[Jagann13]

Originally Posted by hserus

I normally keep my dog in a boarding place when I travel so this is from talking to others (eg: bhpian @paradiddle) who travel with their dog.

Thanks for the inputs, sir!

I'm also from Chennai and it would be great if you can suggest some good pet boarding places.

Thanks in advance

Originally Posted by Octy17

Wherever we go we take him along with us. We go by the policy of "Either all of us go or none of us go".

We are actually in the same situation right now. Apart from travelling can you share some more words. If you can spare a few minutes, please help me on this.

Regarding the pet-friendly resorts.

How do you find your pet to be comfortable? Will the management of the hotel bother you or your pet? Like, will your pet be allowed to be free?(Not tied)

While going around places like sightseeing, will you take your pet along or will you leave it in the resort?


A big thank you in advance

[Octy17]

Originally Posted by Jagann13

How do you find your pet to be comfortable? Will the management of the hotel bother you or your pet? Like, will your pet be allowed to be free?(Not tied)

Our boy just loved it. The first day he was tired but the other days he was totally hyper active and loved to visit all the places.
In Kodaikanal we stayed at a resort called "Lilly's Valley Resort". Ooty we stayed at Sherlock Hotel. Palakkad being my native, accommodation wasn't an issue. Given a choice we would pick Kodaikanal because of their hospitality, friendly staffs and a homely feeling. Both the places you will surely meet many pet owners who share their experiences. It is always a comforting feeling.
Management at both the places were extremely kind and helpful. They used to check on us regularly and ask if anything is required. More than asking about us, they enquired about how our Beagle was doing.
The biggest advantage about Lilly's is that it is nestled in a quiet place away from the city. So taking them for their morning walks proves to be much more relaxing.
There isn't any rule about leaving them free but it would be advisable to hold them on a leash since you don't want your pet to wander off in an unknown place.
A few tips which I would want to share are -
1- Apply a tick protector on your pet before traveling.
2- Keep a small bottle of diluted Savlon handy.
3 - Ensure that you check our pet's paws regularly.
4 - Keep lots of newspapers handy. Ghat roads might cause the pet to throw up.

Originally Posted by Jagann13

While going around places like sightseeing, will you take your pet along or will you leave it in the resort?

Yes, all of the places we used to take him along. Kodaikanal we took him to Kodaikanal Lake, Pine tree forest, Silver cascade falls and Coaker walk. While stopping for lunch one of us used to stay back in the car and watch over him.
Ooty we did not go anywhere since we were very tired.
Even if he was not allowed at a sightseeing point we used to take turns and visit the places. We always keep him close to us.

PS - We should connect and plan a trip together. It's really nice to see likeminded pet owners.

[Sarkar_ask]

Originally Posted by Jagann13

May I ask if you had ever toured with your dog?
I have one and we are planning our first trip to the hills soon.

You said it all correct that pets are really nice to have and any pet owner can completely relate to it from heart, because when you have a pet you stop thinking from your brain and listen to your heart.

Now coming to your concern regarding your upcoming trip to hills with your beloved dog. Firstly, as you already mentioned that your dog has already adapted to car's environment and feels good inside the car so half of the problem is solved here only. When my dog was small then he didn't want to sit alone in the car, so somebody had to sit with him on the back seat. Now he understood car etiquette and so he comfortably sits on the back seat alone and enjoys the journey. So I would say you can definitely travel with your dog to the hills.

Now comes the second part which is equally important which is hotel/resort booking, pit stop between points for food etc. So, now a days you will get plenty of hotels and resorts which are pet friendly, so that's not a problem, maybe it will be a bit costlier as compared to other options but in this case you don't have any other option so you need to book that pet friendly hotel only. Like last time when we went to somewhere we had to take an entire 3bhk villa for me, my wife and my dog as the resort only allowed pets in the villas and not in the single rooms. So, the main point here lodging is not an issue nowadays with the arrival of new pet friendly hotels.

For pit stop and eating foods in between your journey - if you are travelling on highways and decide to stop at any highway side dhaba then try to find a dhaba which has open space, I generally do so. I order the food and get that outside, this way you can accompany your dogs while eating and if outside it is dirty, dusty then I take my plate of food in the car and eat it inside the car only with my dog and rest of my family members enjoy their meals inside the restaurant. But, for some good upscale restaurant they don't allow you to take the food plate outside or in your car, so in that case I send my family first, they order the food and when the order is served I keep the ac running and lock my dog inside the car, rush to the table, finish my food and come back to my car. So here the point is if you are taking your dog then at places you need to make some little sacrifices, but you will definitely figure out something as per the circumstances, that being said what I mean is there is absolutely no major problem of carrying your dog with you as long as you have a car.

Last but not least there are places where absolutely you cannot take your dog with you (ex: temple), in that case you can keep your dog at the hotel and enjoy your trip. Make sure you give her enough food, water and toys so that she is occupied for those hours. My dog generally manages to stay alone for 5-6 hours.

I have never faced any problem with the dog, so I would encourage you to take your dog with yourself, she will love the hills. There will be absolutely no problem and I am sure you will figure out something even if there is a problem. Happy journey in advance.

Tip: Carry tissue paper roll and plastic bags and dog treats with you all the time. They are very helpful at times if the dog accidentally leaves any mess behind.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by Octy17

We adopted a Lab Released Beagle ( Freagle ) from CUPA back in 2016. Our little boy just loves to travel.
Wherever we go we take him along with us

Sparky is still pretty young .. 8 months old. And she gets car sick beyond a point in my Scorpio, so I don't take her on longer trips. Besides I do a lot of solo travel because my home is in Chennai and my offices are in Bangalore, so it won't be feasible to leave her locked in a hotel room all day. I don't have a choice of hotels beyond a point when I travel for work, and she's too high energy for me to leave alone with my wife and kids. They like her but my kids are young and my wife is a bit scared of her when she goes hyper so .. board. Anyway she's gone and made friends with all the dogs where I generally leave her (more below).

Congratulations and my respect on your getting the Freagle - I just couldn't invest the time commitment required to handle one. I do know a guy (Ashok Chintala) who got two of those.

Originally Posted by Jagann13

Thanks for the inputs, sir!

I'm also from Chennai and it would be great if you can suggest some good pet boarding places.

There are several eg Hotel For Dogs along the ECR. However the place is usually filled with rather large purebred types and Sparky gets a bit nervous among dogs twice or more her size (purebred GSD, great dane ..).

I leave her with a friend named Shakuntala Devi who rescues strays and also does boarding. I'd trust her with my kids, let alone my dog - but she is in a fairly out of the way place, Pozhichalur near Pammal / Pallavaram. Not bad as it is fairly close to the GST road and not too far from the Bangalore highway. Please PM me for contact details.

She enjoys herself there

https://youtu.be/rLuC8JHbyZw

[Jagann13]

Originally Posted by Octy17

Our boy just loved it.

PS - We should connect and plan a trip together.

Thanks buddy! Thank you for putting in your time to help me with the info and tips. We should definitely catch up one day!

Originally Posted by Sarkar_ask

You said it all correct that pets are really nice to have and any pet owner can completely relate...

There will be absolutely no problem and I am sure you will figure out something even if there is a problem. Happy journey in advance.

Thank you! That helped me a lot. It is indeed a great thing to see people travelling with pets. Thank you for sharing your experience!

Originally Posted by hserus

Anyway she's gone and made friends with all the dogs where I generally leave her (more below).

Thank you so much. We are right now taking the pet along. Sir, I'll PM you as we definitely need boarding places in the future.

A big thank you and wishing all a very happy life with your pets!!!

[Octy17]

Originally Posted by hserus

Congratulations and my respect on your getting the Freagle - I just couldn't invest the time commitment required to handle one. I do know a guy (Ashok Chintala) who got two of those.

Thank you for your kind words sir.
Ashok does Photoshoot for dogs as well. Yes I did meet Ashok during one of the adoption drives in Hotel for Dogs - Bangalore. He is a nice person.

[Biraj]

Originally Posted by Jagann13

May I ask if you had ever toured with your dog?
I have one and we are planning our first trip to the hills soon.

Let me also share my experience. I took my Beegu on a family trip to Bhimtal (in fact, beyond Bhimtal) in October. He was around seven months then and he enjoyed a lot. We took multiple breaks and tried to keep him as comfortable as possible. He puked in the hilly section perhaps because I was driving a bit too fast. Then I slowed down and he didn't face any issue afterwards.

Keep the dog hydrated and take multiple bio and other breaks. It should do fine and enjoy.

About the property: I googled pet friendly resorts near Nainital and got the contact details of Emerald Trail, Junglia Gaon. It's a nice and cozy property at about 15 km from Bhimtal lake. It's beyond all the paragliding spots. The biggest advantage is the open space the property offers plus, they have their own dogs too so, the staff is quite careful with pets.

Here are some of Beegu's pics from the trip.

[Jagann13]

Thanks for sharing your experience, Mr.Biraj! Nice to see many BHPians traveling with their pets.

By the way, meet Ms.Jacky.

She is a cross of a native breed 'Combai'. I can observe all the traits of Combai which is a native of Tamil Nadu(western ghats region). She is 1.5 years old now!

Attaching a few pics!

This was taken when we brought her home!



This was during her 1st birthday!



Smiling dog!



And this, my favorite pic!

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by hserus

Sparky is still pretty young .. 8 months old. And she gets car sick beyond a point in my Scorpio, so I don't take her on longer trips.



I leave her with a friend named Shakuntala Devi who rescues strays and also does boarding. I'd trust her with my kids, let alone my dog - but she is in a fairly out of the way place, Pozhichalur near Pammal / Pallavaram. Not bad as it is fairly close to the GST road and not too far from the Bangalore highway. Please PM me for contact details.

Thank you Suresh. As always very useful information.
I have been trying to locate a good kennel for my GSD. I have taken my earlier GSDs on trips. You have to really slow down. Typically the presence of dogs in cars will slow down by 50 %. In a normal trip if you take about 5 hours, it would take about 8 hours with a dog. You have to pad the inside too. Still when you make a rapid change in direction, the animal would be thrown as he is not restrained. He needs some space to adjust and sit. Without a proper steps, I have to lift him to the rear of the SUV and again lift him out.

[hserus]

If your gsd wears a harness there is a gadget that can clip the harness leash to a three point seat belt, leaves them with enough mobility but still keeps them safe from bashing their head somewhere. Check Amazon.

Originally Posted by Prowler

Thank you Suresh. As always very useful information.
I have been trying to locate a good kennel for my GSD. I have taken my earlier GSDs on trips. You have to really slow down. Typically the presence of dogs in cars will slow down by 50 %. In a normal trip if you take about 5 hours, it would take about 8 hours with a dog. You have to pad the inside too. Still when you make a rapid change in direction, the animal would be thrown as he is not restrained. He needs some space to adjust and sit. Without a proper steps, I have to lift him to the rear of the SUV and again lift him out.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Still when you make a rapid change in direction, the animal would be thrown as he is not restrained. He needs some space to adjust and sit.

In my experience, big dogs learn to ride safely in the back, very quickly. Our labrador figured it out in a couple months. We have driven thousands of miles on camping trips, riding through mountains Sequoia and Kings canyon, Zion and Bryce canyon. Lots of switch backs, sitting in the back of our SUV. He rides on public buses as well sitting upright on the floor. They figure these things out very quickly. Just needs some positive feedback.
He is 11 years old, and is slowly learning the use of a ramp to get in on his own. He used to jump in and jump out (on command) all these years. He is microchipped, but is not used to leash, collar or other restraints unless he is on a walk.

Yes, restraints would help in the event of a crash. I am saying, they will not be thrown around while driving.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Typically the presence of dogs in cars will slow down by 50 %.

I don't recall the presence of dogs i the car, on all journeys from day-to-day to holiday-trip, slowing my parents down at all. "Dogs," in this instance, being the two Alsations (GSD) that I grew up with in my early childhood, the Golden retrievers later, and the smaller dogs that my mother kept later in her life.

And "my childhood" being in the context of fifties and sixties Britain. In those early days, of course, we didn't think too much about seat belts. I'm interested to hear that a device is available now to help secure a dog.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by hserus

If your gsd wears a harness there is a gadget that can clip the harness leash to a three point seat belt, leaves them with enough mobility but still keeps them safe from bashing their head somewhere. Check Amazon.

Thank you. I will check for a harness. What I have done in all my trips so far is use a duvet (razai in local parlance) stretched across the inside. It sort of cushions the hard edges.

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

In my experience, big dogs learn to ride safely in the back, very quickly.

Yes. They should learn. Problem is my current GSD had suffered a trauma when he was a puppy.He fell down a flight of stairs and after that he is terrified of steps. And a local vet scared the daylights out of me by saying that he may suffer hip dysplasia as it is a bane of most big dogs. So we still have to lift him and load him.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I don't recall the presence of dogs i the car, on all journeys from day-to-day to holiday-trip, slowing my parents down at all.

In Indian highways, you have to slalom to swim through the slow moving traffic. This would induce car sickness even for humans strapped in, leave alone an animal sloshing around. So with a baby/animal on board impedes your driving style. High speed sprints in a straight line doesn't affect anyone of course.


Thanks Gutsygibbon and Thad.

[digitalnirvana]

@Prowler regarding hip dysplasia, do you have the pedigree documents of your dogs parents? There should be a HD score for them in the papers.

Also, initial symptoms of hip dysplasia can be identified by your vet by doing an xray. Better get it done for peace of mind. In case he does have HD then he will need some form of treatment sooner or later. It will be a treatment to manage HD and not cure it, unfortunately. But either way, it is good to have a diagnosis done.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Prowler

In Indian highways, you have to slalom to swim through the slow moving traffic. This would induce car sickness even for humans strapped in, leave alone an animal sloshing around. So with a baby/animal on board impedes your driving style. High speed sprints in a straight line doesn't affect anyone of course.

Making myself feel old, and also a bit like a Monty Python sketch, but, in my childhood we'd have considered ourselves lucky to have highways.

Except... really! Even dual-carriageway was quite something, and main roads, like, for instance, much of the A30, were undivided, twisting roads which were a slalom without traffic. So I still hold that my experience is that dogs never slowed the family down. Although... I suppose it might depend on how one drives without them

I am very sorry for your puppy's experience. How do you handle stairs that must be climbed? It's not exactly an easy-to-carry dog. I do hope he didn't suffer lasting damage.