Pet Travel

For the most part travelling with pets is enjoyable and hassle free. They are welcome in the majority of places if you the owners are responsible care-takers. Cats are usually welcome everywhere but small dogs are more acceptable than large dogs.

You DO need to practice pet etiquette.

Restrict their barking
Don't tie your babies outside unattended
When possible try to walk them in a pet area
Be aware of how hot it can get inside your unit if you leave your pets behind. The elaborate Fantastic Vents that include rain sensors work well to keep pets cool. Sometimes if park power is questionable, the Air Conditioning may go off and your pets will suffocate.---these amazing vents run off of battery power (3 amps per hour) so they work well to keep the air moving if you are in a park or dry camping. Be sure to close the curtains/blinds to keep the sun out as well.

Pets also need a current Health Certificate from your vet including a complete listing of shots. Rabies should be given at least 30 days before visiting the USA.

Ask your vet to add the expiry date to your rabies certificate. If there is no expiry date Rabies is required every year to enter the USA. (It is only required once every 36 months to come to Canada).

NEVER tie your pet to your RV with a metal chain. If there is a power surge or an open ground your pet will suffer a severe and maybe fatal jolt.

When you settle into a campground add a note to your wallet indicating where your RV is. So when you are out touring in a tow vehicle and a disaster hits, rescue persons will know where your RV is located and where your pets are --- if they were left behind. Example of the form we use is in the FREE ebook VOL TWO. (see home page of www.rvliving.net

Take your babies with you and enjoy your adventure

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Our Four-legged ‘babies’ are

'Fulltime'' RVers Too!

On the Lighter side of Pet Travel

SusieQ and Matti-Hari have since joined our previous babies in doggie heaven!

In 1971 while stationed in Germany with the RCAF I rescued an overweight and untrained one-and-a-half-year-old red, smooth, standard dachshund from a colleague with small children--- they literally were killing her with kindness by overfeeding. My home was her third residence during her short life. In a few weeks ‘Lady’ sold me on how loving this breed of dogs could be. I was also impressed that her shedding was minimal. My new ‘baby’ was small for her breed so it was easy for her to be my constant companion. In no time Lady became a well-behaved dog, I guess no one had taken the time to explain what her place was or what to expect. When I went out the door in uniform she would quietly curl up in her bed until I came home, but as I changed into ‘civvies’ she knew ‘we’ were going out and she would lie at the door to make certain I didn’t forget her. Lady and I enjoyed four different military postings during our life together; she also spent a month in quarantine, travelled extensively in airplanes plus she patiently waited numerous hours in the car for me to finish my activities when the climate was pleasant. Thankfully she was never a barking noisy dog. At several winter carnivals, festivals and parades on the base, Lady sported a variety of costumes as the mascot for the occasion.

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Several days after we returned to Gander, Newfoundland from a Christmas trip to Ottawa, Ontario Lady fell off my knee in convulsions as a result of a stroke. This was at 11 PM; the closest veterinarian was 1.5 hours away, when I phoned he requested I come on over however by the time I drove to his office my baby had already gone to doggy heaven. She had a heart condition and was only 10.5 years old. By now it was 1980 and I was due for another posting in four months so I decided to wait until I arrived in Toronto, Ontario; purchased my new home and settle in before looking for another dachshund companion.

Lucky for me I was put in contact with Carol and Uffe Braae at Braaehaus Kennels in Schomberg, Ontario. I really wasn’t interested in a vibrant puppy but I did want another Daschie to love. Carol offered me a beautiful loveable red six-year old named Brunella for adoption. It wasn’t long before I felt Brunie needed a doggie buddy---she was really lonely, so several months later a seven year old black and tan gem called Baguette (Beegee) joined our household. John and I were married in ’82 (he says he married me to be close to my Daschies); now my family was complete. Four years later I retired (at age 44) from the Air Force and John (at age 48) from the RCN, we sold our house and set off for a two-year odyssey travelling North America in our motorhome. May 04 we began our 19th year of fulltime travel in our third Kruisin’ Kastle---our pets love fulltiming too.

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Shortly after Beegee left this world, six-year old Matti-Hari (black and tan smooth) joined our travelling lifestyle, when Brunie moved on to doggie heaven, five-year-old Susie Q (red smooth) called our RV her new home. Again thanks to the quality line of Braaehaus Kennels, both these four-legged buddies were equally loveable and adapted easily to our moving home. Our relationship with Carol and Uffe has flourished over the past 20 years. John and I are a few years older than the Braae’s but it stands to reason if we are mom and dad, then Carol and Uffe must be grandma and grandpa. Throughout their excursions our babies ‘wrote’ grandma and grandpa several letters to explain their fun travels. They were enjoying the beaches of Mexico, the mountains of California, the Keys in Florida, the Texas valley and so much more. When our kids must be boarded we try to take them back to Grandma’s house whenever possible. Since we travel so much we are generally a distance from our regular veterinarian. If they become ill or under the weather Carol changes hats and we turn to ‘Dr Carol Mom’ for advice. We are thankful our well-bred dogs from Braaehaus Kennels generally live to the ripe old age of 15-17 years old.

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Presently 16 year-old Maddie (‘Mad About Town’—red, smooth) and her ten-year-old daughter Katie (black and tan, smooth) rule our household. Maddie helped to fill the space after Matti-Hari passed on. Susie Q and Maddie were top dogs when we brought two-year old Katie (black and tan---smooth) into our home---they reluctantly accepted their new sibling, however Susie Q was very senile and she played with Katie much like a little pup. An elderly woman had returned Katie to Braaehaus because she could no longer take care of her. Since Susie Q was very old and her health was failing we expected that travelling with the three Daschie would be short-lived experience. The five of us fulltimers were together for another five months. We continued to explore new destinations with interesting walking paths and incredible smells at various destinations. Our ‘babies’ make great travel companions but I definitely found it is easier with a maximum of two ‘children’ on board.

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Katie is our first Daschie to claim the motorhome dash as her private domain. She simply pushes my stuffed animals aside so she can expand her space. John has an extensive task just to keep the ‘nose-art’ off the windows. She is more curious and she literally walks across the continent. Maddie on the other hand sleeps her way from one destination to the next. In this motorhome we have space for a travel cage, which makes it easier on all of us when we are gone for an extended time.

These two are the first dogs that have aligned themselves to a particular person or duty. Maddie is our security dog. She will not go to bed until we have both turned in --- her main purpose in life is to stay up and protect us Katie on the other hand is definitely John’s bed-buddy. Right from the beginning she refused to sleep in her pet bed --- Maddie thinks what’s good enough for Katie is good enough for me, now both of them find a spot in our bed wherever it suits them. These two, like most of our dogs are special, although they have trained us well we love them anyway. We cannot imagine what life or travel would be like without such wonderful companions. We wouldn’t want to leave home without them. They can't wait to get out and inspect the wonders of each campground. My ebook 'RV Living --- Facts, Tips, Hints and More: Volume One and Two’ promote the basics of RV Travel but Volume Two has a chapter on Pet Travel. Take care and maybe our paths and pets will cross one day, RV Living is the Freedom Adventure.

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