Hot Weather Travel
In the summer heat, the ideal place for your pet to be is home in his safe yard, with plenty of shade and lots of fresh water! A nice shallow pool of clean water will give your pooch the option of cooling his paws too!
Some dogs, like my crazy border collie, enjoy a sprinkler or sprayer to amuse and cool at the same time. Be careful though, like children, dogs can still overheat in the mid-day sun even when playing in water. Limit strenuous play in the sun to 5 or 10 minute sessions.
If you have to travel in hot weather, consider hiring a pet sitter to stay in your home with your pets, this is the least stressful and safest option for your pets. Check references and have at least one face to face meeting between your pets and potential sitter(s) to make sure there are no personality conflicts. Next best option is a local boarding kennel. Again, check references, ask for recommendations from friends, relatives, coworkers etc. check the facilities in person and get details in writing.
If you find you must travel with your pet or pets in summer, it is possible to keep them safe and comfortable even on the hottest days without running your car for the AC. The materials that you need are relatively cheap or free and can usually be found in most homes without the need to go out and spend a bunch of money.
As with anything else, a bit of thought and preparation can make hot weather travel with your pets comfortable, easy and trouble free. Ice is your pet’s best friend, my freezer is always full since I fill any empty spaces with freezer and pet safe containers filled to ¾ full of water. When I need to travel in hot weather I fill a cooler with containers of frozen water and a duffle bag full of blankets, towels etc.
In the vehicle I secure the crates in place and pack containers of ice around the outside and cover them up with a good layer of towels and blankets. We use an insulated pad in the crate, and only pack one side with ice so the dogs can choose to lay on the cool side or not. In extremely hot weather we pack 3 sides of the crates with ice packs. Securing a frozen water bottle to the door with zip ties gives your pup access to lick the condensation from the outside of the bottle, providing important hydration and additional cooling at the same time.
Alternatively you can fill the floor wells in the back seat of your vehicle with ice packs, they can be buckets, milk or juice jugs etc, whatever you have. In an emergency I have taken packages of frozen food and filled plastic tubs then covered with a layer of towels, the secure crates in the rear seats and cover with a heavy quilt, sleeping bag or shipping blanket, which is then draped over the frozen material creating a cooling ‘tent’.
In conclusion remember that ice is a wonderful resource, cheap, readily available and completely safe for your pets.. If you have nothing else, you can by a bag or block of ice and put it into leak proof containers. Caught out with my dog on an unexpectedly warm day, I have been known to run into a convenience store to buy 5-10 lbs of frozen vegetables (hash browns are cheap) to provide a ‘cool zone’. Dogs love it!
Some dogs, like my crazy border collie, enjoy a sprinkler or sprayer to amuse and cool at the same time. Be careful though, like children, dogs can still overheat in the mid-day sun even when playing in water. Limit strenuous play in the sun to 5 or 10 minute sessions.
If you have to travel in hot weather, consider hiring a pet sitter to stay in your home with your pets, this is the least stressful and safest option for your pets. Check references and have at least one face to face meeting between your pets and potential sitter(s) to make sure there are no personality conflicts. Next best option is a local boarding kennel. Again, check references, ask for recommendations from friends, relatives, coworkers etc. check the facilities in person and get details in writing.
If you find you must travel with your pet or pets in summer, it is possible to keep them safe and comfortable even on the hottest days without running your car for the AC. The materials that you need are relatively cheap or free and can usually be found in most homes without the need to go out and spend a bunch of money.
As with anything else, a bit of thought and preparation can make hot weather travel with your pets comfortable, easy and trouble free. Ice is your pet’s best friend, my freezer is always full since I fill any empty spaces with freezer and pet safe containers filled to ¾ full of water. When I need to travel in hot weather I fill a cooler with containers of frozen water and a duffle bag full of blankets, towels etc.
In the vehicle I secure the crates in place and pack containers of ice around the outside and cover them up with a good layer of towels and blankets. We use an insulated pad in the crate, and only pack one side with ice so the dogs can choose to lay on the cool side or not. In extremely hot weather we pack 3 sides of the crates with ice packs. Securing a frozen water bottle to the door with zip ties gives your pup access to lick the condensation from the outside of the bottle, providing important hydration and additional cooling at the same time.
Alternatively you can fill the floor wells in the back seat of your vehicle with ice packs, they can be buckets, milk or juice jugs etc, whatever you have. In an emergency I have taken packages of frozen food and filled plastic tubs then covered with a layer of towels, the secure crates in the rear seats and cover with a heavy quilt, sleeping bag or shipping blanket, which is then draped over the frozen material creating a cooling ‘tent’.
In conclusion remember that ice is a wonderful resource, cheap, readily available and completely safe for your pets.. If you have nothing else, you can by a bag or block of ice and put it into leak proof containers. Caught out with my dog on an unexpectedly warm day, I have been known to run into a convenience store to buy 5-10 lbs of frozen vegetables (hash browns are cheap) to provide a ‘cool zone’. Dogs love it!