Cross-Country Move with Dog, Update from the Road #25

[Kryswyn]

Lots of great advice here, so I’m only going to reiterate what I consider the best:

Microchip, and ask the vet to submit the info RIGHT AWAY. My pup was chipped on Dec. 1, and I just got the “Welcome to the Home Again Family” email today!

Restraint in car. I prefer plastic crates for smaller dogs, but since Loki seems comfortable in the car, definitely a dog harness style seat belt. Even well behaved dogs have bolted from cars and in at least cases I know of personally, things did not end well.

NEVER leave your dog alone in a hotel room, even if it’s crated. In most hotels that’s part of the rules. Always have a crate with you (you can buy the collapsible wire ones, or an easy to de/construct plastic crate). This way, you can leave Loki in the car while you’re eating and know he’s not going to destroy the car.

Don’t bother freezing water. It’s going to be defrosted w/in a day. Just get 5 gallon plastic jugs of a bottled water (national brand). If you need more, you should be able to buy it anywhere. Fortunately, most dogs are not like horses and are not as picky about water.

Buy a 50-75’ length of lightweight line or cord. put a snap on each end. Fasten one end around your waist, and the other to the dog. Now you can safely play ball or frisbee when you stop and Loki can run his yayas out.

Be safe, think ahead, and take lots of pictures you can post for us later!

[jadewolf]

Thank you all! This is all awesome advice!

Microchipped, check.
Martingale collar in addition to usual tag collar, check.
Doggy harness, check.
Crate, check.
Enzyme cleaner, check.

I love the idea about the long line. That’s a great idea! I’ve got a ton of cord laying around, too. Just gotta put snaps on it.

Again, thanks y’all! This is some good stuff.

Now, to finish packing and get ready to haul out in seven days!

[Kinsella]

First - I’m jealous because I LOVE L.A.! I just love CA in general actually… If you are not vegetarian, get yourself to the first In N Out Burger you come to on the 10 (welcome to CA speak LOL!!) and enjoy one for me…

I’ve driven the CA/NC or NC/CA trip more times than I can count & over every route imaginable. And always with at least 2 dogs. You’ve gotten a ton of great advice so far. I’ll second taking lots of pictures and add take time to enjoy the trip. Don’t make it rush, rush. If you want to stop and see something somewhere, go ahead and do it. There are a million interesting things to see in this country - take time to see a few!

Loki is adorable and I hope you have the trip of a lifetime! (I’ve had about 8 LOL!)

(I won’t tell you some of the things I did on my trips. Let’s just say I know/knew my dogs very well and trusted them to come when I called, no matter what. And no, I never let them run loose near any roads! It did involve a little trespassing though… )

[Guin]

I suggest a harness in addition to a collar, and attach the leash to the harness when you make pit stops. I’ve heard very unhappy stories of dogs slipping their collars in unfamiliar surroundings.

Also - get him microchipped if he’s not already.

Be prepared to have the window down the entire way so he can sniff the breeze.

[jadewolf]

Just as a little update, Loki and I are in El Paso, TX tonight and he’s handling all this move chaos like a champ! He mostly just sleeps on the seat beside me while we’re in motion, but when we stop at rest areas and such, he has a great time and is in fine spirits. No gastronomic difficulties and no freakouts or escape attempts, either. Takes to the hotel rooms like he’s been doing this his whole life, too. Although, how one 38lb dog can somehow manage to take up an ENTIRE king size hotel bed is beyond me, ha! He has been a little itchy, but I packed some benadryl and that seems to be helping. I think he picked up a couple fleabites along the way, despite applying Frontline the day before we left. Ah well. The benadryl has put the itchies to bed for the night, at any rate.

Here he is at a rest stop near Van Horn, TX out in the middle of nowhere:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jadewolf/6603958601/

We’ve got about 800 miles left to go… two short 6 hour drives between El Paso & Phoenix, then Phoenix to LA. We’ll be home in Van Nuys, CA for the new year!

Thanks for all the suggestions, everybody!

[jetsmom]

[QUOTE=dixiedolphin;6052032]
Just as a little update, Loki and I are in El Paso, TX tonight and he’s handling all this move chaos like a champ! He mostly just sleeps on the seat beside me while we’re in motion, but when we stop at rest areas and such, he has a great time and is in fine spirits. No gastronomic difficulties and no freakouts or escape attempts, either. Takes to the hotel rooms like he’s been doing this his whole life, too. Although, how one 38lb dog can somehow manage to take up an ENTIRE king size hotel bed is beyond me, ha! He has been a little itchy, but I packed some benadryl and that seems to be helping. I think he picked up a couple fleabites along the way, despite applying Frontline the day before we left. Ah well. The benadryl has put the itchies to bed for the night, at any rate.

Here he is at a rest stop near Van Horn, TX out in the middle of nowhere:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jadewolf/6603958601/

We’ve got about 800 miles left to go… two short 6 hour drives between El Paso & Phoenix, then Phoenix to LA. We’ll be home in Van Nuys, CA for the new year!

Thanks for all the suggestions, everybody! :D[/QUOTE]

There’s a nice dog park on the west side of el paso just off I-10 if you want a place to let him stretch his legs. I-10w to Resler Rd exit (exit is after downtown exits, and after Sunland Park dr. exit). Exit on Resler. Go past intersection of Mesa, Belvidere and Redd Rd. At next intersection (High Ridge ) Turn left. It runs right into the dog park. They have sep sections for big/small dogs.

Before you get to Tucson, (about an hr out) you might want to stop and take pictures of Texas Canyon. Really neat huge round rocks perched on tiny pieces of cliffs. Great for photos. You drive right thru it, on I 10.

[MunchkinsMom]

[QUOTE=dixiedolphin;6052032]

Here he is at a rest stop near Van Horn, TX out in the middle of nowhere:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jadewolf/6603958601/

We’ve got about 800 miles left to go… two short 6 hour drives between El Paso & Phoenix, then Phoenix to LA. We’ll be home in Van Nuys, CA for the new year!

Thanks for all the suggestions, everybody! :D[/QUOTE]

Aww, I took a look at all your travel pictures of Loki, and he really looks like he is enjoying the trip! Wishing you a safe journey!

[JanM]

Dixie-they might not be regular fleas, and that’s why the preventative isn’t working. Sand fleas and other strange pests probably aren’t discouraged by fleas stuff, and sand and other exposures can be itchy, especially when combined with the dry heat and sand.

[Bacardi1]

What a handsome boy, & how wonderful that the trip has been so pleasant for your both!!

I can tell you that our moving trip from NY to VA (one huge Budget moving van pulling my little Audi, driven by me & my Husky; & my husband behind us in his car, containing our Plott Hound/Lab mix & Doberman) was an extremely interesting adventure. Nothing awful happened, but the logistics/dynamics were a bit dicey sometimes - lol!

[Guin]

Great update! He looks like a happy traveler.

[NEWT]

Dixiedolphin, your dog is a beauty. One warning that took husband and I by surprise a few years ago. We were traveling for the first time through NM and stopped in Deming. While walking out golden retriever he started limping and crying. All four feet and pads were packed with this nasty spiky plant. It was vicious on our hands just trying to pull them out. They were stuck deep into the dogs hair and skin. I think the locals called them something like ramshorn thorns and they were everywhere! So keep and eye out for those nasty things!

[jadewolf]

[QUOTE=NEWT;6053125]
Dixiedolphin, your dog is a beauty. One warning that took husband and I by surprise a few years ago. We were traveling for the first time through NM and stopped in Deming. While walking out golden retriever he started limping and crying. All four feet and pads were packed with this nasty spiky plant. It was vicious on our hands just trying to pull them out. They were stuck deep into the dogs hair and skin. I think the locals called them something like ramshorn thorns and they were everywhere! So keep and eye out for those nasty things![/QUOTE]

I drove by, but didn’t stop in Deming today, but I did see something worse happen to a dog near there. A big, beautiful furry white and red dog came running out into the highway out of nowhere and got hit by a minivan. The guy tried to stop and get out of the way, but just when it looked like the dog would slide past, he bolted back into the road. It was awful. I was in the next lane over and could hear him yelping. I couldn’t stop to help, though… a 14’ U-Haul & auto transport trailer doesn’t stop on a dime from 70mph and there was a big semi right behind me, too. I saw the dog limping off the road in my rearview. Broke my heart, but there wasn’t anything I could have done. Poor boy, I hope he made it to safety and someone found him.

[jadewolf]

[QUOTE=jetsmom;6052171]
Before you get to Tucson, (about an hr out) you might want to stop and take pictures of Texas Canyon. Really neat huge round rocks perched on tiny pieces of cliffs. Great for photos. You drive right thru it, on I 10.[/QUOTE]

Thanks to your suggestion, I did and it was awesome! ROCKS! Awesome, amazing ROCKS!

[jadewolf]

[QUOTE=JanM;6052532]
Dixie-they might not be regular fleas, and that’s why the preventative isn’t working. Sand fleas and other strange pests probably aren’t discouraged by fleas stuff, and sand and other exposures can be itchy, especially when combined with the dry heat and sand.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I think you could be right about that. Who knows what sort of weird biters there are at these rest stops! I’m gonna stick with the benadryl until we get to our new home, then try to take care of these itchies there. And if I can’t get it to beaten back on my own, I’ve already got a vet lined up out there in LA I can take him to.

[Bells]

Those nasty plants - goatheads. Hope your trip continues to go well as you cross the Mojave Desert.

[jadewolf]

So, we’re spending new years eve in a hotel in Phoenix, AZ tonight… but Loki would like to share his travels from the day:

Here he is checking out a rest stop near Gage, New Mexico. It was cold and windy out there in the desert!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jadewolf/6610706265/

Later, he enjoyed a parking lot picnic with me at a truck stop in Wilcox, Arizona.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jadewolf/6610715343/

And yep, we did stop to see the magnificent rocks of Texas Canyon in Arizona (what’s a Texan canyon doing in Arizona, I’d like to know!). Thanks again, for the suggestion!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jadewolf/6610721747/

We thankfully avoided any nasty goathead stickers and, despite numerous warning signs and some suspicious looking burrow holes, we encountered no venomous snakes. Loki has been eaten up by some sort of bugs or something, though. Frontline isn’t helping, so I agree it’s probably not your run of the mill fleas. Loading him up on the Benadryl until we can get to LA. I’ll give him a good scrubbing down, just in case it’s some sort of skin irritant or allergen and salve up the itchy spots. If he doesn’t come around, we’ll get to check out the new vet sooner than I anticipated.

I’m also pleased to note that this pup, unlike his late predecessor, is completely unfazed by the massive fireworks displays going on outside our hotel room. Not even a twitch of nervousness. Good boy, Loki.

At any rate, Happy New Year from Loki & I on the road!

[2tempe]

Nice lookin’ dog, that Loki! So glad to hear that the trip has been going well. Bet you’re glad to have him along for the company…

[jadewolf]

Thanks again, all! We arrived safely on Sunday night. Moved into the new place on Monday and are about 80% unpacked now.

Loki is loving his new home! So am I, actually. I think we did pretty good for picking the place sight unseen from 2500 miles away. And we already found a nice dog park in the Sepulveda Basin Rec Area. He wore himself out real good there and is passed out cold on my kitchen floor now, lol!

Any SoCal people know of any other good dogparks or dog-friendly places in the Valley? I’m in Van Nuys.

His itchies are starting to go away, too. I think he probably did get bit by some sort of desert sand fleas. He gnawed a little fur off his leg in one spot, but the redness is going away and he’s not fussing about it anymore. Fur will grow back.

Again, thanks for all the suggestions! Definitely put them to good use. (The long rope idea for rest stops was an awesome idea!) I may have over-prepared in some ways, but better safe than sorry!

Once I get everything settled, I’ll have to post some more pics to share. I took lots of Loki at nearly every stop!

Edited to add:

I gotta say, too… five days on the road with a dog will certainly solidify a new partnership! I’ve only had Loki for about two months since I pulled him from a shelter back in Florida, but this trip has really produced a pretty strong bond between us! I feel very in tune with my dog right now.

[Bacardi1]

Am so glad to hear that you arrived safe, sound, & are settling in well.

Traveling long distances (or sometimes even short distances) with pets can be so stressful sometimes.