Polite Guests, Not Pests

When you’re visiting a friend or relative’s home, it’s important that your pets are on their best behavior. Don’t allow your pet to be a pest when you’re an invited guest!

Safety First: Just because your yard and home is “pet proofed” doesn’t mean your friends and relatives homes are pet proofed. Upon arrival, do a thorough check of the perimeter and if you plan on allowing your pet to roam, be certain that everyone knows your dog is on the loose. Pets can become stressed in new areas and while your dog may normally be calm and relaxed around children, they could turn into something out of a Stephen King novel if you’re not keeping a close eye on them.

It’s best to keep your pet close by your side while you’re visiting, but if that’s not possible, be certain you have the proper precautions in place should your pet become anxious (or annoyed). All of our pets are microchipped and each wears a collar with their ID and Rabies tags. In addition to the identification, we often employ the use of a GPS collar while traveling. It’s an added safeguard that allows us to easily track our pets should they escape into a strange neighborhood. With the use of a GPS collar, we can track them by cell phone.

• 1-800-LostDog: Cheiss has a 1-800-LostDog ID tag which works great. Anyone who finds him can call the 1-800 number on the tag, and the phone is answered 24/7.
• GPS Tracker: When we are traveling overnight, Cheiss wears a GPS collar. The collar is lightweight and he can be tracked anywhere there is a cell phone tower. We can then access our IP address and track his path within a few yards of where he may be.

Calming Your Pet: There are several things we use to help our pets stay calm during travel and all of them are all-natural. The first is TravelCalm from EarthHeart. This all-natural aromatherapy mist helps calm your pet and can even help ward off symptoms for pets who get carsick.

Comfort Zone with D A P for Dogs Portable Spray 60 ml is a standard in our vehicle and when sprayed under the bed (humans won’t be able to smell anything at all after drying), it will calm your pets and help you avoid that anxiety that often comes with car rides.

The Thundershirt is a unique new product that works on the concept of T-touch (Tellington Touch). Once you place it on your dog, you’ll see an immediate calming effect that lasts for hours.

[Part One: To Grandmother’s House We Go] [Part Two: Restraining Pets for Travel] [Part Three: Creature Comforts] [Part Four: Polite Guests, Not Pests ] [Part Five: Checklist for Pet Travel Success]