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Tips on travelling with your pets
Recently, PopSugarPets tweeted out what to do with your dogs while on vacation. While I agree with the statement somewhat, I’d like to tell you what we do with Alfie when we vacation.
When we were looking at bringing a dog into our home, we decided we wanted a smaller one that we could bring with us wherever we went. I understand not all vacation spots are pet-friendly, especially if you are planning to do a lot of sight-seeing, eating out at restaurants — what have you. For instance when my husband and I were in Alberta, we knew Alfie couldn’t come since we’d be hiking up mountains — clearly not fit for a little ten pounder with spindly toothpick legs, regardless of how fearless and tough he is.
Alfie had been in obedience school for most of his life leading up to our move to the USA, and the dog trainer we went with took a liking to him, so whenever we needed a dog-sitter, she was there with open arms. With that being said, we try to bring Alfie with us on as many vacations as possible, especially now that we’ve moved from Canada to California and we no longer have our trusted dog trainer within driving distance of us.
Alfie is not a convenience dog, he is part of the family! We don’t like to think that dogs are just a convenience to us, and play/walk with them only in the home. As you can tell from the 20 previous Pomeranian Friday posts, we like to bring Alfie along for the ride. He will be going places with us — not left behind. Especially since he fits the regulation size to go in the cabin. We have flown from California to Newfoundland, Canada multiple times with Alfie, and he is an excellent traveller. While the day is long he is trained and understands what’s going on (there isn’t a direct flight, and when you add it all up it’s a 10 hour in air flight + many stop-overs).
It’s comical travelling with Alfie by myself, as people think I am having a difficult time, but quite honestly I’m used to it. He knows he has to pop out of his carrier going through security, so I lift him as he digs his nails into me since he’s scared, and we walk through the metal detector together. Many people comment on his cuteness (I swear, once you acknowledge Alfie, that’s when he starts growling). Sometimes the airport staff had tried to help me put him back into the carrier he’s like a cat trying to get into a bathtub —  arms splayed across not wanting to get back in. I politely decline their help because once Alfie got a little angry and barked to scare them off when someone tried to help. Clearly not a fan of strangers.
Some tips for travelling with your pet that we’ve learned along the way:Â
- Bring a days worth of dog food in his carrier. You don’t want it packed away in your checked luggage or carry-on, mainly because one of you might be gone off walking around the airport and want to feed your pup.
- Your dog needs to be hydrated just as much as you do. Bring an empty plastic cup and fill it up with your water, he needs to lap it up!
- Pack a cover-up. This is mainly for dogs that get nervous/excited when seeing people they don’t know. Alfie barks uncontrollably when he’s in his carrier and doesn’t know the smells/sights surrounding him. I drape a scarf or my jacket around the door so he feels more protected.
- Poo bags/potty pads. Sometimes you cannot leave the airport security area, especially if you have a quick layover. Bring your pup into the family washroom and lay down a potty-pad for him to do his business. Alfie knows the words “go potty!” pretty well since we use it on a daily basis, and of course if they need to go, they will. We praise Alfie (seriously, we clap and say good boy lol) and give him a treat after he’s done his business since he’s not used to the pad anymore and he successfully accomplished what he needed to do.
- Give them a pet, and praise. In order for dogs to be up in cabin with their owners they need to be able to stand up, and turn around comfortably in their carrier. Although dogs are not allowed out of their carriers inside the airport, many people break the rules. I don’t like to do it, but on occasion (delayed flights etc) I do take him in my lap for a cuddle, or scratch his belly (his favourite) as much as possible.
- Bring toys/treats — the more things that smell like home, the more comfortable your dog will be. Reward him with treats every now and then also doesn’t hurt.
- Talk to your vet about benadryl. We don’t like to ‘drug’ our dog for the flight in fear we might give him too much, regardless of our veterinarian saying a 1/4 of a pill of children’s benadryl. But supposedly it makes them dopey and relaxed and sleep soundly for the flight.
Hope these tips help, when you want to travel with your pet next time! Of course, it’s not as easy to travel with an animal that doesn’t fit the airline regulations due to the size. In that case, I’d advise you to get someone that your dog is comfortable with to look after them for the duration of your vacation.
Explore California: Saratoga Village
I can’t believe we’re on week 16 of featuring Alfie on the blog! Time has flown.
Last week I took Alfie out for a little car ride to the downtown core of historic Saratoga Village. We weren’t there too long as I only had one bag to pick up his dung, and of course as soon as we existed the car he took the messiest one of all time. Probably worse than last time at Fremont Older Open Space Preserve with him. Luckily there was a garbage next to us. I swear, he must get excited-nervous about where I’m taking him on these little adventures.
Regardless of that, I’m sure you don’t want visuals of what I’m talking about. Instead, some visuals of this beautiful little town! I’ve been here a couple of times before, but primarily on weekends. Going on a weekday in between lunch time and rush hour was dead silent and perfect for sight-seeing and snapping all the pictures I wanted.
What are your plans for this weekend?
I’m excited because it’s Banff Mountain Film Festival time! I had to do a bit of research to make sure that it in fact played down in the USA and it sure does. We’re going to be watching some pretty incredible films this weekend. Stay tuned.
Next week I won’t be blogging. As I mentioned in a few other posts I’ll be driving to Yosemite with my first ever climbing partner (we started climbing together in 1995!). She will be flying down here to California from Newfoundland, Canada and we’re renting a car and maybe doing a guided multi-pitch climb if the weather keeps being nice! Cross your fingers :)
2014 year end reflection
2014 was a complete game-changer on so many levels. Starting off the year, my husband and I had been married for a little less than 48 hours, and were planning our move across North America from little ol’ university town of Waterloo Ontario, to smack dab into Silicon Valley, Amurica.
Never in my wildest dreams, had I ever thought about, or even imagined that I would be living in the United States, let alone breathtaking Northern California. Nevertheless, I must say 2014 was the best year yet — although it went by in such a blur I cannot believe we moved down here 11 months ago. We’re no longer newly weds, and we’re no longer new to being in California! Crazy!
My main goals when moving to the USA was to push my introverted self out of my comfort zone and say yes to more things, speak up to strangers and meet new friends (check, and check!), and overall embrace the change. It wasn’t scary to move down to California if we’re going to be honest. Especially easy since we moved during a Canadian winter. I wasn’t overly fond of living in Ontario, because I was stuck in a rut. I didn’t have many friends, and I certainty didn’t like the place we lived. We were already a 4 hour flight away from family, what’s another 6 added on top of that?
Okay okay, before I get all mushy let me walk you through all last year had to offer, shall we?
January was full of panic and packing. It was when we came back to work, told our bosses we would be leaving our amazing wonderful jobs to pick up and move to the USA. I still miss my co-workers so much. I continue to e-mail all 30 of the staff on a weekly basis (every Thursday as a matter of fact), to keep them updated. I’m not sure if everyone is on board with my random ramblings, but for the most part a lot of them seem to be enjoying the updates. We skype, we BBM video, and we chat as though I am still part of their team. I loved that I was completely caught off guard by my going away/wedding/surprise party thrown by some of my co-workers, while I was at the mall with Aimster (who just so happened to be my bosses daughter and my co-worker).
February was the time we took the swift 3 day drive from Canada to California in our 17 foot u-haul with my little Mazda on top of a trailer attached to the u-haul. I’m surprised we weren’t pulled over and asked for a truckers drivers license. That thing was a beast to drive, and so scary — I definitely white knuckled driving that monster. I looked back on my archives and it looks as though I blogged just the once. Guess that goes to show how busy we were driving across the continent, looking for places to live, and having our internet hooked up. Luckily we found a spot in no time, thanks to Jessica a hundred times over for helping us out from driving me to all kinds of apartments to me leeching off her internet to find apartments to look at. Couldn’t have done it without her help. By the way, can you not get over how amazing California looks in February?!
March was another fun month. I got the chance to have a complete makeover at the Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara at MAKE UP FOR EVER which was pretty sweet. I walked around Santa Row a lot, checking out all the stores readily available just waiting for me to whip out my pocket book. Man, the shopping is excellent here. We drove out to Lake Tahoe for a day trip so The Guy could get in some last minute cross country skiing done before the season ended. I had enough of the snow at this point, I wasn’t about to get on a set of ski’s especially after leaving the wretched cold winter up north. I was ready for some sun! So I got some at Capitola Beach when our friends from Ontario came down to visit their in-laws. My old co-op student from my previous job in Ontario was in San Francisco on a work term, so I visited him for a day and we were treated like celebrities, it was fantastic.
April I stepped out of my comfort zone as Ellen, a blog reader e-mailed me out of the blue one day mentioning she had been reading my blog for some time, but has never left a comment. She is also a climber, and suggested we meet up some time for a climb at the local rock gym. Of course I’m going to say YES. It was awesome, and I hope to continue to climb with her again this year! Our first Easter in California was a success, and pret-tee delicious if you ask me, gotta say… I’m a great cook ;) This was also the month my blog received a complete overhaul and re-branding, I love how it turned out. April was pretty memorable because Jessica took me out to see the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time in my life!
May ah my birth month, where even my local pizza place delivered me a heart-shaped pizza for my birthday, sweet. I got a membership to the local rock climbing gym and climbed more with Ellen. On Mother’s Day The Guy and I went to the Golden Gate Bridge to take some photos so I could make some Thank You cards to send out to our wedding guests. Not only that, I got to eat breakfast at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay!
June I bought a pretty sweet gym bag and bouldered a V4 for the first time in years, pretty happy about that. I visited Google for the first time, that place is so fun! I swore during yoga class. My husbands younger sister came by (and the older one came in July as their trips overlapped). The Guy and I finally have a grown-up bedroom, with a headboard and all. Now we just need to upgrade our bed from a double to a king.
July is when I went to my first BlogParty in San Francisco and met so many awesome Bay Area blogging buddies. I also attended the BlogHer conference where I spotted Khloe Kardashian in person, kinda fun. My two sister-in-law’s (husband’s sisters) came down for a visit and we totally bonded, froze are buns off in San Francisco on the Fourth of July, and had a laugh, it was amazing having them both here. I cannot wait until they both come down again, hopefully SOON!
August was a slow month in the blogging world. Jessica and I teamed up and hosted a giveaway together, and I posted the outfit photos (here too)that she took of me at the blogging conference. Total fav. Then there was a whole whack of talkin’ and reviewing of some Dior products. Nothing much to report in August, really!
September The Guy made his featured appearance on the blog and starting reviewing running shoes. I was back to Newfoundland for most of August and a little bit of September. I still haven’t recapped our non-wedding wedding reception that we flew back for, in August. I didn’t take many photos from the day, so there isn’t much to look at really. But I did take you around to the little fishing place called Petty Harbour, and then showed you the most easterly point in North America, Cape Spear. I blogged about going to the annual Flatrock Festival (climbing fest) too. The Guy was going for his 6th Ironman in September, out in Lake Tahoe but it ended up being cancelled due to smoke from forest fires, and we came face-to-face with a bear at our hotel. Scary stuff.
October onto my husband’s birth month. For his birthday I surprised him with a two day honeymoon to the romantic village of Carmel, an hour or so south of us. The views from Point Lobos had to be my favourite spot of our trip. October is when I introduced Pomeranian Friday’s to the blog, which seems to be a huge hit with the readers. Glad you’re enjoying Alfie as much as we are!
November was a fun month because not only did I received a ton of lip glosses to play with courtesy of bareMinerals, I attended a pretty fun event for the grand opening of Uniqlo in the Milpitas mall. I also started exploring coffee shops, which I’ll continue to do as a feature throughout 2015. The Guy, Alfie and I hit the trails one afternoon, and then I showed you what my “uniform” looks like on weekends. Then I did a flashback to the summer where IÂ talked you through beautiful Conception Harbour, Newfoundland.
December is my favourite month of the year! For our first American thanksgiving (although in November but blogged about in December) we hosted our first dinner guests, ever ever! We invited our Canadian friends to join us as I cooked us a feast! I attended a really cool event in San Francisco and received the utmost royal treatment getting there. I ended up taking my hair dye woes into my own hands and doing an at-home dye-job, how did it go? In December we hosted some more family and friends, and after they left I showed you how I like to unwind after a long day. I visited another great coffee shop! December was pretty awesome, we got to fly home again to be with our family. Although arriving later than expected with many airline troubles, we still enjoyed our time in Newfoundland.
If you’ve read this far, thank you! That’s the end of my 2014 recap. I’m feelin’ good about you, year 2015. I sure am.