We travel with our long haired chihuahua (15 lb.) My husband, Paul, says he has big bones like us! We will not stay in a camp ground if they do not allow pets. He attracts more attention than you can imagine. He is an unusual Chihuahua. He has such a calm personality because I take him to work with me once a week and he has been socialized since he was 3 months old. My students are adults with developmental disabilities and they have spoiled him so much that he gets insulted if people don't stop to talk to him. The first summer we traveled 3,000 miles with him sitting in my lap. He didn't like it when I put him in the back of the Chevy Tahoe because he couldn't see out the window and besides, he liked having someone holding him. I must admit, it made it a little hard for me to read or do crossword puzzles with a bundle of fur in my lap. When I found a doggie car seat, it didn't take me long to order that thing!! I get a lot of teasing about having a car seat for my dog, but the turth is, it is safer for all of us. It has a little suitcase under it so I can keep his treats and bottled water and any toys that may be special to him. The suitcase keeps the seat high enough for him to see out the window. It has a leash type strap to hook to his harness so that he won't fly out the window if we have to slam on brakes but he can move around to get comfortable. Most of the time he sleeps when we are traveling, but when we start to slow down, he starts looking out the window. When we stop for gas or potty breaks, he gets out with us for his walk. It has not been a problem at all. In fact, we have met a lot of nice people who stop to talk to Gizzy. (His name is Gizmo but was nick named Gizzy by my students) In fact, we have been staying at the same campground in Pittsburgh for three years and the owners keep forgetting our names, but they always ask to see Gizzy!! I guess we just aren't cute enough. Gizzy is a "Canine Good Citizen" and does very well when traveling and is unusually calm for a Chihuahua when around a lot of people. He does get a little noisy when there are a lot of squirrells around though. He also warned us about a bear coming to visit our campsite one night in Shannandoah VA. He softly barked, and we heard a russel, russel, clump! coming toward our campfire. (That was the bear walking through the leaves and turning over big bolders looking for whatever bears eat under bolders!) Paul thought it was a deer, but Gizzy knew better. When Paul looked into the woods with a flashlight, he was a few feet away from a bear. It didn't take Gizzy and I long to get into the camper!!! I think the bear ran just as fast in the opposite direction. On another occassion in the same campground a Doe tried to adopt him. She just looked at him and coocked her head like she wasn't sure what he was. She jumped some hedges to get a closer look!! We chased her away. Gizzy didn't even bark at her until Papul shooed her away.
Gizzy likes to run along side us when we ride our bikes or our TRIKKEs so we try to take him for a run every day. In the summer he can only run 1/2 mile then he gets to ride in the doggie backpack which I get to carry on my back. When it is cool, he can run farther than that. He loves it! When he gets his exercise, he doesn't mind staying in the fifth wheel while we go places he can't go. Potty problems are less a problem in the fifth wheel than they are at home. We had a hard time house breaking him at home (he is good now) but in the beginning he would potty in the house, but would not do it in the fifth wheel. Maybe because he is outside more when we are camping.
There is a web site called petswelcome.com that will tell you about places that are pet friendly. They will let you know about hotels that accept dogs so you can prepare ahead before you travel. There is nothing like taking your own bed and pet with you when you travel though

I travel on occasion with our dog Zoe (the brain dead dog) when I can't get a dog sitter.  She regularly decorates the RV with her hair, seems she sheds more in the camper than when at home.  She paints the front passenger window with her nose slobber, too.

She is a 6 year old English Foxhound.  She is not nervous traveling, just way too excited to be going along.  Any suggestions on ways to calm her down?  What ways have you found to pick up dog hair out of the carpet, her hair seems to defy the most powerful vacuum? 

Best Regards!

-- Edited by Old Snipe at 20:37, 2006-08-25

-- Edited by Old Snipe at 21:12, 2006-08-25

Old Snipe wrote:

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I travel on occasion with our dog Zoe (the brain dead dog) when I can't get a dog sitter.  She regularly decorates the RV with her hair, seems she sheds more in the camper than when at home.  She paints the front passenger window with her nose slobber, too.

She is a 6 year old English Foxhound.  She is not nervous traveling, just way too excited to be going along.  Any suggestions on ways to calm her down?  What ways have you found to pick up dog hair out of the carpet, her hair seems to defy the most powerful vacuum? 

Best Regards!

-- Edited by Old Snipe at 20:37, 2006-08-25

-- Edited by Old Snipe at 21:12, 2006-08-25

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The best thing I found was a clothing roller , like this one here it does a much better job than the vacuum.

The nice thing about schnauzers is that they don't shed or have a "doggy" smell.  Now, the nose "paint" is another story.  Mr. BoJangles loves to pace the dashboard area of the motor home and  leaves quite the picture.

Speaking of pacing the dash.  Dog toenails are not the best thing for the leather dash.  I remodeled a cheap wool blanket to fit our dash and that helps keep it from getting messed up from all the activity up there.

Happy traveling,

Ellie

We usually stay at state parks and have found them to be pet friendly. We enjoy taking our pooch with us. He is a well behaved dog. Our biggest problem is his obsession with squirrels. He goes crazy when he sees a squirrel (or a cat) but he loves people. He is usually very quiet. If you go to the petswelcome.com site, they list campgrounds that are pet friendly. If someone goes to a place that is not pet friendly, they encourage you to let them know so they can post the information. Those of us who love our pets want them to be treated with respect. Of course it is those pet owners who do not pick up after their pets that cause the rest of us a problem. Most of the state campgrounds provide pooper scooper bags so they make it easy for us.

Bonnie

PASCO is really cute!! I can't imagine going camping without our Gizmo so I know how your feel. He would never let us leave without him.

OK there is our "Gizzy" I had a hard time getting the picture small enough, but I finally did it! Yeah! He was bear watching while we were looking at the sunset on Loft Mountain in VA. He was going to use the flashlight to give us a signal if he saw a bear. I know it is hard to believe he is a Chahuahua, but he is. He is very hairy and 15 lbs. and very handsome and very well behaved.

Bonnie