Typist: Bethany
I live with a glass half full attitude but when things go wrong on a road trip... Wait. When a lot of things go wrong on a road trip, I admit that is hard to stay positive. That is where the pets come in. They don't know that seemingly everything had gone wrong on our last road trip from the moment I set up the tent at the campsite to the second I finished loading the car to go home. Wilhelm, Brychwyn, Huxley, Amelia and Leo are three dogs, a cat and a cockatoo who live in the moment. They savor their travels. And even when I spend an entire trip constantly in crisis mode, dealing with one travel disaster after another, they have each other. Okay. The trip wasn't that bad. I did have time snap a few photos of my snuggly traveling pets. When putting as many miles in as we do, things are bound to go wrong at some point. With my usual positive attitude, I am grateful we all stayed safe and snug the entire trip. And no matter what, we all had each other for encouraging perspective, comfort and, of course, snuggles.

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Typist: Bethany
While preparing for a pet friendly day trip, weekend camping excursion or months long cross continent drive, I clearly remember my father always checking and strategically placing our vehicle fire extinguishers. But my father was not the only traveling fire safety teacher I had. In fact, it was integral to have a second fire safety expert in my life because when my father lit his shirt sleeve on fire while lighting the campfire, it was my mother shouting "stop, drop and roll" that saved him from a worse burn on his arm. The night that my father burned his arm was also a good lesson in always knowing where the nearest hospital is located. That lesson translates in my adult pet travels to also always knowing where to find the nearest emergency vet. The big picture moral from my life with two fire safe travel role models is always be prepared and know what to do in case of any emergency. My father never used any of those of fire extinguishers he so carefully prepared and we never evacuated our home the way we had practiced in our family fire drills. And I will obviously never forget "stop, drop and roll." It always helps to practice and to be ready for anything.

Pet Friendly Lodging: Know the facilities fire escape plan. If the fire escape plan includes something that may be impossible for a pet like a fire ladder, ask for a different room. If the fire escape plan includes something a pet may be unfamiliar with like a narrow hallway or open stairway, practice the escape before settling in to sleep. Remember that places that are not "pet proofed," which in my experience is every hotel and motel ever, a pet can start a fire. I don't recommend leaving pets alone in a room or allowing them to roam a room. My pets stay confined in crates and/or with exercise pens even when I am in the room with them.

Pet Friendly Camping: Ask the rangers about the park fire or emergency escape plan. It has been my experience that not all locations have an official or site specific plan so be prepared to make a personal campground fire escape plan. Remember that escape by vehicle may not be possible so prepare and be familiar with a walking route to safety. Safe places are usually the nearest ranger station, store or road. Always keep a fire extinguisher near tents and the camp stove. Do not allow pets near the camp stove. Do not allow pets near the campfire. I don't trust a leash or a tether to keep the pets a safe enough distance from the campfire. I always keep them safely confined in their crates or exercise pens. Never leave a campfire unattended or pets unattended near a campfire.

Road Trip Emergencies: Have a plan to evacuate traveling pets from a vehicle on fire or at risk of fire. I always keep my fire extinguisher and pet first aid kit within reach of the driver. The cat and cockatoo always travel in a crate but the leashes the dogs travel in are secured to the vehicle. There are emergency leashes in my pet first aid kit but I also try to pack the car so leashes are quickly available.

At Home: Practice for fire emergencies and fire evacuations. On average, there's only two minutes to safely evacuate a burning home once a smoke alarm has signaled the fire. Wilhelm, Brychwyn, Huxley and Leo sleep confined in crates/a cage but Amelia could be more difficult to track down. I do my best to keep up on the cats ever changing sleeping hovels and hiding places. I am prepared to evacuate all of the pets by having spare leashes for the dogs and carriers for the cat and cockatoo readily available. There are "Pets Inside" emergency decals on my front window and front door in case of an emergency when I am not here to help my pets. I also make sure that any pet sitters or neighbors caring for my pets know where the fire extinguishers, emergency leashes and pet carriers are located in my home. Every once in a while, I randomly shout "stop, drop and roll" and reward non-reacting, calm pets.

Fire First Aid: If the worst happens and a pet catches fire, smother the fire with a (preferably damp) towel, blanket or anything nearby that will rapidly deprive the burning fur or feathers of oxygen. Quickly put cool water on the burned area, followed by a cold compress and seek immediate veterinary help. Knowing pet first aid and CPR and having appropriately sized dog and cat CPR masks in a pet first aid kit can be lifesaving for a traumatized pet.

During the camping trip when my dad burned his arm, I don't remember where my dog, Natasha, was during the upheaval. I think she was with me in the tent, out of harms way. I watched my burning father start to run, obey my moms solid "stop, drop and roll," then he and my mom surveyed the damage to his arm by flashlight. Natasha was always a pretty laid back dog which is probably why until we loaded into the car to take my dad to the hospital, I am not certain where she was. Natasha did not chase my running, burning father or burst from the tent to help check the wound. But that is the kind of campsite chaos Wilhelm, Brychwyn and Huxley, a crazy cat and easily startled cockatoo would cause were a situation like that to occur to Jason and I. Desensitizing the dogs, cat and cockatoo to a "stop, drop and roll" yell, an emergency evacuation, the sight of a fire extinguisher or being covered with a blanket to smother burning fur or feathers is yet another reason for fire safety practice and being prepared for anything. I hate to think of any situation where I would need the pets to be calm through a fire but having experienced a campfire emergency myself, I know the true importance of traveling fire safety.

Cascadian Nomads was not asked to or paid to promote any businesses or organizations mentioned and linked in this post.
We're just sharing important information or stuff we like!

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Typist: Bethany
Pets are terrible roommates. They are messy, noisy, take up a lot of space and they never replace anything they take from the fridge or from my plate. The dogs rarely leave room for me on the couch, the cat manages to get cat litter into rooms that she has never been in and the parrot is always both up too early and too late. As Jason and I were enjoying some silly banter about why the pets have all of the traits of who we would absolutely never want to share living quarters with, it occurred to me that those exact same inferior roommate qualities, make the pets perfect travel buddies.

Worst Roommate: Attention Hog
Best Travel Buddy: Conversation Starter
It is a dream of mine to someday have a friend over for lunch and not have a pet or two frequently prance through the room. Longing for a phone conversation that isn't interrupted every few minutes by barking dogs or a cockatoo shouting "hello" is also part of life with my imperfect animal roommates. However, one of my favorite parts of travel is chatting with a variety of people and there are no better conversation starters than my pets. The Grand Canyon would have been boring had it not been for every single person we passed commenting on the pets. Okay. Not boring but an extremely different experience. While I may long for my civilly amateurish roommates to stop spoiling every social event at my home, I wouldn't want my fantastic travel buddy pets to stop enhancing the profound human interactions of our adventures.

Worst Roommate: Dishearteningly Messy
Best Travel Buddy: Clean-As-I-Go Inspiration
Leaving greasy dishes in the sink or dirty laundry on the floor until the weekend is not too terrible of a way to live at home. It is messy, yes, but it won't lead to much more of a disaster than infuriating anyone else in the house. On the road, however, leaving unwashed dishes at the campsite means attracting pests and the longer stinky laundry sits the tougher it gets to wash the smell out in rest stop sink. With five pets, cleaning at home is just a part of every day life but it isn't the end of the world if things slide. While traveling, however, if I don't scoop the cat litter immediately, put all the dog toys back in the bag immediately after play time or wipe off Leo's Popemobile frequently, a trip can suddenly go very bad. Supplies can diminish more quickly than packed and budgeted for, essential items can be lost or, worse of all, a pet could get sick. Cleaning as I go is already an important part of the way I travel but my bad roommate/good travel buddy pets never let me get off track.

Worst Roommate: Takes Up Too Much Space
Best Travel Buddy: Prevents Me From Taking Up Too Much Space
Sometimes being super organized and concrete sequential is detrimental to travel packing. Everything needs to match perfectly. There must be something for absolutely every situation. Experienced travelers reading this know that now is where I confess to being an over packer. Yeah. But when there needs to be room for bird toys, cat litter and dog blankets, suddenly my obsessive need to have everything and the kitchen sink for myself loses importance. If one less bag of my prepared for anything gear means the dogs can be buckled where they can see out the window or the cat can travel in a larger crate, it's done. So an unpleasant roommate that takes up a lot of space suddenly becomes a travel buddy that cures my wicked over packing issue.

Worst Roommate: Breaks My Stuff
Best Travel Buddy: Reminds Me That Memories Are Better Than Stuff
Between Amelia and Leo's love of chewing, well, anything, Brychwyn's wild corgi leaping and Huxley's rope like tail, 85% of the things I once treasured are gone. But they're just things, right? Well, some of those things I really liked, like the heavy ceramic cactus lamp I dragged back from Mexico. Yet pining for my shattered lamp reminds me that nothing lasts forever. And no experience can be repeated. If I had a dollar for all the times I have said I would surely return to a particular locale, I'd have enough money to actually do it! Though the time to return to all those places would probably still not present itself. There is no better trait in a travel partner than the reminder that this moment, the one you are in right now, is the most special. You will never be here again. Nobody does that better than my pets, even if they have to break a lot of stuff to cause me to remember.

Worst Roommate: Picking Apart The Little Things
Best Travel Buddy: Excitedly Observing The Little Things
Even if I had a quiet, small, tidy roommate, er, pet, there would surely still be petty things they'd do that would irritate me. Leo cheering as the dogs and Amelia chase a fly around the house is one such irritating trivial incident. Yet on an urban hike yesterday afternoon, a red winged dragonfly caught my eye. Excitement welled up; it was the first sighting of my favorite insect of the season. And what were my perfect travel companions doing? Calmly watching the dragonfly with me. Yes, all five pets. Awesome. Travel partners that help to appreciate the little things as well as enjoy those little moments with me are the best.

Worst Roommate: Up At All Hours
Best Travel Buddy: Up For Adventure At Any Hour
Never missing a second of any adventure is the way I travel and sleep is the number one way to miss something. Now, it's not that I don't sleep when I am on the road. I just try not to sleep very much. At home, when the dogs begin stirring at 8AM after having a late walk the night before, I get annoyed. When the cat stomps on my head upon hearing the first bird song outside before dawn or Leo sings "tickle, tickle" to the sunrise from his sleeping cage, I bury myself further under the covers. However, on the road, I couldn't be more grateful for the pets enthusiasm to get the day started even if we were up into the wee hours around the campfire. A noisy at-all-hours roommate makes for a fun, up-for-anything travel buddy.

Worst Roommate: Steals Food
Best Travel Buddy: Shares Food
Roommates that raid the fridge and never replace the food that I purchased and craved eating are the worst. The food issue has been the last straw in many of my cohabitation situations. Obviously, the pets get a bit of a pass because I have not taught them how to go to the store and purchase food. I have, however, taught the pets not to take food off of my plate so when food occasionally goes missing, once Jason has said it wasn't him, there is no one left to blame but my negligent roommate parrot, cat and dogs. On the plus side, the pets and I like the same foods. Budget travel means hauling my own meals and there is a little less to lug when the pets and I can all enjoy a lot of the same food items.

Worst Roommate: Grates On My Every Nerve
Best Travel Buddy: Invigorates My Every Nerve
At home, especially while I type from the couch, like now, the dogs run to the window to bark at a passing neighbor, the cat cries at the door to go outside and Leo sings along to The Beatles. Nothing could be more annoying. On the road, however, nothing is more uplifting than a sing-a-long, Amelia is always up for an adventure and Wilhelm, Brychwyn and Huxley alert me to danger as well as frighten unkind strangers away. It is moments like this that I realize why I someday intend to be a full time nomad...

There are so many rotten roommate qualities that make for superior travel buddies, at least by my picky cohabitation and unusual traveling quirk standards. Everyone is different but no matter what one is looking for in roomie or a travel buddy, it isn't easy to find the perfect person or pet for either. It is most especially impossible to find the perfect living and travel partner. I count myself lucky to have a have found a good roommate in Jason and five awesome travel partners in Wilhelm, Brychwyn, Huxley, Leo and Amelia. Is it possible I missed out on some amazing journeys with some of my worst human roommates? It was such a relief to never, ever have to see some people I cohabited with again once our nightmare of a living situation was finally over but maybe I should have considered having them join me on some epic road trip? Nah. None of them were nearly as cute as my pets!

Are your pets good or bad roommates?
Have you ever been surprised to find an unexpectedly exceptional travel buddy?

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Avoiding High Traffic Dog Areas
One of my favorite things about traveling with the dogs is exploring the dog parks of areas we visit. Since avoiding other dogs reduces the risk of catching the disease, I think we'll stick to family play time until a vaccine for this particular strain of canine influenza is available. Day boarding is not a part of any of our upcoming travels but I believe facilities that can be cleaned and sanitized are probably safe places for traveling dogs. As always, it is extremely important to make sure any boarding facility carefully monitors the health of entering dogs. If I was planning boarding for my dogs anytime soon, I would add asking if the H3N8 vaccine (which uncertainly prevents H3N2) is required for boarders and what the facility policies are for quarantining dogs that get sick during their stay to my already long interview list. I asked Dr. Hur how long he thinks dog friendly places like dog parks and day boarding facilities where canine influenza has spread should be avoided:

BYOB: Bring Your Own Bowl
When out and about with the dogs, I never let them drink from any lakes or streams because of the massive risk of bacteria. I have also taught the dogs to never drink from public dog bowls unless given permission. Public dog bowls often look clean but they can have many hidden germs including the H3N2 virus. When I worked at a dog day care facility, we employees spent more time changing dog water and washing water bowls than any other task. The dogs health was paramount and that cleanliness step was very important. Hence, I always pack my own dog water bowls and dog water. It is a simple step to ensure the dogs avoid unnecessary exposure to germs. Plus, when I always have my own water I can be certain the dogs stay hydrated which keeps their immune systems strong especially while on the road.

Knowing Signs of Stress
I have been traveling with dogs my entire life and Wilhelm, Brychwyn, Huxley and I have visited nineteen states and a province together. Even we expert travelers can get stressed on a journey and anxiety has detrimental effects on the immune system. I am very familiar with signs of stress in my dogs as well as all of their little traveling health idiosyncrasies. For example, Huxley often eats very little between day four and six of a long road trip. I always bring along canned pumpkin ad baby food to coax him into dining if needed. Huxley never has any other signs of illness such as vomiting, diarrhea or lethargy and he always bounces back to eating once he settles into the routine of the journey. When traveling this spring and summer, I will be hyper aware of even the slightest not normal change in the dogs stress levels. Dr. Hur answered my question about how to keep traveling dogs immune systems with a reminder about awareness as well:

The Nearest Vet
There is absolutely nothing worse than a sick pet, especially while traveling. Part of the pet friendly trip planning I do is to map out nearby vets wherever we stay. I do my best to familiarize myself with veterinarian offices and emergency vets all along our planned travel routes. Obviously, my smart phone can help me find a local vet in seconds if needed but I don't always know I will have reception. Once a vet has been found, it is essential to have all of the sick dogs health records ready which is why I keep a print out for each pet in my first aid kit. While health certificates are not required for many airlines or for road trips, a pet that is not up to date on routine health care and vaccines should never travel particularly because of the need to be prepared for an emergency. A visit to a strange vet while traveling can turn into a huge hassle if the dog owner cannot quickly and easily provide up to date health records. I am fortunate to have never had to have this anxiety ridden and possibly expensive experience but I believe in being prepared.

Pet travel is never easy. Nothing worthwhile ever is, right? It is possible that this newest strain of canine influenza to come to North America was brought here by traveling dogs and will likely not be the last of such dog disease outbreaks. Sitting still and staying home are not an option for me. However the health of all the pets matters most to me. I take every necessary precaution to keep them safe every time we walk out the door. So, is it really safe for dogs to travel despite the current canine influenza outbreak? I will trust in the words of Dr. Hur as we Cascadian Nomads adventure on:

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