Safe-Travel Car Tips for Those with Pets

The Covid-19 pandemic is starting to subside gradually, as vaccinations are distributed, and people slowly return to normal.

While it will take a few months for normality to return completely, people are starting to travel, taking short “mini vacations” with their families, and loved ones.

If you’re traveling, either now or in the future, and you have a pet you’d like to bring along for the ride, follow these great tips and tricks to keep all of your loved ones safe.

Use a High-Quality Pet Carrier

It can be tempting to let your pet roam free, or nearly free, around the vehicle, but some of the most common injuries happen to pets while inside cars.

Irrelevant of their size, your pet should travel in a crate to minimize the risk of injury, to both them and your family.

In addition, you’ll want to tie the crate down and make sure your pet is safely secured within the carrier. Don’t allow any sliding or lose movements by the crate, as they can be thrown out of windows and tumble a good distance before stopping.

Don’t Let Your Pet Near the Front Seat

Similar to using a pet carrier, your pets should never be allowed to freely roam around the front seat of a moving vehicle. Cats have a tendency to crawl around people’s feet and even the most well-trained dogs can distract and disrupt the regular process of driving.

Steering clear of your pets in the front seat include baring them from sitting in your lap in addition to sitting in the passenger seat. Air bags and seatbelts are designed for human use and will be almost worthless when used on a pet. Your best-case scenario is always a pet carrier placed in the back seat or trunk.

Utilize Your Pet’s Collar

Collars and tags are great for alerting strangers to the whereabouts of your pet, both abroad and at home. Before you leave on your trip, you should always attach a detailed travel tag onto your pet’s collar. This tag should have all of the necessary information for strangers to call if they find your pet.

Modern advancements have led to many people using microchips to track their pets wherever they go. This process is painless for the animal and provides you with great peace of mind, both during long trips and even when you’re simply sitting down at home.

Highway Tips

Fortunately, your pet will mostly likely be sleeping during a long duration of the trip, especially cats. If your pet is not sleeping or is active and energized, don’t let them put their heads out the window. Make sure they’re properly air conditioned and comfortable but allowing them to hang their heads out of the car invites the opportunity for injury and tragedy.

It’s a good idea to let your pet expend some energy before you leave for your trip, in order to tucker them out during the long ride. You should also stop every two or three hours to allow your pet to stretch their legs and recalibrate.

Never Leave Your Pet Unattended

Nearly all of the cars made today are designed to be airtight, meaning nothing inside will receive enough air if the car is not running. On top of that, heat exhaustion strikes quickly and mercilessly at anything left in a hot car for more than about five minutes.

Cars become superheated in the sun at an accelerated rate, so even if the temperature is modest outside, the sun will beat down and leave whatever’s left inside to burn up quickly. If you absolutely must leave your pet in your car, be sure to roll down your windows to allow adequate ventilation and avoid temperature spikes.

Staying Overnight

If you’re staying at a hotel, you should be able to find a plethora of pet-friendly hotels and other lodgings online. Respect the owner of wherever you stay by paying any pet fees associated with the lodging.

Don’t try to sneak your pet in or undermine their policies about pets in any way. Most pet-friendly hotels have restaurants around them which are accepting of pets, so do a quick search before you go out every night.