Most pet parents find it heartbreaking to leave their pooches at a hostel or a creche while they leave for a vacation. And understandably so. It’s a terrible feeling to know that you’ll be having a great time while your pup slams it out in a creche. Thankfully, today, there are quite a few pet-friendly travel options that pet parents can explore. Among these are pet-friendly hotels. However, before you go on to book a hotel for a stay with your pooch, it is necessary to keep a few things in mind. Therefore, here is a list of tips and suggestions for staying in a dog-friendly hotel.
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Let us take a look at the tips for staying in a dog-friendly hotel
1. Plan ahead
Before anything else, you need to remember that taking your dog on a vacation is likely to make a dent in your bank balance. Most pet-friendly hotels levy extra charges to confer that option to their guests.
Therefore, you must have an adequate amount of research and planning to choose a hotel beforehand and you must be aware of the charges.
Moreover, take into consideration your pooch’s dietary requirements and restrictions before you set off so that you can either carry some food or make any other arrangements to make sure they don’t miss out on eating properly and adequately while on vacation.
Also See: Top Tips For Travelling On A Train With Your Dog
2. Book rooms on ground or lower floors
Unless your dog is well trained in peeing or pooping inside a bathroom when it feels the need to, you must take a room from where the ground is easily accessible.
This will make it easier for you as well as your dog when heading out for urgent toilet breaks and walks.
Moreover, it also makes it easier for you since you won’t have to deal with people who are afraid or don’t like dogs (still not clear on how that works) as much as you would have to if you were staying on the 10th floor and had to use the elevator to go downstairs.
Also See: Why Does My Dog Sleep So Much?
3. Acclimatization
Most of the time, dogs being territorially possessive animals, entering foreign territory will result in a fair amount of discomfort. To keep that to a minimum, let your dog scope out the room you choose to live in well enough so that it gets a lay of the land.
Be sure to allow your dog to check out the areas you’ll be walking in so that your dog can assess them. This goes a long way in ensuring that its stay is as comfortable as yours.
4. Make sure your dog listens to you
One of the prime reasons many hotels do not allow pets in the rooms is because pet parents are not diligent enough when it comes to maintaining hygiene and cleanliness.
If you take your pooch to a hotel, its actions and messes are as much your responsibility as your child’s actions and messes would be.
Similarly, if your pooch tends to be aggressive and neurotic, it becomes your responsibility to ensure that nobody gets hurt or inconvenienced in any way.
Cleaning up after it and ensuring that hygiene and behavioural standards are up to the mark go a long way in promoting the pet-parent community’s interests and hopefully inspiring more hotels to follow their counterparts in making them pet-friendly.
Also See: Why Do Dogs Like Being Petted?
5. Do not skimp on their exercise
We can afford to unwind and take a break from our workout routines but dogs cannot. The two main reasons are that dogs need to be physically active to live a long and healthy life, more so than humans, and ensuring they get plenty of exercise goes a long way in keeping a dog content and calm in a foreign environment.
Often when they do not get enough exercise, it results in moodiness and loss of appetite, neither of which is desirable, especially when they are on vacation with you.
6. Keep your pooch updated on its vaccinations
If your dog gets into a fight with another dog, it is crucial to ensure that it is up to date with its anti-rabies and other diseases which are prevented by appropriate vaccines.
Even if your dog accidentally scratches or bites another person, ensuring that your pooch is vaccinated goes a long way in preventing legal issues and appeases the minds of any affected people.
7. Look up restaurants that allow pets
Naturally, while on vacation you will be eating in restaurants. Most hotels have policies that don’t allow pets to be left alone in the rooms. Moreover, leaving your pooch alone in a new and foreign environment is a bad idea anyway.
Also See: 5 Signs Your Dog Needs An Emergency Vet Visit
8. Carry appropriate pet-gear
Depending on where your holiday destination is, be sure to pack the appropriate gear your pooch needs. For example, if you plan on scaling hills while on vacation, it would be useful to carry a good quality harness, leash, and a portable water bowl for your pooch to take water breaks as and when necessary.
If you choose to go to a cold location, your pet must have the appropriate winter wear to ensure it stays warm and comfortable. Further, if you choose to take a trip into nature, carrying anti-tick sprays and the likes of such would ensure keeping your dogs safe from the menace of ticks and fleas.
Conclusion
If you follow the tips in this checklist, you have most likely taken care of it all. However, before you leave for a vacation, be sure to consult your vet and research the availability of veterinary support at your destination.
It would be helpful in the case of any unfortunate medical emergency that you may face. Having said that, we hope that your hotel stays with your pooch and ends up being times that you and it will remember for the rest of your lives.
