Show Some (Car) Restraint!

After I recently posted about the importance of restraining your dog properly in the car, I asked two of my favorite pet travel bloggers to explain the best way to achieve that goal. Speaking for the large — and multiple — dog contingent today is Rod Burkert, co-creator with wife Amy Burkert of GoPetFriendly.com. These…

Damn you, Amtrak!

Well, I made it to Santa Barbara from San Diego. And it’s terrific to be here with Clare and Archie. But boy am I annoyed about having had to drive. When it came to choosing a way to get to San Diego from Tucson, it was pretty much a no brainer, Frankie’s car phobia notwithstanding.…

San Diego Snaps: Hotel Indigo

It’s been quite the whirlwind here in San Diego, which I’m about to depart in a few hours for Santa Barbara. Frankie and I will be sorry to leave. We loved the dog-friendly Hotel Indigo, for so many reasons. Location, location, location The hotel is just a couple of blocks from PetCo Park, which is…

Caffeine & Dog Calmers & Fabulousness

We’re here! Here being the fabulous Hotel Indigo in fabulous San Diego. I’m not usually so superlative but I’m feeling very upbeat. The three-pronged approach to dog calming — playing the Through a Dog’s Ear CD, using the Calming Collar (though I put it on the car seat, not on Frankie) and giving Frankie an…

Travels with Frankie

I’m not John Steinbeck. And Frankie isn’t Charley. Probably the only thing we have in common is that I’m a writer, Frankie is a dog, and we’re heading out in a car together. Nor am I Jack Kerouac. And Frankie definitely isn’t Dean Moriarty. I’m a stressed-out middle-aged woman with a small frightened dog and…

Friday Focus: Five Car Safety Tips

I’ve been focusing lately on what to do about dogs who are anxious in automobiles, and of course it’s an important topic. Car stress makes a ride unpleasant for the driver as well as for the canine passenger. Not securing your dog properly? That can make a ride far more unpleasant. As in deadly. The…

Calming Your Car-Crazed Canine, Part 2

I discussed carsickness and its possible impact on a dog’s fear of car rides in the first part of my Friday Focus story. As promised, I’m now going to discuss fear that doesn’t necessarily relate to a specific physical cause and offer some possibilities for eliminating it. Many of these car phobia remedies can be…

Friday Focus: Car Safety for Canines

In keeping with the travel theme that I’ve been pursuing as I prepare to take Frankie on a car trip, I’m going to highlight the question: What’s the best method of keeping your dog safe in the car? Seatbelts, harnesses, crates, hammock-type sheets attached to the front seat — if you’ve tried a safety device…

Auto Anxiety, Part 1: Canine Carsickness

This week’s Friday Focus question is: What are the best methods of calming your dog during a car trip? It’s not just Frankie who’s afflicted with car stress. Images of carefree dogs jumping joyously into cars notwithstanding, lots of dogs shake, drool, whine, and otherwise evince signs of misery as soon as they hear the…