Some Tips To Make Travelling With Your Dog Easier

Introduction

Well, my little one is now thirteen years old. I have had him since he was only two weeks old and he has been a part of my family since then. So, it is no surprise that I have taken him everywhere we went. I just could not leave him behind for others to look after him or put him in a dog boarding facility. I felt that he may not be looked after well by anyone other than myself. I also could never bear the thought that he would miss me. And of course, I would miss him. 

The Background

My husband and I used to work at a boarding school in the Himalayas so we had a two-month winter vacation every year. It got very cold there so we always came down south to Bangalore and Goa where our parents lived. 

The First Long Journey

   PART 1               (Mussoorie to Delhi)

1.Traveling By Car

My thirteen-year-old, whose name is Comet, made his first long journey when he was six month's old. We had to travel down from Mussoorie to Delhi. We chose to travel by taxi the whole way so that we would not have to book him into a train at Dehradun and we could be with him longer. The travel time is about six hours. He was very excited about the journey, and also very restless. He would not sit still. He went from one person's lap to another. We stopped several times for him to ease himself and drink water. Halfway through the journey, he started vomiting and we had a lot of cleaning up to do.

    PART 2            (Delhi to Bangalore)

2.Traveling By Train

At the Booking Office

On reaching Delhi, we had to go to the railway booking office and book him into the luggage van with the guard. My heart was breaking to part with him. At the booking office, he was weighed and charged as extra luggage. 

In The Train 

We put him in the cage in the guard's van at the back of the train. He is a small dog so he was able to move around in it quite easily. However, a big dog will have a problem and be very uncomfortable. The cage was dirty and claustrophobic. It had a tiny window towards the outside of the train and bars towards the inside. We had to lock it and take the key with us.

 Railway Rules

Dogs are booked in a 'first come, first serve' basis. So if another dog has been booked before yours, you will have to find another train. Hence, we always went to the station many hours ahead of time. 

You are allowed to come and see the dog during halts. However, in long-distance trains, the long halts are few and far between, and not really long halts. The train would stop for about five or ten minutes only.

image from Pixabay

Read the rules for taking dogs in trains in the Indian Railways here:
https://canine-thoughts.blogspot.com/2018/08/indian-railway-rules-for-taking-dogs.html


Our Woes

We were in the A.C. compartment towards the front of the train. We would ask the T.C. when the long halts would come and then, minutes before that, we would walk through the entire train right till we reached the unreserved compartments. There were usually two or three of them. The compartments are not connected further. Then, when the train stopped, we would jump off, run to the guard's van, take him out of the cage, and walk him, try and give him some water, etc., push him back into the cage and lock him up, run back to our compartment, our hearts breaking because he would not drink water or eat anything, he would just cry constantly. He hated to be in that cage away from us. 

Since taking him out of the cage, was such a tedious process, we did it just once a day during our horrible three-day-journeys. He was miserable, and so were we. By the time we reached our destination, he would be all weak and trembling. 

My Thoughts

Train journeys for a dog in the guard's van are horrible and I would not recommend it unless you have no other option at all. 

We did the journeys this way for a few more times until we could bear it no longer. 

We then decided it was better to book a first class coupe since you are allowed to take your dog with you. It is much more expensive, but he loved it and so did we. 

Traveling In A First Class Coupe

When you book your dog in a first class coupe, you still need to go to the luggage office and weigh him and get a ticket for him. They allow you to take a dog in a first class compartment with you, only if you book a coupe or all four tickets in the compartment with four travelers. Basically, there should be no other travelers with you. 

Comet loved traveling this way. He would perch himself up on the table and look out through the window for hours, then he would curl up in bed with us when he was tired. When he wanted to eat or drink, he would get down and go to his bowl. He was at home and relaxed. When a stop came, we took him out on his leash. He walked around, eased himself and we came back in. There was no need to run around. 

I highly recommend traveling by the first A.C.

The first A.C.compartment               

                                                      Inside the first A.C. compartment

3. Traveling In A Plane

Once, we decided to fly with him. We wanted to see if that was better since it was faster. We were asked to sedate him and we had to produce his vaccination records and a health certificate signed by his vet. Also, we had to buy our own cage for him. Then, we booked him in as luggage. At the airport, he stayed in the cage. The only consolation was that he was with us. Half an hour before the flight took off, we had to hand him over. He went in as luggage. I never heard him cry at all. He was probably very upset. 

When we reached our destination, he came out as luggage on the conveyor belt. I did not like putting him in a cage and leaving him in the luggage part of the plane. I kept harassing the pilot to check if he was okay before we took off and if there was an oxygen supply there. He was the only pet traveling on that flight. 

It was a bad experience for us all. So, we never took him on a plane again.

Image from Pixabay

Other Short Trips We Made

Initially, we would take him with us everywhere, when we went to the beach, or when we went shopping or visiting. Slowly, we realized that it was better to leave him back home, even if he was lonely and we missed him. He would get very agitated on these trips. He would get tired, thirsty and restless.

Some Tips

• Visit a vet before you travel and ask him if your dog is fit for travel. Also, ask the vet if he will be able to manage at the place you are going to. Some dogs are over sensitive to heat or cold and will have a hard time adjusting to the climate of the place. He might become ill. That won't be much of a vacation for him or you.
• If you intend to travel in a plane, it would be a good idea to buy the cage about a month in advance, place his favorite toys in it and let him get used to the idea of using it. Don't force him. Just coax him to spend time in it by showing him that it's a nice thing. Give him treats for using the cage. 
• Get a name tag made, with your dog's name on it, your name, address, and phone number. Make sure your dog is wearing the name tag on the day of your travel, (With his name, owner's name and address and phone numbers) just in case he gets lost.
• Take his own bowls. Travel itself will make him anxious. At least he can have the bowls he's used to. 
• Carry fresh drinking water and food. You may not find these for hours during your travel. Dogs get thirsty fast.
• Take some of his favorite treats along. It will help him relax.
• Carry some old clothes that have the familiar smell of home and his family members.
• Take a favorite toy along.
• Keep small towels and tissue handy.

1. If you plan to take your dog by car

•  Keep a lot of towels, tissue, fresh drinking water, and some food (although he may not feel like eating) handy. 
• Make frequent stops.

2. If you plan to take your dog in a train

• Go to the station many hours in advance. 
• Carry a big lock and key.
• If you are using the guard's van, check the cage carefully. Sometimes, they are damaged. The dog might be able to come out of a broken cage and run onto some platform and be lost. The guard is not always around to watch. 

You also need to bear in mind that the Rajdhani and all other super fast trains don't take dogs. 

3. If you plan to travel in a plane

• Buy a comfortable cage
• Carry all his  medical records with you. The vaccinations should be up- to -date.
• Don't forget to give him a mild sedation.
• Ask the pilot to check if he is okay before you take off and ask him to ensure that there is an oxygen supply in the luggage compartment below.

Read more about dogs at:
https://hubpages.com/animals/morefromadog