Traveling With Pets

Ready, Set...

If you're traveling with pets, you might want to figure out how you're going to get there before you even decide where you're going. It will affect how far you can travel. And in my dog's and my experience, looking into transportation was the most frustrating part of the whole journey.

Greyhound forbids pets. Amtrak forbids pets. Some airlines will take them, but if you ask me, they request too many specifics about the passengers. "Yes, ma'am. Two first class tickets. And the second passenger's name is what? Svetlana? Yes? And the last name is... No last name? And she'll need a... water dish? And a... chew toy? Wait a minute..."

Of course, a 50-pound dog like Svetlana must ride in a different part of the plane. But I never put my dog someplace I wouldn't trust my CD collection to. Just a general rule. So flying seemed to be out of the question.

Walking is nice, of course, if I want to take a vacation at my local flower store or pharmacy. But if I wanted to go with my dog on a really good vacation, it was clear I would have to drive.

Driving Miss Svetlana

There are two major problems with choosing to drive. One is that I'm terrible at it. You probably know me if you're a tailgater. I'm the one going five miles per hour under every speed limit, singing along to my Celtic music and waving every time you honk.

The other problem with driving is that my dog has never seen a crate. I wanted her to be in the front seat with me, but Svetlana's an older gal, and I didn't want her falling forward and backward every time I touched the brakes.

So what to do? I bought her a doggie seatbelt! Partly, I just like saying "doggie seatbelt." But I also knew it could save her life. She felt secure but she could still stretch out on the seat.

Choosing a hotel

There are a few websites that list pet-friendly accommodations, such as www.petswelcome.com. I found many of them particularly useful because you could click on the name of the city you're going to, and they would list all the pet-friendly hotels there. Some of them have weight limits. I don't like to tell my dog about things like that - wouldn't want her to become self-conscious and start crash dieting. So when a tempting ad said "accepts pets 25 pounds and under," I'd just look at Svetlana and say, "Trust me - it isn't our kind of place. Too snobby."

I'd also heard about a chain of "upscale resorts" (That's us, isn't it, Svetlana?) that had launched a pet-friendly program where pets were not only permitted, but catered to. Plus, the resorts gave a percentage of their profits to local animal charities.

So we took our chances on Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson. The Internet directions said it would take us eight hours to get there - so at my driving speed, I estimated 10 and packed lots of snacks.

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