| 10 Essential Things to Bring When RVing or Camping | | | | hotel; a pet-friendly campground; or your relative's |
| with Your Dog | | | | house; always bring your dogs bed. If they don't |
| 1) A Color Photo of Your Dog: This is from the | | | | have a bed, get them one. This way, your dog can |
| "Expect the best...prepare for the worst" way of | | | | feel more comfortable and secure. If you have the |
| thinking. If your dog gets lost while traveling, you can | | | | room in your vehicle, put their bed down so they can |
| take the photo down to the nearest Kinko's and get | | | | sleep during the trip. In our RV, our dogs sleep during |
| "lost dog" posters made. If you don't have a photo | | | | the entire trip on their beds. |
| on hand, you'll be losing valuable time. | | | | 7) Medication: If your dog takes any kind of |
| 2) Pet ID Tags: Go to the nearest Petco or Pet | | | | medication, make sure that you bring extra for the |
| Smart and get a pet identification tag made up that | | | | trip. You may have difficulty on the road finding a |
| includes your dog's name and your current phone | | | | vet who is willing to prescribe the same medication |
| number. If you have a cell phone, use that number | | | | (without an examination). |
| since you may be on the road. This way, if someone | | | | 8) Their Toys: Just as with children, toys can help to |
| finds your dog, they can give you a call. | | | | keep your dog occupied during the trip and while at |
| 3) Your Dog's Regular Food: It's very important to | | | | your destination. It works especially well to buy a |
| keep feeding your dog their regular food while | | | | new toy just for the trip. With our last two dogs, we |
| traveling. During one RVing trip, we fed our two | | | | didn't realize, until they were three years old, that all |
| German Shepard dogs a different variety of the dog | | | | dogs love toys. We always thought they liked toys |
| food that we usually give them. Boy - was that a | | | | as puppies, but didn't really need them as adults. Boy, |
| mistake. They both had diarrhea for days, even | | | | were we wrong, Our two adult dogs now have an |
| though we slowly introduced it to them in their | | | | entire box full of toys. Every night, they each go to |
| regular food. After a $200 veterinary bill, I swore | | | | the box and rummage through it to find a toy for |
| that I would always bring plenty of their regular dog | | | | the evening! |
| food on every trip. | | | | 9) Treats: Sometimes dogs can get bored or |
| 4) Plenty of Bottled Water: This is even more | | | | over-excited on a trip and start to misbehave. If you |
| important than food. Keep in mind, water quality | | | | bring along some special treats, it can help. However, |
| varies in different parts of the country. To prevent | | | | just as with food and water, don't try a new treat |
| possible stomach upsets, diarrhea, and water-borne | | | | while on a trip. You want to keep everything that |
| microbes, try to give your dogs bottled water | | | | goes into their mouth the same as always. This will |
| whenever you're on the road. | | | | help to prevent an upset stomach and intestinal |
| 5) Sturdy Leashes: Make sure you bring a strong | | | | disorders while on the road. |
| leash with you. During travel, dogs often get lost or | | | | 10) Pet Friendly Directories: There are many |
| killed at highway rest areas. Thus, ALWAYS leash | | | | pet-friendly directories for traveling with dogs, |
| your dog before you open the car door. It always | | | | (including one that we wrote for pet-friendly |
| breaks my heart to see people looking for lost dogs | | | | campgrounds). Make sure that you bring one with |
| at a rest area. Your dog is in a new place with | | | | you. It just makes your life so much easier to know, |
| strange people and animals all around. In this scenario, | | | | ahead of time, that a motel, bed and breakfast, or |
| you can't predict their behavior. They could get | | | | campground welcomes your dog. However, even |
| spooked at the slightest thing. So, be safe and keep | | | | though a place might be listed in a directory, always |
| them on a sturdy leash. | | | | call ahead to double check that they accept your |
| 6) Dog Bed: Even if you're staying at a pet-friendly | | | | dog. |