Let’s get this out of the way: I don’t drive. So, if you’re thinking of planning a road trip with your dog, this is probably the first thing you need to have in mind. Thankfully for me, John takes care of that.
We tell everyone we meet that we bought a car because we wanted to travel down to Patagonia and back up to Colombia. While that’s mostly true, we also tell ourselves that the real reason behind our big investment was Mamba. We wanted to take her everywhere we could, and we couldn’t always do that without private transport.
So after a year (and a bit) of public buses and very expensive carpooling, we caved and bought the car she deserved. From day trips to Guatavita to weekend getaways in Villa de Leyva, the car has taken us farther and farther every time.
If you’re thinking of planning a road trip with your dog, here’s what you need to know.
THE GOOD
Her face when she hears the car unlock
I’ve never seen someone get so excited over the beep beep of a car lock. Seriously, I wish you could see her face. It’s almost as if someone had told her there’s a free, all-you-can-eat chicken buffet coming to town that night.
She’ll run circles around the car, get on her hind legs, and shimmy-shake by your feet, she’ll paw and bark at you because “hello?! what is taking so damn long to open the door to my car?!”
Of all the things I’ve seen, Mamba watching as the car door opens has to be in my top three.
Her little head poking out the window
Being a rescue, John and I are pretty sure that Mamba never had any experience with cars other than the constant running away from them.
And while she’s still not too keen on poking half her body out the window while we drive (thankfully for my sanity), she’s been slowly getting used to the idea that a little fresh, countryside air can’t hurt.
She’ll start with a paw, then a leg, and before you know it, she’s got half her head resting out the window. If planning a road trip with your dog is what this is all about, I’m down.
THE BAD(ISH)
There’s a lot more planning involved
We finally mastered the art of the dog travel bag – and it only took us about 5 tries to get it totally right.
While dogs are much more low-maintenance than us people, they also need to be taken care of. Nowadays, we have a bag for Mamba that’s ready and packed with everything she might need: her toys, her life-jacket, her snacks, and her sweater.
Our favorite gear bag is the Overland Travel Dog Bag.
It comes in a few different colors and has a compartment for pretty much everything. Plus, it also includes two collapsible bowls, which means we can leave hers at home and not have to worry about moving them around too much.
The tote bag lives in the car now, and it’s great to know that all her things are neatly packed away while we scramble to get our belongings together.
There is constant cleaning involved
Dogs are messy, right? So it comes as no surprise that a road trip with your dog will, at one point or another, be a messy affair.
Now that we’re seasoned road trip parents (haha), we’ve learned that there a few things you need to always keep handy.
01. The first thing is wet wipes. We use them to clean up everything from mud to water to the occasional sick moment. Our favorites (available in Colombia) are the Petys wipes. They’re fragrance-free, which is great for Mamba, and contain Vitamin E and Aloe Vera.
02. Then, we have the commonly-called pee pads, also by Petys. These guys have saved us on more than once occasion, and we always keep a pack in the car for emergencies.
03. A doggy water bottle. We love these because they’re super handy, and you don’t need to fidget around trying to pour water out into a separate bowl. Water is great to have if your pet ever feels a little bit carsick. Which leads me to…
THE UGLY
Dogs get carsick
I get carsick very easily. Like, very easily. I can’t be on my phone, I can’t try and read my Kindle, I need to be staring out into the road with the window cracked down. It sucks, but I’ve learned to live with it.
Mamba’s journey has been a little bit tougher.
We always thought she’d be a badass car dog. Sticking her head out the window, checking out the sights, perking up at the sound of unpaved roads. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case recently. Mamba went from 14-hour bus rides with no incidents to puking up a week’s worth of breakfast in a 40-minute ride across town.
We’ve been testing different methods and what seems to work the best is keeping her at my feet (or on my lap) with the window rolled down or the AC turned on high. No word yet on any Dramamine experiments – we’ll let you know.
Taking a road trip with your dog isn’t all rose-colored glasses and rainbows: there’s mud, there’s puke, and there’s the occasional scratched seat. But, damn, let me tell you one last thing: it’s totally worth it.
