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Traveling with your pet can be a fun, exciting and enjoyable experience. After all, who wants to leave family members behind? Traveling with your pets is a growing trend. In fact, The NYT reported that 78 percent of pet owners in the US travel with their pets.
Some pets are totally cool with traveling. For other pets, however, getting in the car or airplane and being in an unfamiliar and new environment isn’t fun and can be a pretty uncomfortable experience for both the pet and the pet owner. According to Forbes, the key to a smooth pet-friendly trip is in the planning.
Plan ahead for stress-free traveling
Planning ahead can be the key to a successful vacation. This includes having all the necessary documentation that you need for your pet, checking the rules and regulations of the place you are staying to make sure it’s a pet-friendly environment, and addressing any concerns ahead of time. You might even consider taking your pet to the vet to ensure that your fur baby should travel to the location and with the transportation you have in mind.
All of those things will be super helpful and practical. Whitney Miller, DVM, chief veterinarian at Petco explained to Forbes that you might need a health certificate from your vet to ensure your pet can travel safely.
Once you know where you will be going and how you will be getting there, you can practice it with your pet. For example, if you will be driving for many hours to your destination, practicing short car rides with your pets is a great way to start preparing.
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But before you plan your vacation, keep in mind how this might affect your pet. “I really urge pet parents to think about their pet’s preferences, stress levels and behavior,” Juliana DeWillems, owner of JW Dog Training told Forbes.
“Really think about if your dog or cat will have fun on the trip… Think about scenarios that stress your dog out, like crowds, other dogs, certain people, kids. Will those triggers be present a lot on your trip?” If so, she said, it might be “best to leave your dog at home.”
Keeping things calm for your pet
Once you have planned your trip, accommodations and transportation, you might want to look into some gear. Some cat owners like using specific carriers when on the go, and some dog owners like taking a crate with. Just remember, recommends the NYT, it might be a great idea to introduce the new item to your pet gradually, before the actual trip.
Another thing to keep in mind is keeping to your regular schedule. Just because you are on holiday it doesn’t mean your pet’s schedule should be changed. If they are used to going on walks at specific times of day, you might want to keep those. If a routine is working, keeping it can help keep the regular calm and prevent stressful situations. Check ahead to see if airports have pet walking areas.
Traveling with your pet can be an amazing experience if you do your research and plan ahead. The memories you will create and share are priceless. Enjoy your trip!
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