[juliejujubean]

okay, so it has been forever since i have been on here, but my life has been hectic with preparing for my move! come friday starts the adventure of a lifetime for my 2 GSD's and myself. We start our journey to Ansbach, Germany from Gulfport, MS.
Well thursday is their appointment for the flight health certificate, so I can get that done and out of the way.
Friday, the rental car will be picked up around 10 am. Before then, I plan of taking the pups to the field with a chuck it and tiring them out. I will load up the S.U.V. and hit the road. It is just myself doing the driving (hubby is already in Europe) and we have to make it all the way to Baltimore by monday. (im giving myself ample time for breaks.
This is a super long trip for the dog s(AND ME TOO GAH!!!), (Dia has gone to Wisconsin before, and did fabulously, but the longest Charles has done is 5 hours in a car) Any ideas to keep them entertained for the ride? I do plan on taking them on a walk in the mornings before leaving hotels and evenings when i check into the hotel and of course plenty of potty stops, but other than that, I know they are going to be stir crazy. Not to mention, they will have to be at the airport 3 hours early before our flight, a 7+ hour flight, and however long it is until they give me my dog back. I am such a worried momma! Any ideas? Am I too crazy for worrying so much? I know they are going to do fantastic, I am just so anxious for this long trip to be over with.

 

[arycrest]

WOW ... that is quite a trip!!! I'd say you're giving yourself ample time to get up to Baltimore, my only suggestion is to take a few different motel books along to make sure you can find dog friendly places to stop for the nights (RED ROOF INN, BEST WESTERN, a few other chains are usually dog friend but not always). Also I learned to call even when the booklets say SMALL DOGS ONLY ... definitions of "small" varies from place to place (and I'm sure the economy too) ... I've often had good luck getting rooms at these places with my "small 70 to 85 lb dogs".

I just have one question ... it's been 13 years since I've tried flying a puppy in the summer so this may no longer apply ... but does the airline you're flying your dogs on have any policies for weather related flight ... i.e. too hot/too cold for animals to be loaded? If so, have you made any alternate plans if they can't load the dogs up as planned?

GOOD LUCK ... HAVE A SAFE TRIP ... HOPE ALL GOES AS PLANNED ... LET US KNOW WHEN YOU ARRIVE IN GERMANY SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY!!!

 

[juliejujubean]

i do already have hotel reservations for pet friendly hotels, one in Charlotte and the other in Baltimore. As for the heat embargo, the flight is through the militaries Space A and it is climate controlled for people who pcs just like me. so no worries there as well. Im just worried about their sanity!!! and my sanity for that matter

I do appreciate the idea about the motel books, i hope i don't need to stop more, but if i need to i need that option

 

[marbury]

Honestly, I've done HOURS and HOURS of driving with a whole car full of dogs, and mine at least don't need any entertaining. After a few minutes of being all excited (just in case we're going to the park or training) they all zonk themselves out in the back and fall asleep. If I don't stop, they won't even bother getting up until we arrive someplace interesting. But we used to drive four hours every day together, so for them it was old hat. I bet by day two yours will be the same; it's nice and relaxing to be riding in a car on the interstate. The engine and the sway of the road probably has the same effect on them as it did on me when I was knee-high to a grasshopper!