Advice Needed - traveling

T

Tasia's Mom

Forums Regular
Well, I just got the news Friday that on or before November 17th I will be out of a job that I spend 17 years at. I am heartbroken and terrified. I live in Indiana and my 10-year retirement plan just went to a 60-day plan. My head is a mess.

I will be moving from NE Indiana to Tampa FL - where both of my children live and work.

I will be traveling with Tasia, my 5-year old sheltie and my 4 year old cat alone on our way to a new life.

Can anybody please give me tips, suggestions, advice, hugs, positive thoughts, anything on making this HUGE transition. I am terribly worried about my animals and making this trip with me.

Tasia NEVER lays down in my car, although she does love car rides. My cat will be in her carrier, otherwise, she will be walking on my dashboard lol.

This is all very new and very scary for me to make this transition.

How do I go about this and once in FL, how do you help your animals make the transition from cold to heat? This will all transpire right after Christmas this year.

I am a worried and nervous puddle of nerves. Scared of the car trip alone with the girls, the cross country move, everything. I just found out about all of this on Friday, 2 days ago.

Help please <3

Laurie (54 year old sheltie momma)
 
Have lived in five states with a sheltie!

Traveling by car?

Seat belts are the responsible and safest thing, they make seat belt harnesses that clip into the locking mechanism of the car. Keeps them from flying lose should there be an accident.

Secondly, My shelties will not tolerate a ride in the back of the sport wagon so they get the back seat. ( they would jump into the driver seat if we let them) We have a Pet Hammock that blocks the spaces between rows of seats...it also prevents that sudden stop fall to the floor of the car when they insist on standing, and collects most of the hair they would leave on the seats..

Otherwise, water, bowls and treats...Leashes, potty bags, and paper towels. Dramamine per your vet if needed for motion sickness. Trust me they will vocalize when they want a rest stop just like kids...as well as "ARE WE THERE YET? whines...

Some fast food joints will give free burgers without the buns for fur children, but you have to ask. Good doggies get spoiled on road trips.

Cat rides in a pet carrier. Stays there until we get to destination...or bed down for night.

There are Pet friendly hotels....just web search for them.

And don't forget year round heartworm in the south. Our skeeters are vicious. :wink2:

The Temperature change will be like a vacation for them, we moved from New England to the Carolinas...frankly I don't think they miss the snow either.
As for they cross country move, its harrowing, make it a priority to know where the towels and bedsheets are first thing,when you get moved..you'll be exhausted want your own bed and a hot shower first and foremost...you can unpack tomorrow....Best wishes for your future
 
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Sorry to hear about the loss of your job. As for traveling, I have a few suggestions. I have moved several times, some with multiple dogs (although I had my spouse to help). First of all, I suggest crates for both your Sheltie and cat. Since you are not moving until December, you have time to get them used to staying in crates. While traveling, it's easier to clean a "mistake" out of a crate than off the car seats. I would also suggest taking your time on the trip with short days and frequent stops. When stopping to let you dog exercise ALWAYS keep him on a leash. Even the best trained Sheltie can break and run at the loud sound of a tractor trailer. Make sure your flea and tick medication is current as many of the roadside "exercise" areas are infested. I prefer feeding at night after the days travel as it helps prevent them throwing up as much.

I think the weather transition will probably be OK although your Sheltie may lose significant coat. We recently relocated from Singapore to Alabama and our Sheltie made the transition easily. We stayed in a hotel about a week upon arrival and he instantly adopted it as home as he did when we moved into our house.
 
First, I am sorry for the loss of your job.

The only long distance road trip we took with Addie was from the Tampa area to GA. It was relatively easy. We just gave her some food and water before we left, made sure she pottied and off we went. Once she got settled, if we noticed her fidgeting we stopped to see if she had to potty. When I moved from NJ to FL with my parents, we had a cat and a bird in the cab of a Uhaul. The cat slept just fine the whole way. He didn't use the litterbox until we got to the hotel the first night and didn't eat for two days. We have made many more trips from FL to NJ and back with other cats. One ate just fine (he was also the one that used the litterbox mid-way through NC and we had to get rid of the tootsie rolls on the side of I-95 because the smell was horrendous and no amount of wind blowing through those windows while we tried to find a rest area helped). So, in short, it depends on your cat. If he or she is one to meow the whole time, I wouldn't hesitate to ask my vet for something to calm. And don't worry too much if he or she doesn't eat or use the litterbox for a few days. Once a new routine is established, that behavior will get back to normal. Your dog should be OK. Try short trips now to get her used to it.

The weather right now is beautiful - and after Christmas it will be even more so. It will be a gradual warming up that starts around February and by May it will be hot. It took me a few years to get used to it. Year round flea & heartworm meds are recommended. I usually say that up north has heat all winter and you are really only outside to get in your heated car to go somewhere else heated. Florida is like that in reverse. Whereever you go will more than likely have A/C. Your dog should adjust well. They may lose a lot of coat, but it will grow back.

Good luck :)
 
very sorry about your job situation...

travelling with shelties shouldn't be too much of a problem. haven't had cats so no advice there..
if your car has room, I'd recommend a crate. but we used seatbelts for several years. be sure that the harness fits correctly or the dog won't be in it and the seatbelt will be useless.

Plan your route and look for pet friendly motels. there are several websites such as Pets Welcome that list pet friendly places. I break an 18 hour drive to visit family into two days. but my shelties are seasoned travelers and have no problems with 8+ hours driving in the car.

At rest stops, I typically pick the gas station near whichever fast food restaurant I'll be getting food. I get gas first, then move the car to a parking space near the grassy area- usually in the back of the lot. I walk the dogs and then when they've done their business, back in the car. I give them some water in their crates. then I turn the AC on and lock the car with the spare key. In Dec, the AC probably won't be an issue and you probably won't need to run the heat while you run inside, use the bathroom, get food and return to car. I'm generally alone while travelling so planning is important.

I measure each sheltie's kibble into an individual small baggie. then the baggies for breakfast and dinner at the motel go into a larger baggie. then when we get to the motel, I take their stuff in and set up their crates. I put a cheap vinyl tablecloth on the floor first and then set up the crates on that. I also cover the bed with a large sheet because I just can't keep them off the motel beds. then I get their bowls ready. I bring them in and put them in their crates to eat. then I let them have some water and time for a walk.
when walking the dog at night at the motel, along with the poop bags, also have a flashlight and pepper spray.

the easy part will be when you get to Florida- shelties adapt and can easily live in the south. re-establish your routine as soon as possible and Tasia will be happy. hope that the cat will be too:winkgrin:

someone else suggested getting Tasia used to the crate or seatbelt if that is what you choose. I definitely agree with that.
I also in addition to paper towels and pet wipes have a spray bottle of enzyme cleaner in the car.
 
Sorry to hear about your situation :no:

We moved from Texas to Virginia in 3 days with Olive. The worst part was her barking at the moving men. She was crated for the drive, the crate buckled in, and we offered water and a potty break every 3-5 hours. Olive would not lay down for most of our drive but would sleep VERY soundly at night (there are a couple of lists online of pet friendly hotel chains.) She adapted fine to the temperature change. Since you're moving in winter it won't be blistering hot just yet.

Keep away from the rest stop dog areas since you can't guarantee other dogs are healthy. Have a ICE info packet in the vehicle as well as first aid. I would advise crating both with good quality crates (Institute for Pet Safety released their findings recently), if you are in an accident they will be contained and they are less likely to escape first responders. I know Florida needs a health certificate for livestock entering the state, not sure about companion animals so I would check on that.
 
Looks like you've gotten lots of good advice. I would only add (unless I missed someone already saying this) you need an absolutely inescapable collar or harness. I think we all know Shelties will spook and flee, even the mellowest. Don't rely on your regular collar for this. We all want you to arrive safely.

I am sorry for this sudden transition in your life, and I'm sure the loss of security and fear of the unknown is driving your emotions right now. Try to think of it (eventually) as a door closing and another opening. Take one day at a time and breathe. :hugs :fl
 
You've gotten a ton of good travel advice and, since I do a lot of travel with my dogs, I have to say it's pretty spot on. A crate is definitely going to be the safest way to transport your Sheltie as well as your cat. If you don't want to sue a crate look into a seat belt harness. We recently had a discussion on this particular harnesss, http://sheltieforums.com/showthread.php?t=23347&highlight=Harness. It's the only one certified in crashes.

Another thing, and this goes hand in hand with the comment about harness/collars that will not slip off, make sure ID tags, microchips, etc. are up to date. Get tags with cell phone numbers. See if your kids will allow you to put their address on microchips and tags until you get settled.

Get copies of your vet records to take with you so you have them for your new vet.
 
Thank you sooooo much

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful advice and thank you for your thoughts and prayers. You are all such a great group of people.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate everything!

Tasia and Tootsie are micro-chipped, so now to find the information on that, ugh. I will ask my vet for that information to go back to the web and update with the kid's addresses. Thank you for reminding me of that.

I have a smaller car, so I am not sure if the crate is going to work out for me. My backseats do fold down so there is more room for them, but then I wouldn't be able to use the seat belt harness. So, that won't work.

Tasia will not lie down during a car ride, she has to see what is going on constantly. Would any of you suggest a very mild sedative for her or maybe a Benadryl that would make her sleepy? She is an excellent car rider and absolutely loves it, but just wondering about that one.

I have a note to call the vet today to let them know I will be needing their records and a health cert. We had to do that with our horses when we went to out of state shows. Both Tasia and Tootsie are up for their 1 year visit in October, so that timing will work out good for us. I use a harness for Tasia when we walk and do have a nametag that says her name, my phone number and micro-chipped on it and plan to get one for Tootsie. Tootsie doesn't wear a collar or harness, otherwise I have a cat that flops around like a fish out of water! Geeze. Worse than children. Tootise also has a soft sided comfy carrier that I use for her. I just feel bad if she is in that thing constantly on the drive. But, I assume she will be just fine.

Just so much to think about in such a short period of time. I am definitely looking into the seat belt harness for Tas. Again, you are ALL the best and if you think of something else, please let me know!!
 
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Sorry to read about your job situation

I can not add anything to all the good advice you already have received, our country is so small that the maximum can take 4-5 hours to cross it. :lol:

I can only recommend a good cage, it is also much easier to pack the car.

Minnie never lie down when we drive.
 
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