Best in tow

It’s vacation time.

The kids are out of school, warm weather is finally here and it’s time to boogie out of town.

Whether for a weekend or a month, more and more of us are taking along our furry and feathered friends when we travel.

An American Pet Products Manufacturers Association survey reports almost one in five dog owners will “pack their pooches” when they head off on vacation.

Dogs are the most common travel companions, accounting for about 78 percent of pets taken on the road, according to the Travel Industry Association. Fifteen percent are cats, and 3 percent are ferrets, rabbits or fish.

Another 2 percent are birds.

Barb Fredrick’s umbrella cockatoo, Mango, has been her co-pilot for four years.

“She’s a great traveler,” says Fredrick, of Otis Orchards. “She’s been to Alaska and back.”

When Fredrick is on the road, Mango rides in a small travel crate that sits between the driver and passenger seats in her 29-foot class C motor home. Once at a camping spot, Mango bunks in a small cage that fits snugly into the RV’s shower stall.

“When Mango decides it is time to sleep, she says: ‘Night, night,’ and that’s the signal for me to put a blanket over her cage,” Fredrick says.

Rose and Jerry Berkouf travel with both a cat and a dog.

For years they have vacationed with an Airedale terrier named Maggie and an elderly cat called Missy.

As with Fredrick, the Berkoufs are among the several million people who choose to travel in a recreational vehicle because it allows them to comfortably take their pets with them.

While on the road, the animals ride inside the Berkoufs’ 1999 Chevrolet pickup.

“The back seat of the extra cab folds up, and I have cushioned the floor,” writes Rose Berkouf in an e-mail. “The cat carrier, water dish and a few items all fit.”

Inside their trailer they have made a few modifications for Missy and Maggie.

“We had the factory put a door on the storage area under one of the dinette benches for the kitty’s box and to have it out of the way,” says Berkouf. “We took the door off and put a curtain and push rod in place, so Missy can come and go. It also gives her a hiding place.”

For their Airedale the Berkoufs fashioned a padded bed under the dinette table “so she can be in a den-like area,” Berkouf writes.

Safety belts for dogs

“We take our yellow Lab, Miss Mattie, with us everywhere we go,” says Sue Wright of Bellingham. “Sometimes it’s in a car but most of the time it is in a motor home, if we are going to be spending the night.”

For 10 years, Sue and her husband, Dick, gave workshops on traveling with pets at the RV Life on Wheels Conference in Moscow, Idaho.

“We strongly suggest that small animals travel in a crate, and larger dogs, if they want to look out the window, be secured in a specially designed seat belt.”

Cathy and Patrick Donovan of Spokane Valley do just that.

The Donovans often take their Australian shepherd with them when heading out to the lake to rent a cabin.

“We have a harness for Surely, which attaches to the seat belt to keep her safe,” writes Cathy Donovan in an e-mail. “It’s important to stop and walk every hour or so, because it’s hard for her not to move around.”

Ken Trambitas, director of field operations and animal control officer with SpokAnimal CARE, strongly recommends securing pets in some fashion.

“Anything is safer than having them loose in the back,” he says.

“Tethering won’t help much in an accident,” says Trambitas, “but it will prevent the dog from jumping or falling out. People lose their dogs at rest stops and gas stations all the time.”

Bill Tann of Spokane can attest to that.

He writes in an e-mail that the family dogs have been constant travel companions over the years: Clancy, the collie; Sheldon, the sheltie; Dawn and Dusk, “the dogs”; and Lucy, the Labrador retriever.

“When visiting my parents in Oregon,” he says, “I became involved in a very intense political discussion with my father. I neglected to close the car door while an attendant was filling the gas tank.”

It seems that Clancy left the car and “dutifully sat beside the attendant,” even as Tann and his father got back into the car and drove off.

“A few minutes later,” says Tann, “I noticed Clancy’s absence and drove back to the gasoline station, where he was sitting beside the gas pump with a very worried expression and was being consoled by the attendant.”

Because animals can quickly escape from vehicles, all pets should have proper identification. In addition to license and rabies tags, owners should have a tag with their name and phone number on it.

“If someone does a lot of traveling with their pet,” says Trambitas, “it is highly recommended that they have their pet microchipped because all animal control agencies and most veterinary clinics have microchip scanners now.”

Pet friendly lodging

Because millions of Americans are traveling with pets, thousands of hotels now call themselves pet friendly.

Pet friendly, however, doesn’t always mean “free.” Often there is a higher rate at the check-in desk, and a $50-to-$250 damage deposit is sometimes required.

According to BringFido.com, there are 15,000 pet-friendly hotels in the United States.

A survey of a handful of the ones listed for Spokane reveals that policies vary widely.

The Red Lion Hotel at the Park welcomes dogs of less than 35 pounds for an extra $20 a night per pet.

Super 8 motels are pet-friendly, but some require a $15 fee per pet while others “reserve the right to charge for damages.”

The La Quinta Inn and Suites Spokane charges no fee, however, guests are required to register their pets and sign an agreement that essentially states they will be responsible pet owners and not leave Fluffy alone in the hotel room.

Always call ahead and double check.

Nancy and Richard Wilson of Spokane have another approach when traveling with their miniature dachshund.

“She was the runt of the litter, so she is especially small,” says Nancy Wilson. “We have a backpack we call her ‘cloaking device.’ When we stay in a motel she jumps into her cloaking device and doesn’t make a peep. No one knows she is there.”

Boarding pets

If animals get too stressed riding in vehicles or if one’s vacation is long-term, many people opt to board their pets in one of the more than two dozen local animal kennels.

“We advise people to start planning for their dog’s stay when they make their own plane reservations,” says Josh Burdick, owner of Play-n-Stay Dog Daycare and Boarding in north Spokane.

Burdick says rates vary depending on options, including shampooing and play group privileges, but the basic nightly rate is $16 for small and $18 for large dogs.

Whether boarding your dog or taking her on vacation, experts all agree that a favorite blanket and beloved toy can go a long way toward keeping your pet content.

“Being away from home can be stressful for pets,” writes Dr. Marty Becker in his syndicated column, “so be sure to give them familiar items and some privacy whenever you can, while still keeping an eye on them. After all, a vacation should be relaxing for pets, too.”