Travel with dog
 

How do you travel with your dog? Trying to figure out about finding dog friendly hotels, getting from FBO to hotel, how to have a sit down restaurant meal, etc. planning a couple of long trips this summer and really want to take him. He flies great, the potential problems are hotels, restaurants and attractions like museums, parks etc.

Thanks

Jim Butcher

Traveling with Merle
 

The Wife and I have taken Merle on vacation in the RV-9A a couple of times. Merle is a 17 lb Sheltie that sits in the baggage compartment, constrained with a leash just enough to keep him in the baggage compartment.



We always make arrangements before hand to be sure the hotel or rental house is "pet friendly." Not everyone is but there are plenty of them that are.

As for restaurants that are dog friendly, they're few and far between, mostly because of archaic public health rules and sometimes just the decorum of the restaurant. I've been noticing dogs seem to be increasingly welcome where there's outdoor seating. Just the same, Merle stays home when we go out and eat.

As for museums, he has never expressed an interest, so we have never taken him. He does like parks, beaches, and boating and there are plenty of places that welcome dogs.

problem or not
 

Don,
After your flights with your Sheltie... have you noticed any hearing loss?
I read lots of conflicting anecdotal comments about RV's and dogs.
One claimed his dog went deaf on one flight. Others, do it all the time.... with no ill effects.

We carry folding dog baskets for bikes. They strap on bikes in 30 seconds...Hana is 16 pounds...about the limit.
http://www.amazon.com/Snoozer-Sporty...og+bike+basket
This is April flight to Ashland Oregon where we rented bikes.

Yes...look for outdoor seating restaurants. Here's an exception in Columbia Ca saloon. Belly up to the bar!

We camp...we have zipped them in the tent for a nap so we can have lunch.

Our RVs are definitely loud enough to damage a dogs hearing, especially with repeat exposure. A deaf dog is at a great disadvantage, as they are much more dependent on hearing than we are. Get your pooch Mutt Muffs or equivalent.

I fly PilotsNPaws dogs, and always wonder what we are doing to their hearing. I rationalize that a dog with hearing loss in a good home is better than a dead dog.

Jim Berry
RV-10

No, I have not seen any issues, but after the second or third flight we got Merle mutt muffs. I was really afraid Wife would be calling headset makers looking for an extra small set of ANR headsets...she spoils Merle.

I too have read a lot and I'm not sure what to make of his behavior. He has slept on some trips - which some folks attribute to stress. It might be but Merle sleeps at home in the afternoon and it isn't stress that causes that. Dogs sleep when they're tired and/or bored. On a trip to Okracoke he sat up alert the whole trip and looked out the window, which could indicate no stress.

He hears well, so at least some flying didn't destroy his hearing and he never showed anything that looked to me like stress, and I think I'd recognize it. I'm a biologist by training, I know Merle well, and I've worked with him through a lot of training - three levels of obedience, Canine Good Citizen, Therapy Dog certification and several months of agility training.

I've also flown 25 or 30 critters for Pilots n Paws and in my opinion cats seem to be bothered a lot more than dogs by the noise. That's simply an opinion - no data.

We take our German shepherd with us whenever possible and usually find hotels and other accommodation is not much of the problem. She brings us much joy, so not dining in the best restaurant is a small price to pay to have her with us.

One thing that I do worry about, is flying high up when we can use oxygen ourselves. She has not shown any problem or issues but we have not been higher than 13k with her.

Thanks for the additional data points. Ours wears a service dog ID tag and restaurants, hotels etc. never ask nor bat an eye. Bye and large... most employees love dogs anyway. Good conversation starters... those canines.
Tried Mutt Muffs... no way. She threw them out the window... at 180 mph.

Avoiding noise...
 

Katie is in the back seat with a padded dog bed and blanket on her lap, our dogs relax, fold their ears down and will go under the blanket two out of the three hours on a long flight leg. I "feel" they take care of the noise as needed with what is provided. In ten years with one dog we have only about 40 total dog flight hours to say no hearing loss...
Does she look uncomfortable? Shoot, I logged her with PIC time as safety pilot "Dad, traffic 4:00 High!" :)

I hope you are correct, but the fact that you have not noticed anything doesn't mean it isn't happening. We had a lab that did 15-20 mile runs with me near traffic, on mountain trails, etc. The day we moved to a new house he was banging into walls and was panicked. The vet found that he was totally blind, and probably had been for 2 years. Looking back, there were small clues that we had completely missed. He had gradually learned to adapt, but it was frightening to think of some of the situations that I had unknowingly put him in.

FlightLogic - a tip that I picked up from someone in an earlier VAF post, is to start the engine with the Mutt Muffs off. When he learns how much quieter it is with the muffs on, he may be more tolerant of them. It has worked well with both of our dogs.

Jim Berry
RV-10