Summer means travel.  It is estimated that world-wide about 27% of travelers have pets with them.  Tucker was only 10 - 11 months  old on his first long car trip.  (He and I were the SAG car for Stan’s cross country  bicycle trip.) He has gone almost everywhere with us since then.  In fact, Tucker has  been in 25 states.  We have learned some “tricks” along the way.

1 -   Many National Parks allow dogs only in the campgrounds and along the roads, but not on the trails.  The campgrounds aren’t big enough for a 40 minute walk; many roads are paved and very busy with cars.  Tucker and I learned in Rocky Mountain National Park to look for  small, less traveled gravel roads.  They may not lead to a popular destination, but are perfect for a long walk.

2-     On our cross country adventure, I stopped at many small museums to gain an understanding of the particular area.  Since Tucker was in the car, I usually just went in to get whatever  brochures they had.  I would explain that I was traveling with a dog.  Many people were so interested in having me spend time in their museums that they would invite Tucker inside.  At a gold mine in California, he wasn’t allowed inside the mine, but got to stay in the gift shop.  In the Pella Historical Village in Iowa, he was allowed inside so I could take his picture in front of Wyatt Earp’s childhood home.  When I had to go back to my car so a camera battery, one of the docents asked if she could hold him.  There she was sitting in this lovely chair, in period costume, with little Tucker nicely sitting beside her.  Many people are willing to accommodate a traveler with a dog - just ask.

3-     Be aware of the sun’s ability to heat - not just the a car - but the surfaces on which your dog

 is walking.  If it would be too hot for your bare feet, it is too hot for his feet.  You might think  about hot sand at the beach, but be aware of other surfaces as well. Tucker didn’t have to learn this one the hard way.  One of his predecessors had taught me that lesson.  We were on the Fort Ticonderoga Ferry (which crosses Lake Champlain, between New York and Vermont).  The air was cool enough to require a jacket, but when got the collie out of the car, he didn’t want to walk around.  Then, I realized how hot the surface of the ferry was, and immediately put him back in the car (with all the windows open).   

4-     Be aware of dangerous plants as you travel in new climates.  There are many lists of poisonous plants, but there are other problem plants that you should research.  For example, there are differences of opinions about whether or not a dog can react with a rash to poison ivy.  It is widely accepted however that your dog can carry the oil of the plant of his fur and can share it with you.  As we prepared for our cross America journey, we had read about the goathead thorn (Tribulus terrestris). Also known as puncture vine, caltrop, bull's head, and Texas sandbur.  I was on the lookout for this nasty plant all across the west.  We didn’t find it until we camp in Sterling, Colo.  I made sure that none of the thorns had injured Tucker’s feet.  That wasn’t the problem.  The nasty things were all over the ground and could be felt through the floor of our tent.

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