) or hanging our with some new friends at a "Doggy Hotel"

I'm sure your veterinarian can offer some recommendations for boarding kennels or in home pet sitters. Just my 2 cents

 

[Martha7]

When we moved from the Cleveland area to Ft. Lauderdale, we drove with our German Shepard and our iguana! The iguana stayed in his carrier, but our dog sat in the row of middle seats, which we had covered with blankets for her. When we stopped for fast food, we never left them alone in the car at any point. One of us would go in and use the restroom, then the other would go in and use the restroom and bring the food out. We ate in the car and had the A/C running. Our kids were with our in-laws, so it was just my Dh and myself with the pets on the drive. I had to bring a heating strip to keep the iguana's cage warm overnight, but that's another thread, since you're asking about dogs specifically. It worked out fine for us, and we didn't need to sedate our dog. She did fine, didn't get carsick, etc. She loved being with us, but hated kennels. When we went to WDW on vacation, we paid the next door neighbor's teenage son to come in and feed her and play with her. Have a great trip!

 

[Sleepy]

We drove from Auburn, Washington to Florence, SC back in 1981. 2 kids, a big dog, a cat and 2 gerbils. Worked out just fine. You just need to remember the importance of stopping when necessary.