Traveling With Pets

Part Two: Planning without the touchstone of experience

Can two retirees go camping in their new-to-them used RV with freshly adopted pets? Or are they setting themselves up for chaos and disaster?

My husband and I were now excited to have animal companions in our lives after an over fifteen-year absence. Add to this mix a camping trip we’d planned months ago.

How would we manage traveling with a tiny kitten and a forty-pound puppy in our RV for over a week? By careful planning, of course!

There were gaps in our knowledge. The last time we’d had animal companions in our lives, the pet industry hadn’t yet exploded. Kibble came in few varieties, and vet visits were to get rabies shots and have the pet neutered. This has been an education!

Our older daughter and middle granddaughter took us to a pet store to purchase kitty items. A kitten harness, leash, backpack, carrier, blanket, kitten kibble. TOYS. Lots of toys selected by our granddaughter with expert discernment. The right kind of litter box and litter.

The reality of travel with animals began to weigh on me. This was just equipment for a two-pound kitten. The dog had his own requirements.

I checked websites to make sure dogs were allowed in the national parks we planned to visit. What are the rules? Which areas are they welcome in, and from which are they banned?

Do your research! I learned that Mesa Verde does allow pets, but only on paved trails. They aren’t allowed on dirt trails, in the ruins, or on tours at all. Petrified Forest is pet-friendly. But you can’t take them in buildings unless they’re ADA certified.

The Grand Canyon has similar caveats. Not allowed in buildings. Not allowed on trails going down into the canyon without special permission. Dogs must be under your control at all times. No leaving them alone in vehicles or at camp.

In other words, your animal companion(s) are stuck to you like Velcro for the duration of your trip. Do you want to be footloose and fancy free? Spend hours in museums? Eat at nice restaurants? Hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon? Pet travel may not be for you.

Parks did offer kennel options. Do you really want to leave your precious friend in a cage amongst strangers and other frightened pets?

We packed up our new-to-us used RV. The vehicle was bursting at the seams, in my opinion. We hadn’t packed nearly enough, my husband insisted.

Both our companions are youngsters. Strider is only seven months. Legolas is definitely a baby at two months old. They get tired and cranky. As retirees, my husband and I also get tired and cranky. This trip could be a formula for disaster!

We gathered the animals’ necessities and papers (proof of rabies vaccinations, the chip information in case they get lost). Time to hit the road. Admittedly, we were new pet “parents” still learning the ropes. We had zero experience traveling with animals.

Planning: Learn the rules and regulations of your destination. Adjust your expectations for inclusion of these fur people in your life.

Lesson learned: The trip would be about the care and comfort of the animals, not our human goals. What we wanted would have to be arranged around the kitten and puppy.

Questions: How would we keep the puppy out of the litter box and the kitty out of the dog’s dishes? Could we continue to keep them separate? Would they form a brotherly bond, or fight like - ahem - cats and dogs?

Find out in the third installment of Traveling with Pets.

Novels with animal companions by Catherine Dilts:

The Body in the Cattails, available from Harlequin Worldwide Mystery

The Body in the Hayloft, available here

Co-authored with Merida Bass: Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation, and Grandma’s Valentine Abduction

YA series co-authored with Merida Bass (jungle animals): Frayed Dreams, and Broken Strands

The entire Rose Creek Mystery series, the Tapestry Tales series, and the Ninja Grandparent Placement Mysteries, are available at Basecamp Books and Adventure located at 3918 Maizeland Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80909 (phone: 1 719 596 1621)