On a recent business trip with lots going on, we ended up taking our lovable Labrador with us. There were many reasons behind this decision, not the least of which was a scheduling conflict with her usual care provider. For all but one of the five days we were there, we managed to meet her needs while having her with us. This included a day of full film shooting for a video project we’re co-funding with friends and co-workers. On the day of the live promotional event for the personal finance book I co-wrote however, taking Maggie along for the show was a no go.

That’s when the folks we were staying with suggested the place that they use for dog day care situations. Waggle Brothers. A pet resort and spa by design, they also provide daily day care for dogs with owners on the go. For a daily rate of fifteen dollars, she got supervised group play time, a separate air conditioned play area to cool off after rough-housing outside and a pool to swim and play in. Not bad. If you want to check on your dog during the day, they have a live pet cam you can go online to check out. Entrance interviews are given to identify those canines who clearly don’t play well with others, so those issues can be addressed before they even arise. Safety was taken into consideration as well, as her harness was removed in case play time got rambunctious and a new dog friend decided to tug on straps inappropriately. We even got behavioral reports from the day camp counselor when we picked her up.

The place was clean, obviously run by dog lovers and had a gift shop for things you might lose or need to replace on the road. Just make sure you have copies (digital or otherwise) of your dog’s medical and shot records. They’ll need them before your dog can be admitted for participation. Although ours was up to date vaccination-wise, there was an additional shot Waggle Brothers required which keeps control of some sort of doggie cold virus that can otherwise get passed around in large groups. It was an extra fifteen dollars, which brought our total to thirty USD for that particular day. The next time we go down though, it’ll only be the fifteen dollar fee to take a full day off as road warrior dog parents. Very affordable, in our opinion.

Some specifics from the company brochure? Seventeen thousand square foot facility overall with 5,000 square feet of air conditioned space for cooling off breaks, 5,000 square feet of shaded outdoor space, an organic products grooming studio, outdoor play area and pool, natural market and pet boutique. Interested in trying them out?

Waggle Brothers Pet Resort & Spa

10780 Biscayne Blvd. Miami, Florida

(ph) 305-891-2058 (fax) 305-891-5206 (toll free) 1-866-WAGGLE1

Customer Service Cell: 305-335-0110 http://wagglebrospetresort.com/

Photo Credits: Kyle May and Trek Hound

Flickr Photo Credit: Ejhogbin

I’m lea-ea-ving, on a jet plane. Don’t know when I’ll be back again . . . so kiss me and cry for me  . . . tell me that you’ll wait for me . . . hold me like you’ll never let me go. Cuz I’m leaving on a jet plane . . .

Air travel is extremely stressful for pets, and since we may have to be doing this VERY soon, I asked a traveling expat friend of ours and fellow blogger to write up her experiences, tips, and general knowledge of the subject.  

Below is her response, as well as a link back to her blog.

Preparing to travel overseas with pets can be a challenging and scary experience for any sensitive pet owner. Thankfully having done this several times I’ve figured out some tips to make the process a little easier on you and your favorite feline or treasured dog.

First consider your airline carefully. Some have rules that make the process more family/pet friendly. I had a wonderful ”pet friendly” experience with Lufthansa. This is a German carrier, with flights all over the world.

This particular experience started in Florida in 1999, in the heat of summer. Airlines were simply not allowing pets to fly out of Florida due to the intense heat and heat restrictions. Of course no one wants their  animal to get heat stroke waiting on the tarmac to be loaded. At first though disappointed I headed to my new job without my cats. Leaving them in my father’s care, with the understanding they would be on the first plane to Berlin as soon as the heat restriction was lifted. THIS WENT ON FOR WEEKS.. and more weeks.

Eventually I became very upset that my animals and I were living on different continents. It was a very unhappy situation. So… I became creative and this is where my knowledge may help you. 

1. Find out which airlines have very early am flights (say five am… before the morning heat.) Then if you are in a situation as I was, you will be able to get around it if the flight is leaving when there is not intense heat. Another option would be a very late night flight. Lufthansa had a very early am flight which finally allowed my dad to get them on a flight BEFORE the intense morning heat. Of course this took weeks to discover. Sometimes international carriers have different rules and in this case that saved me.

2. Research your airlines and speak to a customer service agent to learn exactly what the airline in question’s restrictions are on animal transport. ie… some only allow animals to fly if you are flying with them, others will allow them even if you are not on the flight.

3. If you are transporting two felines, as I was and the animals in question are very emotionally attached to each other it is nice for them to fly in the same kennel carrier. Stateside airlines do not allow this…to my knowledge.. I have tried to find one that allows it. International carriers do, at least Lufthansa does Thus I was able to ship my cats from Florida to Berlin on an early am flight out of Florida in the same kennel, so that the cats would have the comfort of each other on a very long transatlantic journey.

4. Be aware of quarantine restrictions in layover or relocation destinations. When my cats were coming back from Guam they were placed in a special unit for animals at the Honolulu airport due to the fact that the Hawaiian Islands are rabies free. Now with the microchip situation this could be handled slightly differently. But chances are your pets will be in the animal holding area for the duration of your Hawaii layover. I was able to go and visit them before they were transported to Kittie quarantine; as Hawaii was my final destination for my job. I know that quarantine time has been reduced to thirty days (from the previous four month hell we went through in 1996.) What a blessing that change is for every pet owner moving to Hawaii. I know England has restrictions as well. Be certain to do your homework on quarantine ahead of time.

5. Other little tips, put a towel in the bottom of the carrier as most pet water bottles leak when the carrier is jolted around. Put a small amount of food in the carrier with your pet and use packing tape to tape another zip loc bag of food to the top. This way airline employees can add treats or  food through the carrier grates.

6. Put your pets name on the top of the carrier in large letters, with a note of their final destination. That way anyone who comes in contact with the pets can call them by name. This will be a comfort to your pet. Also destination information keeps your pet carrier on track, and helps prevent any airline errors in destination. I also included my end destination phone number and address on the top of the kennel. We used a thick sharpie pen to write all the information and then we covered it completely with clear packing tape to protect the information from smearing or being damaged by rain when the carrier was transported from the plane to tarmac.

My feline friends have been from Guam to Hawaii, back to Florida and then on to Europe. They have flown nearly as many miles as I, and they have done so safely and as comfortably as I could manage. I hope these tips will allow your pets to do the same, safe journey!

If you would like you can check out my blog at LisaOverman.Com.

Flickr Photo Credit: James Khoo

Having extra treats on hand is always helpful when pets are going through any sort of transition. So are special toys and things to “work” at while they are processing. The perfect combination? Pet kongs.

These hollow, hydrant-shaped toys and treat holders are the perfect solution to keeping your dog entertained and appeased during travel, doctor visits, chaotic family events and caregiver transitions.

Many recipes and ideas for kong stuffing are available online, including:

• http://users.eastlink.ca/~joansinden/kong_recipes.PDF
  A free online pdf with several kong stuffing recipes.
• http://westwoodanimalhospital.com/BhvArticles/kong_stuffing.htm
  Some doctor recommended kong ideas.
• http://www.mywoofgang.com/handouts/KongStuffingRecipes.pdf
  Another kong stuffing pdf.  

Photo Credit: Lab GP & Sig Other

Does your furry friend have more meds than Carter has liver pills? Keep you and your pet sitter sane with a simple DIY med chart.

Because one of our dogs has multiple daily medication passes with various time schedules, we developed a photo-copy ready pdf chart for each week, including each time slot and which medication needed to be delivered for each box to be checked off.

Basically, this is just a simple spread sheet with rows and columns designed to fit in the times, pet names and types of meds distributed. You can either check off or initial the boxes after each pass, depending on how many people you have passing medications in your house.

Our close friend and pet sitter found this to be helpful, particularly since she has more than one person in the house passing doggy meds. Communication and organization are key in any household, particularly so when you have unusual medical conditions to accommodate.

Flickr Photo Credit: Aussiegall

Want to look like a rock star to your new house and pet sitting clients? Maintaining family contact and sharing information goes a long way towards increasing everyone’s comfort factor. Read on for some ideas.

One of the many things our friend did for us during a rather long pet sit was to keep us up to date on our dogs’ well-being via informational emails (funny stories, doctor visits, new behaviors, etc.), digital pictures and short video clips of their various antics. This really made us feel connected to the furry children we missed so much.

Now that we have recently started a three-week house sit in Amman, Jordan, we are taking steps to set up a documentation and communication system for keeping the owners in touch with their fluffy kids. Some ideas?

• Video clips of animated behavior
• Information on how the animals are behaviorally adjusting to the separation.
• Fun activities you have planned or done with the pets.
• Candid digital pics. 
• Anecdotal notes on any treat baking parties you had for the animals.

Have any other pet – sitting documentation ideas? We’re all ears . . .

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

If you haven’t had a chance to check this place out yet for pet travel, here are our impressions.  We arrived at this one a bit late, but the dogs definitely enjoyed their time there. There was a wooded area with a stream and field for romping, goody bags with doggie treats, and lots of room for them to stretch out and relax. More of a motel than a hotel or B & B, it’s still cute and has a restaurant on site, as well as the standard pizza delivery option. Although they’re a bit further off the highway than we expected, we’d still use them again.

Photo Credit: Clearly Ambiguous

While letting the dogs out at gas stations is fine in a pinch, there’s rarely a suitable area for them to stretch, and the chaos of multiple vehicles going in multiple directions is a bit nerve racking. We prefer rest stops when possible. Here’s why.

We’re not saying don’t use the gas station for doggie breaks. Do what you have to. However, if you are going to be on the highway anyway, consider incorporating the public rest areas as a way to make the trip more appealing for your pets. You can stop for a family sandwich break / picnic while the dogs have a drink and some food as well. If you’re able to travel with at least one other adult, facility switch-off with the pets becomes much easier as one person can exercise them while the other grabs a local map and fill sup the water bottle. These rest areas are free to the public, and a hit with our dogs.

This photo below is with Myscha coralling the dogs at a gas station in New Jersey, on the way to Connecticut. As you can see, not nearly as much romping space for the girls as at a full highway rest area.

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

How did we feel about the pet friendly atmosphere of the Drury Inn in Nashville? Read on for details.  We arrived late last night, and were pleasantly surprised by the quality and size of the room. Apparently, we lucked into a special weekend rate. Taxes and fees included, the price still totaled out at under $75. There’s a heated indoor / outdoor pool, hot tub, huge king sized bed which had ample room for both David and I and the dogs. They include an hour’s free long distance per night, high speed internet, a great hot breakfast buffet and evening snack and beverage buffet. There’s a guest laundry as well. The dogs enjoyed relaxing on the bed watching Animal Planet on cable last night while David and I went out for beverages and snacks at Ruby Tuesday down the street. Not a large spot for the dogs to romp or anything, but the room at least had enough space for them to lounge and play a bit, which the one in El Paso did not. The room has a big recliner by the window that has Maggie’s name written all over it.  David also fixed sausage and biscuit sandwiches from the breakfast buffet downstairs and brought them up for the dogs. Between that and yesterday’s cheeseburger stop in Hope, Arkansas, they’re not going to want to go back to regular doggie food. The end recommendation? We would use this hotel again, especially with these great weekend rates.

The picture shown is of our oldest doggie daughter, Beauty, enjoying the king sized bed and cable.  

Looking for a suitable pet friendly room for the night? This one could go either way.  

This hotel appears to be in the process of converting to a Super 8, with half of the building’s rooms being completely gutted and the other half freshly redone. As pet friendly hotels go, the price is certainly right. After the $10 pet deposit and taxes the total still came in at under $60. Location – right off the highway with various restaurant and gas options within walking distance. Based on these factors alone, we would probably use this hotel again.

As for having a lot of facilities to make it easier to stay with the pets . . . not really. David had read some mixed reviews online. Some positive, some portraying this hotel as seedy, scary and borderline skid row. I can see how the negatives would have been true in the recent past, which is probably why they were gutting so many of the rooms. Our room was clean with fresh paint, newly installed tub and shower unit, and new carpet, window / bed linens. The driveway and swimming pool were also being redone while we were there, and the staff was extra friendly.

All in all, we probably would use this hotel again if were passing through with the dogs, but wouldn’t necessarily promote it as a major vacation “must-do”.

 The photo shown is of Maggie, hanging out in our hotel room in El Paso, waiting to hit the road that morning.

Flickr Photo Credit: Tanakawho

Having trouble staying organized on your pet trek? Consider a doggie diaper bag.

With all of the paraphernalia required to travel successfully with our furry friends, a user-friendly organizational tool is key.  Our solution? A crafter’s backpack that we’ve dubbed the “doggie diaper bag”. Purchased from JoAnn’s Fabrics, the bag was designed for the physically active scrapbooker, crafter or artist. With all of the compartments and sections, we saw it as the perfect solution for “on the go” outings with the dogs. It also has places to hook things on the outside, such as the two collapsible travel bowls I bought at Target with caribiner clips attached (about five dollars each).

Some of the things we packed inside? Extra treats, pet medicine, toys, doggie-doo pick up bags, and a great little bag dispenser that we also picked up at Target. It can clip to a belt, dog collar, or the outside of the backpack and is extremely compact. Using this backpack is a convenient way to not only travel with the dogs, but to always be ready for a quick trip to the mountains, beach or a relative’s home. A good thing.

 After using the supply bag for medication dispensing and a traveling drink of water, the dogs enjoyed cheeseburgers in Hope, Arkansas in honor of former president, Bill Clinton. Then, it was off to Nashville, or bust!