Roving with Rover
A six-pack of items for your pet’s travel bag
More dogs are hitting the road today than ever before. According to a recent survey, almost one in five dog owners will be packing their pooches when they head off on vacation this summer. Life will roll along better for your pets if you add this six-pack of items to their bags.
- An “ID pack” for the itinerant dog
Before you hit the road, make sure your dog has a current rabies tag and an identification tag with your cell phone number on it. After all, you don’t want someone who finds your dog to call your home phone when you’re a thousand miles away. The tag should be securely attached to a collar that will not slip over the pet’s head. For added assurance, buy a nylon collar, and then write your phone number on it with a permanent marker. Bring a current photo of your pet, along with a printed description that can be photocopied to make posters if your pet gets lost on the road.
2. An extra leash
You’d be surprised how many times a leash is misplaced or mistakenly thrown out with the paper plates and other stuff from a picnic, or left under a hotel bed. Consider a space-efficient nylon leash, plus an expandable leash to allow your dog a little more sightseeing.
3. First aid supplies
Being prepared is the best defense against an emergency for you and your pet. Bring a “pet first aid ” kit along on your trip. This should include tweezers, scissors, cotton swabs and petroleum jelly, as well as any medications your pet needs. For insect bites, cuts or wounds, clip the hair around the area, clean gently with soap and water, and then apply a strong antibiotic cream. Get serious animal bites checked out by a veterinarian as quickly as possible to prevent serious infection.
4. A safe place to ride
When riding in the car, it’s not safe to have pets unrestrained. Not only are they a distraction to the driver, but they can also be a danger to themselves. You wouldn’t want them to become flying projectiles if you got into a fender-bender. “There have never been more options available for restraining pets safely and comfortably when traveling,” said Joe Fucini, a spokesperson for the Pet Supplies “Plus” chain. “We’re seeing a record interest in everything from pet booster seats to portable kennels in a variety of sizes. You should always pick a carrier that provides adequate ventilation to keep your pet comfortable. When you position a carrier in your car, be sure not to block the ventilation openings.”
5. Quick clean-up supplies
As every veteran pet traveler knows, dogs can get just as messy on the road as they do at home. The only difference is you won’t have your normal pet clean-up apparatus close at hand. So be sure to pack plenty of poop baggies, paper towels, pet wipes and some old cloth towels in case Fido goes swimming.
6. Familiar food and blanket
A sudden change of food can easily lead to intestinal problems even in pets that don’t normally suffer from motion sickness. So be sure to pack enough of your pet’s regular food to last your entire trip. It’s a good idea to get a portable feeding system that allows you to stock a large supply of food in watertight storage containers.
Just like people, dogs don’t live by bread (or kibble) alone. A familiar blanket and favorite chew toy can go a ling way toward comforting a homesick pet. Being away from home can be stressful for pets, so be sure to give them familiar items and some privacy whenever you can, while still keeping an eye on them. After all, a vacation should be relaxing for pets, too!
- rabies 狂犬病 : a serious disease of the nervous system that can cause death. Rabies can be passed on to humans by other animals.
- cotton swab 棉花棒 : a small stick with a small amount of cotton wool (= soft, white material) on each end that is used for cleaning the skin, putting on make-up, etc.:
- petroleum jelly 凡士林
- booster seat 加高座椅
- kennel 狗屋
- kibble 乾狗糧
- rove : to travel around at random, especially over a wide area
- six-pack : a package of six related items used together
- hit the road : to set out on a trip
- itinerant : traveling from one place to another
- projectile : an object that is thrown forward with force
- fender-bender : a collision between motor vehicles that causes minor damage 輕微車禍；不嚴重的撞車事故
- ventilation : the means of causing fresh air to enter and move around in an enclosed space
