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Driving from Chicago to Wyoming w/dog..tips?

764 Views 8 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  Adrienne
We are leaving tonight to go to Jackson Hole for a week. I am not going to feed him before we leave so he doesn't get sick. He has been in the car a bunch of times and enjoys it. But, the longest was a 2 hour ride, I don't know how he'll do with a 20 hour ride.

He's a pretty lazy doggie.....likes to sleep like his mommy, so I'm sure he'll just sleep a lot of the way. But, do you have any tips for a long car ride? And then a week in Wyoming? The place is pet friendly and we have a 28ft trailer with a/c so we'll all be comfy.

Thanks a lot!! And wish me luck.....we're going with the in-laws!
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long ride!!! good luck I am sure everything will be ok.
sounds like a great time and good luck with the in laws
The Hooligans have been on a lot of trips. The longest was when Mac, Slider and I drove from Central Florida to TN to pick up a friend and we then drove to CA to pick up her dog and returned. It was a lot of fun. All went smoothly, no upset tummies. I fed them breakfast in the van while we traveled. They always had fresh water available. They ate dinner an hour or two after we stopped for the night. We stopped every two or three hours to stretch our legs.

I've only had one serious problem while traveling. Mac and I went to a family reunion in Davis, WV a couple years ago. We went one way and returned a different route. FWIW - the highest point in Florida is 345 feet above sea level. Any way, the return route went over some very serious twisty, turny, steep mountain roads and he got sick at the motel that night. I'm sure it was from the long day's topsy-turvy ride thru the mountains. He vomited all night - it cost me about $100 for the motel to clean up the mess the next day (yes, I tried to clean it up but this involved washing everything including the rugs) plus I had to take him to the vet.

Have fun, that's a BEAUTIFUL area!!!
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Take a long line and a few balls for him to chase when you stop at a rest stop or to get gas. That way he can blow off some steam, and then sleep the rest of the way. Have fun.
Each year I take my dogs on a long road trip (avg. 4000-5000 miles) they love it!!! Just make sure to make lots of stops so they can stretch their legs, go potty and get drinks. One thing I really like are those child sun screens that attach to the windows. I put them up on all the windows and they really cut down on the amount of sun beating into the car which is important if you have furbabies in the back seat or passagers seat. Most of the time the dogs just sleep until we slow down to stop somewhere in which case they are up and looking around. I also carry a battery operated fan and a sheet. Sounds odd huh?? There are times when I have to leave them in the car so I make sure to do this in the wee hours and before it gets too hot. I'll crack down all the windows, leave the fan on and then throw the sheet over the car. It may look strange but it further reduces any heat from getting in the car. Like I said, this is usually when I run into a Wal Mart and only really early (like 7AM).
I'm sure you'll have a blast and happy travels.
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I nearly forgot, make sure you have ID on each of them with the names and numbers of someone who could always get ahold of you. Cell phones may not work in some of the areas your going through so make sure theres a working phone number on the dogs tags at all times.
Thanks for all the tips......now I'm not so nervous!! I'll post pics when we get back!
I have done it with mine many times. Watch out for ticks in the uncut grass around the rest stops!

Nothing like getting back on the highway after a play in the unmanicured rest stop area and noticing ticks swarming over your best friend's head and then suddenly feeling an itch on your own head...
Thanks...but now my head is itchy!!
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