Moving From CLT - SEA

[Jeter]

Hello!

I was hoping that someone could point me in the direction of some good advice on moving my 80 lb. pile of love across the country.

I am planning on moving either the end of May or the end of June/early July, from Charlotte NC - Seattle WA. I am already planning on taking my time on a cross-country 'bucket list' kind of driving adventure, so option 1 is to bring Jeter along as my Co-Pilot. My issue is the temperature of being in the car, though I have AC, but still.... one of the hottest times of year and him being in a car for 7-8 hrs per day. He's a good traveller and I have a crossover SUV, so space won't be an issue. Then there's the hotel stays that could pose a costly investment each night. I'm sure I can find pet-friendly hotels in advance or board him at an overnight place with stellar reviews.

My issue is with driving with him, if it starts off rough and is more of a headache than I envisioned, at that point, I will have no choice but to continue on.

So my main question in this post is about moving/relocation services for pets.

I've never used one of these companies and was wondering if anyone had any insight. Safety, reliability, cost and if it's a better option than bringing my lil buddy along for a fun father-son 2-week voyage.

I appreciate any input on either side of the discussion, because honestly, I'm on the fence as to which path I want to choose.

[Meeps83]

If it were me I'd take him. If it's a bucket list type of trip, I'm guessing there will be a lot of out of the car time. My pup doesn't care where we're going as long as he's along for the ride. As far as hotels, I'm guessing there is an app or a way to check beforehand to see which are pet friendly. Orrrr.......you could try camping each night. During that time of year there will be many beautiful and pet friendly places to stop for the night.

[smartrock]

We moved from Maryland to Missouri one July and the car kept overheating so we couldn't run the A/C. It was hotter than the dickens. We had 2 large dogs riding in the back of our minivan who managed to trip OK. They were good car riders to begin with. We stopped often for potty breaks and water. I think we only had to stop one or 2 nights at maybe a Residence Inn that allowed dogs. We weren't sightseeing along the way, just powering through. It was no fun for any of us and the transmission was toast when we got to our destination. How hot it is for you may depend upon the route you take, if you're going south through Texas, Arizona, etc, that will be hot for sure.

I haven't used a pet relocation service. If it's going to take you 2 weeks or more to reach your destination, I'd be worried about depending upon someone else to care for my dog and get him to the transport on time. I'd go with Dog as my Co-Pilot myself if it's a more leisurely drive.

[BaconsMom]

I would just drive. Bacon is very good in the car and I would rather have the peace of mind driving than have the worry of flying.

Try looking at BringFido.com - Pet Friendly Hotel & Dog Travel Directory for pet friendly hotels.

[charliebbarkin]

I think you will be fine. It would be beneficial if you could find a friend to go with you, but it really depends on how you plan to travel. I drove across the country in the summer months but I always took someone with me because I would drive 12 or more hours each day and that allowed me to go in for a bathroom break and not leave my dog in the car. If you are planning for two weeks you will probably spend less time in the car so probably will be fine. In the cooler months I drove by myself without issue. If you are worried about the heat, you can buy cooler mats and portable fans for the car, I used to attach the lix it water bottle as well so drinking water was available. Otherwise I just use a travel water bowl.

I have done several trips across the country and have never had an issue. I have also never had an issue finding a hotel. La Quintas are usually pretty good, but somtimes Best Westerns are nice because they have doors that lead right outside, rather than having to take your dog through the hotel and up and down stairs and elevators. Or any hotel that puts you up near the exit is always nice.

The only thing you need to really remember is to be sure you are giving your dog enough exercise, being cooped up in the car makes them a little crazy and they need time to stretch out and move their bodies.

Have fun! We have done a lot of trips and it's always a lot of fun! Charlie and I have bonded quite a bit over them. Burton has only done West Coast to East coast, and a couple of day trips but Charlie has been all over the country.

[Jeter]

Thanks for all of the feedback.

I really am leaning towards taking him, and think it would be a fun bonding time as well. Jeter loves to go for rides, so I think he will enjoy the time out on the road. I wanted to mainly make sure that I wasn't overlooking anything major since it is such a long time on the road. I plan on taking a northern route out there and avoiding the deep south route. Places like Cincy, Chicago, Milwaukee.... through Minnesota, the Dakotas, Montana, Idaho and into Seattle this way.

I will plan on being away from the pooch for a bit of sightseeing and hitting up a few baseball games on the way too, but I don't anticipate anything outside of the amount of time I spend away from him at home. If there are any long spans of time out for me, I would possibly find a safe and well-reviewed day care spot. Everytime I take him to my local one, he comes back a happy, and tired boy.

Thanks again for the advice and any other advice would be very helpful!

[POPTOP]

When I was young, folks moved from MA to CA with their dog. They took the northern route. It was about a 2 week trip with sightseeing stops all along the way, Mt. Rushmore, Pikes Peak, etc. Ginger did fine because we were stopping, getting out and seeing the sights.

On the trip back, CA to RI, same thing but Dad went the southern route since it was the winter months. Hot as heck but the dog still did quite well. Back then, no AC in the car. Think Ginger did better than my brother and I.

Just be sure to take along plenty of water and rest breaks should be longer than a run to the bathroom and back to the car.

Dad and Mom also flew dogs to Japan and back and then to Germany. There were specialty kennels where they boarded Ginger until my parents got to their destination. They also made sure that all paperwork was in place and got her to the airport and on her flight.

[charliebbarkin]

Be advised, Chicago is dealing with that nasty canine influenza right now. I would be leery traveling through those parts.

[MightyThor]

Oooh boy, Thor LOVES a good road trip. Back in December, my husband's grandfather died. We had to get from California to Arkansas the weekend before Christmas and with the late notice we couldn't find a flight or dog boarding. So the three of us piled in the truck and drove. In 2.5 days we made it from San Jose to Hot Springs Village, between 10-14 hours of driving per day. Luckily we do a lot of road trips around the state so Thor was totally fine with it. He passes out and sleeps most of the way.

Car comfort:

We removed the seats from the cab of our pickup and turned it into his 'den'. Bed, pillows, toys, and he is super happy back there. Even in camp, he'll just hang out back there. It's like a well-loved crate.



Exercise on the road:

We looked up dog parks and rest stops ahead of time and found some great ones where we could stop and let him run off some steam and play. The rest areas in Oklahoma were great and had big fenced in dog runs.

Hotels:

La Quinta! The whole chain is dog friendly and they are reasonably priced.
Most places say you cannot leave your pet in the room alone, but we brought his crate so we could leave him in the room when we stepped out for dinner. He's not a barker, and inside the crate he couldn't destroy anything, so we felt okay leaving him for short periods of time.

Food and Entertainment:
We used bringfido.com to find pet friendly restaurants where possible. On our way to Arkansas we stopped at Petrified Forest National Park which has dog friendly trails - great midday stop to stretch all of our legs. On our trip back from Arkansas we did some sight seeing that took some preparation. We stopped at Carlsbad Caverns which (obviously) you can't bring dogs into, but they do have an on-site kennel where they'll crate your pet for $10 while you tour the cave. Just do some research ahead of time.

[Laura]

I drove from San Diego to Cincinnati in June 2009 with two Labs and a Boxer in the back of my CRV. They did great! It was relatively easy to find places to stay along the way that were dog-friendly. I'm used to taking my dogs (now a singular dog - Theo) with me whenever I can, so they have always been used to being in the car for long-ish intervals. Hope you have a great trip and that you love Seattle.