With everyone making sacrifices to adjust to the recent economy woes, travel by car has increased drastically and with a change in travel and vacation habits, people are taking their pets along for the ride.
Traveling with pets is easier with the availability of pet restraints at most pet stores, making the trip a safe one for your animal is high on your priority list. This serves 2 duties - keeping the pet away from you while you are driving and safely restraining your dog in case of an accident of sudden stop.
Make sure you break your dog in to the trip with small excursions a few months ahead of time. Most dogs take to riding in a car and enjoy it while others are fearful. Don't wait until your plans to go cross country end up in a miserable trip with out some short practice runs. If your dog gets car sick, speak with your veterinarian about medication.
Bring your dog's paperwork in case needed. You may run into an emergency run to an out of town vet or may need to show proof of vaccinations. Along with proper records, be sure your dogs have collars and identifiable tags on them along with being micro chipped. Losing a dog in a strange environment is difficult at best so do what you can to make identification available.
Make your dog as comfortable psychologically as well as physically - adequate stops to relieve themselves, enough stops for water and food, and all physical comforts. And bring some familiar bedding or toys to relieve the possible anxiety the dog may experience. It may be vacation time for you but your dog may have a hard time adjusting to the change in routine.