Should I Go?
This holiday season it seems like everyone’s going somewhere. If your dog is going with you, make sure you know what hotels you can stay at along the way, and if he’s not, slowly ease him into the boarding kennel, or hire the cute neighbor kids who are always watching you do agility to feed him and water him and walk him. This isn’t a comprehensive listing by any means, but it’s a good place to get you started!
Dog Hotels
Lets’ start with the hotels, shall we? Personally when I travel with my dogs, I can’t stay with family, since the entire family is allergic to dogs and cats! I go to a hotel, and sometimes I’m really glad I do. I love the continental breakfasts! There’s a very handy list here for US hotels allowing dogs (and there’s a subcategory there for those of us with giant breeds and kitties!) If you stay in a hotel, it’s a good idea to make sure you bring a lot of courtesy bags, chew and be quiet toys, paper towel, shot records, bowls, and a crate (pop-up kennels are great for crate trained dogs staying in hotels- lugging a Midwest kennel through a hotel can be awkward, especially if you have a big dog). You can’t leave the dog loose in the hotel room when you are not in it, and the chew toys will help keep him happily occupied. I find that covering my dog’s cage with a blanket any time he’s in a new environment settles him right down!
Also, not to seem indelicate, but… if you do stay in a hotel, please make certain your dog has a flea treatment active on him. Most hotels are awesome about cleanliness, but you really don’t want to risk an infestation.