By Linda Laughter, guest blogger

I would like to preface this post with the understanding all dogs are not created equal. With that said, I will now go about give some tips on how to travel with a dog like my dog, Jack. Most general conditions will apply for all.

Tips for Traveling with a Dog 

Jack is a 30 lb. long hair standard dachshund with a fur problem. He was supposed to have this long luxurious coat…instead we have fuzz. I only mention this as it will be a factor as we hunt for a suitable place to have him ride in the car, sit on furniture rugs we do not own, and generally shed. Since most dogs do shed you will see why this is important.

In our case, we were planning a getaway to warm Florida. Having recently lost our older dog, Annie, who helped raise Jack, we knew he could not be alone long. A kennel was out and our relatives had such excuses as no yard, allergic, or “busy”. So we began to plan our trip with Dog.

I first looked on the internet for Fido friendly hotels, condos, B and B’s….anything. There are sites that help but don’t expect it to happen without some trial and error. In the end I recommend calling the establishment directly. Some hotels charge anywhere from $75-$150 nonrefundable pet deposit. Others just say NO! We did find that LaQuinta and some “suite” hotels will welcome Jack. We even found a B and B that offered an array of dog treats on your arrival. Some do not welcome dogs over 30 lbs. and hardly every can you have two pets in the same room.

Dog Friendly Condo 

We finally found a condo in North Beach that allowed Jack in the room, but he could not set foot in any public area…seriously, we had to carry him everywhere. It wasn’t the weight; it was the package. He is built like a barrel with no legs. Again this is personal so I won’t go on. He did love the balcony, watching all the folks in the pool. The beautiful white marble floor and leather furniture showed a few hairs but just gave us impetus to keep it clean. We only had one incident when he ate the rug, but it is best not to go in to that.

Good news: Car Travel 

Good news is Jack liked to travel in the car. We bought a sling type bed (approved by the American Kennel Association) for him, so if we stopped quickly he was not thrown to the floor. We took him with us when we could. He was a great traveler. We had a water bowl for when we stopped, and never took him off the leash anywhere! Although he has a microchip we take no chances. Doggie clean up bags are a must.

We found in Miami Beach, dogs are not allowed everywhere. Our condo allowed it on their beach, so Jack got the experience. He also was allowed on our walking tour of South Beach. He was exhausted at the end…but everybody loved him. We found you want to meet people, take your dog along, especially if he loves everyone like our Jack.

Linda Laughter is a practicing interior designer and part-time painter in Ada, MI. She and her architect husband love to travel and enjoy all the architectural details and God’s beauty the world has to offer.