Traveling with Canines

Someone posted a question on Facebook about what to pack for a road trip with dogs. Since I travel for work, and I always travel with the dogs, I have quite the list! I have several totes that I take with me that have all of my “stuff” in it. So, my clothing and toiletries aside, these are the things that I always have when I am traveling:

Dog First Aid Kit

Imodium
Baby Aspirin
Flagyl
Fish-flex
Saline solution
Neosporin
Cortisone cream
Benadryl
Hydrogen peroxide
Quick-stop gel
Vet wrap
Gauze
Medical tape
Instant cold packs
Hospital grade super glue (handy for torn ears and pads)
Muzzle
Syringes
Proof of rabies vaccinations

ALL of my medications have the correct dosage for dogs written on a sticker that is placed on the side of the bottle for quick reference!

Vehicle emergency tote

Snow chains
Fix-a-flat
Jumper cables
Water
Flares
Assorted small tools
Duct tape
Blanket
Emergency cell phone charger
Washer fluid
Oil
Tow rope
Human first aid kit
Flashlight
Gloves
Folding shovel

Other things:

Toilet paper
Baby wipes
Paper towels
Some kind of all-purpose cleaner – I use Meyer’s
Air freshener (this can be a life saver if you have a gassy dog!)
Swiss army knife
Extra blankets and crate pads
Trash bags
Wine bottle opener (don’t judge)
Sunscreen
Carpet stain cleaner (for hotel doggie accidents)

This is by no means an exhaustive list – mostly because things keep finding their way into my Suburban once I find that I need them! I very much dislike being caught unprepared for emergencies, human and canine alike.

Comments

High Toes

Sometimes I get into discussions with people about dog structure and really, really, it makes me want to beat my head against a wall. However, those always make me publish those words and pictures that have been rattling around in my head for a while. Case in point – someone posted on a board that they thought that a high toe on a dog was a “cosmetic fault.” My opinion on this is fairly solid – NO! A high toe is a STRUCTUAL fault. Someone then posted that they wanted “proof.” Ah, here we go. The boondoggle of proof! Studies! Someone, somewhere, somehow agreeing or disagreeing with my point! The unfortunate thing is that it really isn’t to be found. Our Proof wanter found a website in which a couple had a Staffordshire Terrier with a high toe, and they readily admitted that the high toe caused issues with her gait, but then concluded that it was just a cosmetic issue. Hmm, really? The document can be found here , you can look at the pictures and read it for yourself. (Don't use the

All Positive - All BS

I, in my infinate inability to keep my mouth shut, offered someone training advice on a public forum for their resource guarding Rat Terrier. I told them that when he does the growling bit, calmly walk over, pick him up by the scruff of the neck, and put him in his kennel for a few hours. In my own experience with Ratties, this works pretty well because the dog learns that if you attempt to guard something, you will be corrected and then removed from your treasure and the rest of the pack. I didn't think that this was in any way controversial. Oh, how wrong I was! I found out that I might as well have told her to punt the dog like a football across the room, because that is what "scruffing" is to the "All Positive" fanatics. Of course, their suggestions would lead to reinforcement of the behavior or out and out terror. There were two camps - the first camp said to "redirect the dog's behavior by offering it a treat to give up it's treasure

Brindle and the Rat Terrier

It seems like every once in a while the topic of brindle comes up in the Rat Terrier world. Teeth are gnashed and garments are rendered because brindle is not an acceptable pattern in our breed, and the standard says that brindle is a disqualification. The standard probably won’t change any time soon, and I certainly hope that it will NEVER include brindle! Why? The UKC standard says, in the very beginning, that “These terriers probably included crosses between the Smooth Fox Terrier, the Manchester Terrier and the now extinct white English Terrier… Some of these dogs were crossed with Whippets or Italian Greyhounds (for speed) and Beagles (for hunting ability).” Let’s take a look at the ancestors of the Rat Terrier and how their standards treat brindle: Smooth Fox Terrier UKC : Serious Fault AKC: Objectionable Manchester Terrier: UKC: Disqualification AKC: Disqualification Whippet: UKC: Any color/pattern accepted. AKC: Any color/pattern accepted. Italian Greyhounds: UKC: Disqualif

Hurricane Deck

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