The Best Way to Travel with Pets is in A Dutchmen RV

April 18, 2017

These Pet Travel Tips Can Help You and Your Furry Friends Get the Most Out of Your Next Expedition

Many of us have a furry co-pilot who’s always hopping into the car or staring bright-eyed out the windows as we travel from place to place. If this sounds like you—then you’re in luck, because this month Dutchmen’s all about safe pet travel tips to make your next getaway memorable for both you and your four-legged friends. First, let’s paws. Let’s go over the basics you’ll need to make your next RV trip a success. Do you have everything you need?

PET TRAVEL ESSENTIALS!

• Healthy pet food and yummy treats
  • Perfect for when you need "sit and stay" to work
    

• Water and food bowls
  • Gotta have something to eat from, right? 

• Leashes, collars and updated tags
  • It's not only the law in some places, it's a good idea if Fido ever runs off without you
    

• Carrying crates and appropriate kennels
  • For those times when you need to keep them safe or stop them from chasing squirrels

• Potty bags and/or a litter box
  • You wouldn't want to deal with another pet's mess at your campsite
  • Also, if you have a new pup, floor pads are a great idea when it's training time

• Dog and/or cat beds
  • If you want to avoid furniture sitting as much as possible and leave room on the bed

• Medications, up-to-date veterinary records and vaccinations
  • This includes flea and tick prevention, such as pills and collars

• Cleaning products
  • After they've played in the mud or made a mess on the floor

• Toys!
  • I mean, this one speaks for itself

BEFORE YOU TRAVEL

Since your RV is perfect for taking you to new destinations across the nation, you’ll most likely be experiencing a variety of conditions, including arid, freezing and allergy-inducing areas. This means it’s important to monitor your thermostat and generator for your travelers without thumbs during harsh temperature changes.

You’re not ruffing it, so your pets shouldn’t either. To take better control of your RV’s internal temperature, utilize the night shades that are featured on numerous Dutchmen travel trailers. These will help keep sunlight from entering or warm air from escaping, depending on the conditions.

Pets have as much of a sense for adventure as their owners (cats might be hit or miss on this), and that’s especially true when it comes to new locations and new smells. Before you open your RV door, look for any curious ankle animals or set up a dog gate to prevent your pets from rushing outside without proper restraints in place. Since your cats are more than likely hiding out in hard to reach places (you know, the nooks and crannies you figured were impossible for them to find), you’ll want to account for all whiskers before operating any slide-outs or opening doors. As fast as they can be, sometimes sleeping cats won’t always have time to react to furniture and walls moving closer and changing positions around them.

At Dutchmen, we hope all our owners are buckling up before hitting the gas and taking to the road, so we’d like you to extend that same safe practice to all your furry friends as well. Just as you’d like to remain in one spot should there be a sudden stop or collision, so do your pets. To avoid any claws for concern, utilize the numerous pet seat belts that are sold at pet stores around the country. Before you depart, and when a pet seat belt isn’t available, always make sure your critters are restrained in an animal traveling crate that has been installed to remain in one place. This goes for any pets you decide to take with you, whether mobile or in a terrarium, so they’re safely secured when the road does what it does best… twist and turn.

While it may seem like a good idea and a nice way to keep yourself distraction free while driving, it’s never a good idea to leave your animals alone in the fifth wheel as you travel. Animals tend to behave much better when their owners can be seen and/or heard, and may become nervous when left unattended. Keep in mind that if anything were to happen to your pet in the trailer or fifth wheel, you wouldn’t know about it until you came to your next stop.

SPEAKING OF STOPS, MAKE THEM FREQUENT AND KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING AHEAD OF TIME.

Dogs love exercise, and just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean it counts towards those smart watch goals. Ensure your pets are getting fresh air time and have the opportunity to use nature’s restroom to avoid any unfortunate events within the RV.

As hair-brained as this may seem, not all parks, campsites and landmarks are happy to see your pets. That’s right, sometimes they just aren’t allowed. This sort of issue can really cause headaches, since you most likely paid ahead for an RV site and there aren’t others nearby that you’re familiar with. To make sure you’re not barking up the wrong tree or navigating unfamiliar landscapes at night or in inclement weather, call ahead and check with the campsite management to ensure all travelers are welcome.

Since this guide for proper pet traveling is hardly exhaustive, we encourage you to do additional research before embarking on another journey so you have all the info needed to keep tails wagging and felines purring.

And that should do it for our pet safety tips… for meow. We hope you have a great time on your next excursion with the furry family members, and as always, check out our Facebook and Instagram (@dutchmenrvcompany) pages to share your favorite pet traveling moments!