When pets truly become “part of the family” it’s an organizational challenge to take a vacation – summer or anytime. One of my daughters asked me today if I could sit with the cats while they were on a trip from a Friday to Tuesday. “What do you mean, the cats?” I said. “You have 2 cats, 2 dogs and 2 horses. I can take care of them all.”  “No,” she said. “The dogs are going to the dog spa. Anna, the trainer, is coming to work with the horses every day so she can feed them. You can check their water in the evening. The cats don’t like to be left alone, they like someone there all the time. And some animal comes in through the cat door if you don’t close it at night.” Are they spoiled or what?! Will I be cat sitting? Of course!

Taking pets along on a trip is a major ordeal when you have more than one. Besides that, these two dogs “hate” to be separated. One mopes, cries, barks or whines all the time the other is gone. They have separation anxiety if you let one of them ride along on a trip to the gas station without the other! And if you think they’re bad, try to separate the horses! If you even ride one of the horses down to the meadow without the other, the one left behind whines (loudly) or even screams all the time the other is gone! If you get the horse trailer out they both start talking at once making it clear that we’d better be taking both of them.

On the other hand if you’re a one-pet family and it happens to be a dog, you’re probably able to take the dog along without much planning, especially if they are crate trained. Dogs love their crate dog houses because  they’re a safe place. When their bed is there, they’re content in their crate so it’s easy to take the crate and strap it down in the car so it won’t move if there’s a quick stop. Hotels and motels are very accommodating too. Call ahead of course and make sure they accept pets. One good resource for traveling with pets is www.FidoFriendly.com They have lots of information about traveling with pets. Check the back of the magazine for ads by hotels, resorts and B&Bs that cater to pets. Shop your local pet store for equipment that will help make your trip more pleasant when traveling with your pet. .. And sometimes, the kids won’t go without the pets!