What’s So Special About Travelling with Pets? – An Open Letter from A Paw-rent

There is no greater joy than travelling with pets and I wholeheartedly believe this. Pet travel may appear exhausting but its actually not.

AND I will tell you why its not!

More often than not I get asked this “How do you manage to travel with your dog” or “What’s so special about travelling with pets” or “Why pet travel?”- I wish I had enough words in my vocabulary to describe it!

The loss of my 1.5-year-old St. Bernard led to my decision of not indulging in another furry but God had other plans. Butlee Sinha Dsilva (her name on passport and licence) changed all that. She was unplanned, random and definitely worth the abstinence I was on.

A runner since we adopted her, she is a delightful character and more than willing to accommodate and adapt. This made her an excellent choice to add to our travel adventures (or misadventures!).

For now, her travel list includes the below to which I would love to add more

•        Recreational trip to Igatpuri
•        Spiritual trip to Nashik
•        Kolkata by train (twice)
•        Road trip to Bakkhali (a coastal town that is a 4-hour drive from Kolkata)
•        Road trip to Alibaug & Murud-Janjira
•        Road trip to Goa (twice)
•        And intra-city travel
•        Beachy affairs too

Butlee repletes my level of ‘happy hormones’ and travelling repletes hers! ‘Paw’rents I know feel the same way. Like my school-bestie Sreejita Basu, a ‘paw’rent who had travelled 29 hrs with Rui (Indie she adopted and I couldn’t be more proud) from Delhi to Mumbai. When I asked what made it special, she was quick to add “It’s always good to have those you love when you are out exploring the world ❤️” .

My dear friend and colleague Suchi Dahibavkar, her greatest joy is watching her Labrador Ricky run  free on the beach and play fetch. She looks forward to the beach visits with her pup that gives her an immense sense of fulfilment.

Pooja and Siddharth Bhandare, an adorable couple with an even adorable Lab named Coco have started travelling as a family, a tradition which they plan on following. When asked what makes it special, they mentioned “We don’t want to keep her with pet minders. And it’s such a good feeling for her to explore new surroundings instead of the usual concrete crowded roads and be able to meet new ppl. The possibility of being approached by people when you have a pet increases and help them make new friends too.”

Easier said than done; there are times when it can get overwhelming for ‘paw’rents to travel with their furries. Since I had no one to guide me or Butlee to trust each other to travel together, we both learned how to accommodate and build trust and you can do that too. It wasn’t easy but we both weren’t giving up.

How did we train our furry to travel with us?

Start small, don’t rush – Do not be ambitious while training your pet for travel. Start by taking short rickshaw rides. I used to take her to the vet in rickshaws and she loved those rides. She couldn’t wait to get in one. In fact, during our evening walks, she would keep an eye out for a parked rickshaw, then climb on it and refuse to de-board! It was quite amusing.

Then we started taking her on short trips by car – intra-city which mostly concerned the beach. Eventually we progressed to places which were a two or four-hour drive from Mumbai and then once we were convinced that she was ready, we took her to Goa, which is a good 12-13 hour drive.

Remain calm – This will be your strength in the long run so start honing it! Over a period of time, I realized that I was passing on my anxiety to Butlee that would often leave her confused and scared – be it during train travel or road trip. They are extremely sensitive to emotion, and they tend to mirror ours. Calm yourself before you try to calm your furry.

Avoid a heavy meal before travel – It is advisable not to give them a heavy meal before travel. We usually feed Butlee 9 – 10 hrs prior to travelling also ensuring she defecates before we start our trip.

Take short breaks – Exactly how you need to stretch during long drives, your fur-baby needs it too (not advisable for cats – those jerks might just give you a mini attack by sprinting away!). The short breaks would mean taking the dogs to attend their nature’s call. A fistful of kibble and a cup of water can be served which they might ignore because of excitement (it is natural).

Roll down the windows during stops – You might stop at places which do not allow pets inside. What should you do then? I think this is one question that concerns ‘paw’rents and get them anxious.

My take (and something I follow) – keep the air-conditioning on and also roll down two windows, we also have meshed shades covering the car windows so there is ample ventilation and also cooling and your baby is comfortable while you spend 15-20 minutes at the restaurant.

P.S. – We also park the car within eyeshot to keep an eye on her. You might find disapproving looks from people because they think you are being cruel. Don’t bother.  People find it easier to try being a humbug and put forth their opinion with no knowledge. If you love your pets – you know what’s best for them. Period!

Allow them to feel free – The best times of the travel are when you leave them free. Butlee has a had a mind of her own (like her mum) but over the years she has learned to follow (thankfully!). So, we let her loose and allowing her to wander that gives them a sense of freedom too. This comes with training. If your pet is hyper or used to taking off at the drop of a hat, then it is not advisable.

Years of experience with Butlee taught us to carry certain things while travelling.

•        Food/water bowl – for food and water during breaks
•        Dog bed – to ensure their comfort
•        Some treats – always a good motivator to comply!
•        Wet towels for pets – to wipe their feet.
•        Poop bags – in case they poop in unwarranted places.
•        Medicines – you may carry some nausea meds if your pet is not used to travelling. But that should be prescribed by vets.

It is natural to feel distressed and concerned while travelling with pet/pets BUT the pleasure of it trumps all. The joy of looking at them play in the sea, dive into a pool or make their way into the unknown, is a ‘paw’rent’s pride and each of us should get the opportunity to revel in it.

I do leave my pet at a pet-care while travelling to distant locations for longer days but I would rather have Butlee by my side, her olfactory senses working overtime on gathering as much information as it can, of all the places she has been to.