My dog is smarter (and cuter) than your honor student

I have 2 dogs I travel with. First rule, no food on the day of the trip. Our older dog never gets sick, the younger has a very weak stomach. Crates are good for traveling if you are alone. I have a seatbelt system that attachs to the harness if I do not want them in the crate. Sometimes when I am really bad, they roam....not a good option no matter how cute they are. They are much easier to travel with than children. Be sure to stop and take breaks along the way. Most rest areas have great pet walk places. Have some fun for me!

Go to the gallery - http://www.sowal.com/bb/gallery, click on the "upload" link at the top, and upload photo(s). Your uploaded photo(s) will create an album under your username.

Thank you God for inventing puppies and sending us Molly. I am so in love with this puppy! I wish I knew how to post pictures to share her with you all...maybe when I am down there, someone can show me! I write this thread because I know so many dog lovers can relate to me!! I spent $500.00 on her this week for her gastritis and check-up. It made me think how blessed I was that I could afford to get her the help she needed. She entertains me all day...especially in the am when she has not been crated (our fault) and she gets face to face with me in bed....so much better than an alarm clock (what are those?).

Any good suggestions for traveling 13 hours in the car with a 4 month old puppy? She is very good in the car driving around the city. Her list of stuff to bring is like a baby's! Too funny!

gttbm...she can meet B & G now...got all her shots!!!

B&G will be excited to meet her. She may suprise you and sleep most of the trip! We only have a 51/2 to 6 hour trip our babies settle right down in their crates and snooze. We stop once or twice and give them a nature break and some water. They are great little travelers. I know Molly will be too. ;-)

I know most of us are dog lovers - so here's a bit of unsolicited (but important!) advice-

When I got to work yesterday, there was a big lab being opened up for a blockage- I got there in time to assist with the removal of the squeaky toy apparatus (the squeak part-about 2 1/2 in. diameter). Guess the dog had managed to pass the rest, but was very sick and would have died without the exploratory. The moral of this story- never give your dog anything that can be destroyed- squeak toys, fabric toys (took a wad of string out of a lab last week!), pig ears or similar, wood (if they are woodchewers),etc. If your dog is a chewer or a puppy, you have to practically minesweep any area they will be in. You will save yourself lots of $$$ and heartache, and the recovery from an abdominal surgery is a real pain in the butt for the owner too, especially on a big dog.

I love labs, but they are totally convinced that their food supply is always ending and will eat anything just in case. So not only are they notorious chewers, but garbage cans (thus lots of cases of gastritis/pancreatitis). BUT- they are worth every penny spent on them!

Sueshore, we've never travelled with a dog but we have done 20+ hours with babies, then kids, then teens, so maybe this will help: Stop at least every two hours and stretch! You and your husband will like it, and so will Molly. It'll make the trip go so much faster to take regular breaks.

And if you can't manage the pictures with Kurt's instructions, I am bringing to the beach tomorrow....One Hunky Adorable Husband ...who quite coincidentally is an absolute genius at the computer. If he can't do it, it can't be done! So one way or another we'll get your photos up, and maybe even a custom avatar!

I know what you mean, about loving your pet! I have a Yorkie, named Twinky and I've often said, "she's given me more joy AND PEACE, than either of my grown sons, or any man, ever has"! Fortunately, the pup will probably sleep most of the time, while on the road. With fairly frequent stops at rest stops with dog walks, things should go well. :clap_1: Pets are pretty adaptable and rezilient, to different circumstances. Just so they're included, is enough for them! :clap_1: :clap_1: :clap_1:

Thank you God for inventing puppies and sending us Molly. I am so in love with this puppy! I wish I knew how to post pictures to share her with you all...maybe when I am down there, someone can show me! I write this thread because I know so many dog lovers can relate to me!! I spent $500.00 on her this week for her gastritis and check-up. It made me think how blessed I was that I could afford to get her the help she needed. She entertains me all day...especially in the am when she has not been crated (our fault) and she gets face to face with me in bed....so much better than an alarm clock (what are those?).

Any good suggestions for traveling 13 hours in the car with a 4 month old puppy? She is very good in the car driving around the city. Her list of stuff to bring is like a baby's! Too funny!

gttbm...she can meet B & G now...got all her shots!!!

The seatbelt is a must if you are not using a crate. You will be amazed at how easily those little guys fly into the windshield. I had to come to a quick stop once and almost launched my dog through the windshield and we were not even going fast. Also someone told me that most dogs who are killed in car accidents are run over after the fact becuase they take off. The seatbelt also keeps them from drooling on your shoulder the whole trip...a big plus.

But safety features in place, we love to travel with our dog and he loves to go...well sometimes.

Sue,
I can't wait to see pictures of Molly. I have mentioned in another thread about my doberman Molly that had for 12 years. We got her when she was 6 weeks old. I miss her so much, she has gone on over to the Rainbow Bridge, been gone 3 years now and it still seems like yesterday. Everytime I read your posts and you mention your Molly, I think of mine. I hope the trip goes well. Please let us know how it went when you get home! Have a wonderful, wonderful time!!!!

SS, Our dog never wears her collar around the house but does on walks and on car trips (in case something happened to seperate you).

We always take a container of water from home for her car ride.

Have a great beach visit. Let me know how your travel route was. Do you drive straight through?

Molly will do fine and she'll be so happy to get to go with you. Dogs just want to be with their people!

I love you people!!! We did take our first sheltie love, Missy, down in the car twice, but she was older and not in the best health. We tend to switch drivers every 2 hours or so...if only Molly could drive like Toonces the Cat...never mind, we would go off a cliff!!!! Thanks for all your good common sense advice...I knew I could count on y'all!

My 23 yo daughter has been over here since 6:00 am yesterday sick, sick, sick w/strep throat. She needed her MOMMY! It feels good to take care of her. If she feels up to it later, she would be the one to help me with pics. Keep your fingers crossed! Thanks again Kurt...I tend to be a visual learner, especially when machines are concerned!

I know what you mean, about loving your pet! I have a Yorkie, named Twinky and I've often said, "she's given me more joy AND PEACE, than either of my grown sons, or any man, ever has"! Fortunately, the pup will probably sleep most of the time, while on the road. With fairly frequent stops at rest stops with dog walks, things should go well. :clap_1: Pets are pretty adaptable and rezilient, to different circumstances. Just so they're included, is enough for them! :clap_1: :clap_1: :clap_1:

I totally understand! And puppies aren't the only pet you can fall in love with! About three years ago my youngest son brought home a little black and white Dutch bunny. I was so upset with him, because all I knew of rabbits was that they dropped little balls all over the place, chew on everything and make a mess! I demanded he take it back to the pet store where he bought the bunny, and he promised he would the next day. The next morning I walked past my son's room where he had the bunny in a small cage; my curiosity got the best of me, so I walked up to the cage and stuck my finger in; the bunny immediately came over and began licking my finger and staring up at me with her huge brown eyes. I had to admit she was the cutest thing and I couldn't help but fall in love with her. My son asked if I minded if he took her back in a couple of days, as he had a busy schedule that day. I said okay. That was over three years ago. My son has since married and moved out, and guess what....Robo-bunny is still living in my son's room (now Robo-bunny's room!) She's totally litter-trained, doesn't chew on anything (I always make sure she has lots of toys, sticks, etc. to play with) and merrily hops about the house, following us around like a little puppy, begging to be petted! When she developed gastro statis a few years ago, I spent $600 for her treatment because I couldn't stand to see her suffer! Not to mention I took off of work for a week so I could syringe-feed her every two hours and give her medicine every 6 hours.

She's the cutest little thing; I never even imagined that it was possible to train a rabbit in much the same way you can train a dog; she begs for treats, stands up on her hind legs and does little dances for treaties, loving the attention she gets.

Now that my three sons are all married, I'm greatful to have this sweet little bunny who is so much fun and always manages to come up with new little tricks that keep us laughing!

I know most of us are dog lovers - so here's a bit of unsolicited (but important!) advice-

You will save yourself lots of $$$ and heartache, and the recovery from an abdominal surgery is a real pain in the butt for the owner too, especially on a big dog.

I love labs, but they are totally convinced that their food supply is always ending and will eat anything just in case. So not only are they notorious chewers, but garbage cans (thus lots of cases of gastritis/pancreatitis). BUT- they are worth every penny spent on them!

I think Labs are just so oral. I've never owned one but there are, no exaggeration, 7 Labs on our block, and some of the chewing stories I've heard are simply amazing. Checkbooks, whole chickens, remote controls, fancy Italian leather shoes etc etc.

Our female Mastiff bloated and torsed last February. She has always been a food gulper--takes in a lot of air. $3,000 later (stomach stapled to abdominal wall) she is okay. :roll:

The week of Oct 20th, we will be driving from Denver to Port St Joe with close to 300 lbs of dog, plus a 19 and a half year old calico kitty.
Wish us luck--we'll need it.

Cil, You and the family will do fine! That is one heck of a long drive though. Wishing you a safe trip and all the best with your animals. Rita

I think Labs are just so oral. I've never owned one but there are, no exaggeration, 7 Labs on our block, and some of the chewing stories I've heard are simply amazing. Checkbooks, whole chickens, remote controls, fancy Italian leather shoes etc etc.

Our female Mastiff bloated and torsed last February. She has always been a food gulper--takes in a lot of air. $3,000 later (stomach stapled to abdominal wall) she is okay. :roll:

The week of Oct 20th, we will be driving from Denver to Port St Joe with close to 300 lbs of dog, plus a 19 and a half year old calico kitty.
Wish us luck--we'll need it.

Black lab...Ray Bans, numerous pairs of shoes and flip-flops including my favorite Corona ones , cell phone, husband's headphones, videos, cd's, clay flower pots, the list goes on....
But we love her!

I loved this thread! We have a Havanese puppy, 8 months old, named "Butter." He makes us smile and laugh every single morning and is so smart and funny. This is a Cuban breed, orignally from Spain that was almost destroyed after the Cuban Revolution. Took 40 years to rehab the breed to a healthy one. These little dogs were in many of the Marx Brothers movies, doing various tricks and are a cousin to the Bishon Frisee. They love the water, live long and healthy lives, and do not shed at all in spite of their long silky hair. We just love Butter and are thinking of getting a companion for him. He will make his first trip (under the seat in the airline cabin, with us) to Grayton for Christmas this year. He's a good traveler and loves to go in the car. We are careful to not give him food right before travel, keep ice cubes for him to lick while en route, make frequent stops (for Butter and for us), and always have his crate belted in and facing the front of the car.

The best thing about this thread is the reminder that our beaches were once dog-friendly. My goodness, a former Mayor of Grayton was a well known Golden Retriever! While I understand the need for animal control in a wildlife refuge, I love to see well behaved dogs playing at the beach. Thanks for sharing tips on traveling with furry friends. Maybe if we get some pet photos on the Board, we can recognize one another by our dogs.

Black lab...Ray Bans, numerous pairs of shoes and flip-flops including my favorite Corona ones , cell phone, husband's headphones, videos, cd's, clay flower pots, the list goes on....
But we love her!

Black Lab here too. Just this weekend - my son's flip-flops, two potholders, hubby's reading glasses, four pencils, and a CD. She also found a box of staples but fortunately hubby saw that and got them away from her. Watching her just in case.