Take Paws The official pet travel blog of GoPetFriendly.com

Pet Travel Code of Conduct

Just to be clear, the author is the one in the middle.

We received some great feedback on our GoPetFriendly Manifesto.  Based on a recent, bad travel experience one commenter suggested that someone should create a “pet traveler manifesto that tells owners how to be cool with their pets.”  Ask and ye shall receive!  The following code of conduct augments the good advice our friend Dog Jaunt wrote a few weeks ago.

1. Commit to training. In our travels, we see lack of training as THE most common cause of bad experiences.  Don’t set your dog up for failure.  If he/she does not consistently behave well for you at home, they are unlikely to do any better when traveling (and will probably do worse).  Watch out for future guest posts from DogSpelledForward on how to train your pooch to Wait, Leave It, Say Hi, and Settle.

2. Exercise your dog. A tired puppy is a good puppy.  Don’t neglect the morning walk so you can get on the road faster or the evening walk because you are fatigued from the drive.  Limit your mileage to allow 1-2 exercise breaks for you and the dogs en route.

3. Obey leash laws and signage. People don’t care how well behaved you think your dog is; if the sign says dogs must be leashed – do it.  It shows respect for the resident pet owners that are left behind to deal with problems created by people traveling with pets.

4. Scoop the poop. Nothing spoils a walk like stepping in dog poop left behind by careless pet owners.  This, more than anything else, causes people to resent dog owners.  It’s also the primary reason for keeping parks and other locations from going pet friendly.

5. Have your pet under your control at all times. Be present.  When you walk your dog, walk your dog – don’t make a call or check your email from your smartphone.

6. Be considerate of your neighbor. Just as we deserve to include our pets in our lives, there are people who prefer not to have our animals foisted upon them.  So whether your “neighbor” is in the next plane seat, the next hotel room, or the next dining table pet owners must take care to minimize the imposition on others.

7. Patronize pet friendly businesses. Pet friendly establishments have, to an extent, gone out on a limb to cater to the needs of the (pet-owning) few, not the (pet-free) masses.  GPF believes it is important to financially support the businesses that emotionally support us.

8. Call ahead to confirm pet policies. Using GPF as an example, we work hard to keep the pet policy information provided on our site current.  But things change.  A quick phone call to confirm pet policies can save time, tempers, and hurt feelings.

9. Have patience. Patience is a must for a successful trek because it takes more time to do what needs to be done and get to where you want to go when you travel with a pet.

10. Be prepared to leave. Sometimes, despite all your preparations, your pet may not cooperate.  Seeing another dog may set it off … particularly one not under the control of its owner.  If snarling, growling, and/or lunging result – and calm cannot be restored – be the bigger person and move on.  This seems to happen most often at restaurants, and we’ve endured several occasions where either Amy or I had to leave with our dogs while the other stayed behind to get our food to go and pay the bill.

In summary, when you travel with your pet remember that you’re an ambassador for others who travel with theirs.  We hope that you’ll join us in following these  simple principles to make everyone’s experience more pleasant!  Anything we missed?!  Please add your thoughts in a comment!