Humans for Dogs

If you leave your dog with friends, change the number on his tag

If you are leaving your dog with friends, be sure to leave them tags with your friend's number.  I was dog sitting for a friend once and his dog jumped my six foot fence and escaped in less than five minutes.  I then spent a panicked afternoon driving around the neighborhood looking for the dog because his collar had my friend's phone number on it and I didn't have keys to his house! So do your dog and your friends a favor, and make sure your dog has a good phone number on his tag all the time!  This tip came from Wise Bread.  Here's how they do it:

Interchangeable ID Tags. Our dogs have three sets each. One set is for when we are home or in that general area. It has, in addition to each pet’s name, the numbers for both the house and our main cellular phone. The other set is for when we are traveling other distances. It has our main cell number only. The third set is for when they are with the sitters, which they are when we travel internationally. It has their main house and cell numbers. We swap out whenever we are changing situations.

Photo by This Year's Love.

How to Pick a Kennel Your Dog Loves

Although I love taking vacations where the dogs can come along, like hiking the Appalachian Trail or pheasant hunting, sometimes we have to leave them behind.  I used to use an inhome service - the dog sitter would come to my house twice a day, feed my dog, play with her and take her for a walk.  I had a doggie door so Teddy could go in and out as often as she needed to.  It worked great for short business trips.  (The lady that watched her told me on one week long trip that a week was too long, Teddy was going nuts.)  I could call anytime on my cell phone and get an update.  It was convenient, it didn't stress Teddy out and I trusted the woman that came over.

However, I moved towns and the service wasn't available in my new town so I became an expert in picking kennels.  Here's some tips and some questions to ask to get you started when you are looking to board your dog:

• Get recommendations!
• Go visit the kennel and get a tour.  Do the dogs look happy?  Overanxious?  Starving for attention?  Does it smell?  (A certain amount of dog odor is to be expected but I've been to several that stink.)
• Does the dog have access to the outside?
• Is there playtime?  Supervised?  In groups?  Our favorite place is also a doggie daycare so our dogs get playtime all day when we are gone.  Other places charge $6 and up for 30 minutes of playtime!
• Do all of the dogs have water?
• Does the kennel provide food or do you need to bring your own?  If they provide it, what is it?
• If your dog is on medication, can they give it?  Will there be an extra charge?
• What are their hours?  Many places restrict drop off and pick up to a short time period in the morning and evening.
• If you have more than one dog and you get a "family kennel," is it any bigger than a regular kennel?
• If your dog is a houdini like our Chase, will the outside part of the kennel be covered?  What about the play area?
• What happens if your dog is injured?  Or if your dog injures another dog?  We discovered on one trip that Chase doesn't like boxers.  We ended up paying for stitches for another dog.  (We were just extremely grateful the other dog was ok and the kennel agreed to keep Chase again!)
• Start with a short trip.  When you get back are the dogs happy?  Clean?  (Don't expect them to be too clean but they shouldn't stink.)
• And most important, are your dogs happy to go back?  Our dog Teddy has been to three kennels and I knew we had found the right one when instead of hiding behind me at the door, she ran to back without a backwards glance at me!

Good luck picking a kennel!  Let us know if you have any additional suggestions.

Photo by Johnny Huh.

Flying with your dog

Are you planning a trip with your dog that involves airplanes?  You'll need to plan ahead.

• First, make sure your dog can fly with you:
  • Some airlines will not allow your dog to fly in the summer.  We had to reschedule a backpacking trip on the Appalachian trail so that both flights were in May as at the time, the airline wouldn't let her fly in June.
  • Some breeds are not allowed on some airlines.  This is usually short nosed dogs during the summer.  Breeds like boxers and pugs may not be allowed to fly when the whether is warm.
  • Check the weather where you are and where you are going.  If it gets too hot or too cold, the airline will not let your dog fly as baggage or cargo because the kennel is outside for a time.
  • If you are going to Hawaii or to a foreign country, check to see if there are quaranteen times.
• Before you go:
  • Get a vet certificate.  Your pet needs a certificate of health within 30 days of traveling.  You'll need it both ways and it needs to be within 30 days so plan accordingly!  (If your dog is flying cargo, i.e. without you, it needs to be within 10 days.)
  • Make sure your dog is ok with the kennel, especially if your dog is not kennel trained.
  • Make sure you have a kennel that quailifies for air travel and that it is big enough for your dog.
  • Feed and water your dog within four hours of flying.
  • Get to the airport early!
• Tips:
  • Book direct flights.  First, the dog spends less time in their kennel.  Two, you'll suffer a lot less stress.  Some airlines bring you a tag when your dog makes it onto your flight.  (They bring the tag to your seat.)  Some airlines don't and you have to wonder the whole trip if your dog made it or not.  I once had a really tight connection with no later flight and the airline employee at the gate could not tell me whether my dog was making the flight or not.  It was very frustrating because if my dog didn't make the flight, I didn't want to get on it.  The airlines are not allowed to take your dog out of the kennel so while they might get water they won't get to relieve themselves or get fed!
  • Give your dog plenty of water beforehand.  If you want your dog to have water during the trip, try freezing it so it melts in transit.  I put water in the dish and it spilled as soon as the handlers picked up the kennel.
  • Do not give tranquilizers (even benadryl) unless your vet recommends otherwise.  You want your dog healthy and alert.
  • Take your dog for a long walk the morning of the trip.
  • Don't put much in the kennel with the dog although you may want a mat or towel to soak up any spills or accidents.
  • Take a leash in your carry-on.
  • Your dog is not supposed to be out of the kennel in the airport.  However, my dog is too heavy for me to carry in the kennel, so I've always walked in with her on leash, put the kennel together while in line and then put her in it.  I've never had a problem but this is not the way you are supposed to do it.  (My dog is also really well behaved so one time I forgot to stand on the leash as I put together the kennel.  As I put the top on the kennel, she took one look at the kennel and took off running!  She ran out exactly the way we had come in - with me sprinting behind her! - and ran right to where my parents had dropped us off and was obviously looking for their car!  When I got back in the airport, I got lots of help putting the kennel together and checking in!)
  • Write your cell phone number directly on the kennel with a permanent marker.
  • Fly at night in the summer so it's cooler.

Good luck and have fun with your dog!