Traveling with Dogs
Your little buddy wants to come along? Read this first!
You love driving your Fiat, and you love spending time with your dog. But can you do both at once? Traveling with dogs can be fun and rewarding, but it needs to be done safely and that takes planning. Today we’ll give you our best tips for getting out there with your best friend in tow. You’ll have a great time together as long as you know in advance how to make the experience safe and pleasant.
Pack smart. Your preparations start well before you ever get near the vehicle. You’ll want to make sure you’ve got food, water (and something to eat/drink out of – they make dishes that are conveniently collapsible so they take up less space on the go), and toys. You’ll also want to make sure you’ve got your vaccination paperwork on you as well, as well as your vet’s contact information. Ideally these precautionary measures will never need to pay off, but it’s much better to have your bases covered.
In the car: Your dog should be secured in some way during travel. Whether that’s a crate, a seat belt harness, or a special guard that keeps your dog in the cargo area, it’s important for your safety as well as the animal’s that he or she not be completely loose in the car. We know many people will break this one, but at the very least for your first rides – until the dog is truly comfortable riding in the car – a crate or other security measure needs to be taken in case of an unexpected bad reaction.
You’ll be more relaxed if you’ve thought ahead.
Speaking of which… it’s probably a good idea to get some sort of liner down in case of an accident. A nervous pooch has certain tendencies.
The final thing we’ll remind you is to never leave your dog in the car. No matter what the weather, it’s dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. If that means leaving the dog home while you run errands, opt for that. We hope you and your pet have safe and happy travels!
