Hello Fodorites,
It has been a couple of years since I posted last - unfortunately, being a graduate student is not conducive to a traveling budget... But, we have a great trip planned in a couple of weeks to San Fransisco and the CA coast and would love some advice! The trip was pretty much set and organized with hotels, rental cars, etc. - until I thought, maybe we could bring the dog?? Here are the stats: the pup is pretty small (13 pounds) and fits easily in a soft sided carrier that is airline approved. There is space available for a carry-on pet on our flights (DTW-SFO, direct). The hotels we have booked (Westin on Market St. and Best Western in San Simeon) both accept dogs. She's a very adaptable dog and I think she'd enjoy a change of scenery.
But, this would be my first trip with her out of town - does this sound crazy? From a few web searches, it seems like California is reasonably dog-friendly. Any tips or advice from other pet-parent travelers?

Unless you are 100% certain you'll be able to take the dog on board in the cabin with you -- and you are equally sure she'd survive delays taking off and landing or a diversion because of weather without a problem, think twice, three times, four times, about taking her.

I would do it but everyone knows I am crazy about my Pup ...
The only things to consider are ...
Pup has to go with you, can't be left in the hotel room.
Pup has to be walked .. fed etc in a hotel..
Do sounds, people outside the door freak her out?
You will have to deal with eating in the room a lot or leaving her in the car when you go to restaurants.
Having a dog, you know who lets dogs in and who doesn't, even in a dog friendly place..what will you do at those times?

Now ... I am the first person who will say that my Pup is happier with me than left at home and I am happier to have him with me too.
But it seems that the real truth about this is, that dogs don't always get a big kick out of traveling and changes of scenery. It can make them nervous, unhappy, insecure etc.
It depends on the breed and personality.

Pup had no choice when we moved..he rode in the rocket car for 5 days across the country and he flew in a rocket from the US to Argentina.
But I have a feeling if we asked him, he would tell us to stay home with him.

So weigh all the pros and cons and see if the pup might just be happy staying in her familiar home, with her toys and noises that she is used to.

Good luck, whatever you do...Pups! they are worse than having children ((&)) !! lol

We travel with our dog a lot but I would hesitate about having him in a big city like SF...he won't be allowed in most restaurants, museums, etc.; and you can't leave him alone in your hotel room, which means one of you will have to stay outside with the dog. If you have a car (impractical in San Francisco) you could leave him there for short periods, though not if the weather is hot.

Also, I would check with your rental car company about whether or not it's OK to have a pet along for the ride...we've always taken our own car so it's never been an issue.

Honestly, unless I were taking a road trip and there were at least 3 people going, I wouldn't do it. My reasoning:

1. There are too many unknown factors when flying - delays, cancellations, etc. that can make it extremely difficult for your dog. If your flight is cancelled or rerouted and you have to stay somewhere unexpected overnight, you may not be able to find a pet friendly hotel. That's going to be stressful for you to figure out what to do, and your added stress alone will stress out the dog. If your flight is delayed while on the tarmac, your dog could be stuck in that carrier for another 1-3 hours without being able to pee.

2. As mentioned above, you won't be able to bring the dog into restaurants, museums, most stores, etc. That means someone is going to have to stay outside with the dog at all times. With two of you, that means you will be seeing everything except outdoor attractions alone - if there's a minimum of three folks, then two of you could go in while the third waits outside and alternate.

3. California State Parks are VERY rigid regarding dogs. Most trails prohibit dogs on them. Many beaches prohibit dogs. That means that you will have to skip many sights because you can't take the dog down to the ocean, etc. These laws are in place partly due to the safety of your dog as well as for the protection of local wildlife.

4. A good kennel or a pet sitter who stays at your house will provide your dog with enough new stimulation to overcome your leaving her for a few weeks. Most dogs actually love having someone come and stay with them - they get extra attention, new smells, and someone who will spoil them more than usual. One of my dogs has been known to pee from excitement when her petsitter arrives.

5. Taking your dog to a kennel to stay can actually help strengthen the bond between you, especially for adopted dogs who may have shifted homes several times. When you drop the dog off, it thinks "oh, that's it, I'm going back to one of these places again." Then when you pick the dog up, it's like "You LIKE me! You REALLY LIKE me!! You came back to get me!! Oh, I love you so much!" I've had some of my foster dogs stay with me while their new owners go on trips and the owners never believe me until after they get back home with the dog. The difference is shocking - suddenly the dog KNOWS that it has a real home.

My recommendation is to find a good quality kennel or a petsitter to stay at your house with the dog. Check your vet's office to see if any of the staff does pet sitting. Go on your trip while your dog stays home, and take your dog on road trips closer to home when you can.

And please, do not leave a pet in an unattended and parked car, please!

No goodheart, your thought is not a good idea in my opinion. Others have given you so many reasons why it is not a good idea.

Yes! the rental car is something I forgot.
When we were about to move down here, we had already sold our car and needed to take Pup to the vet then to the USDA in Salem Or..from Portland.
We had to rent a car.
It was $100 more just because a dog was in the car.

Thanks everyone -- it helps to hear the realities and I was not aware about the restrictions at the national parks & beaches - that's why Fodors is so helpful.

She does have a nice kennel she likes going to (and they love her) which was the original plan before my half-baked idea this morning. So it sounds like we should stick to that and try out shorter road-trips with our own car first and she how she takes to that.

In looking around online I did find some great resources for pet-friendly travel, and SF seems to have lots of dog parks - if that's all we wanted to do on this trip, we'd be ok. But the humans might want a bit more variety!

Thanks!

Goodheart - that's what I've decided about traveling with a pet.

If you are going far enough away that you need to fly, you don't really want to have to say "I really want to see XX, but since we have the dog we can't go there."

With trips closer to home, you can always come back without the dog to see what you missed the first time around.

My dogs love to get out and about, but after a day, they get tired and cranky and just want to go home and sleep. As I'm pretty much on the go from 8 a.m. until at least 5-6 p.m. each day of my trips, I think after a couple days, they might actually suffocate me during the night or knock me down a flight of stairs so they could just sleep for the rest of the trip.

Many dogs are not good travelers. (And you don;t know if your is or not.) And they don't get the idea of vacations.

If you're renting a cabin or something that's fine - but as soon as you get into air travel - with security, delays, bad weather - and perhaps airsickness - none of which the dog understands - I reco against it unless you are either moving or traveling for a long time - as in months.

Most dogs are much happier at home with a sitter.