Dog Jaunt's new pet travel book is now out! Buy it, or learn more about it here. And please review it on Amazon!

Traveling by Virginia Railway Express with a small dog

The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) operates a commuter rail service connecting the Northern Virginia suburbs with Alexandria and Washington, D.C. The Manasses Line starts at Broad Run and Manassas; the Fredericksburg Line starts at Fredericksburg and comes into town by way of Quantico. VRE’s pet policy allows small dogs in carriers onboard: “Only small pets are allowed, and only if carried in closed containers. Trained guide and service animals assisting persons with disabilities are permitted at all times.”

For other posts about traveling with dogs on public transit, take a look at Dog Jaunt’s handy guide!

@dogjaunt: Dog Jaunt is now on Twitter

Sometimes I run across things that you might want to know about, but they’re not appropriate for a Dog Jaunt post — they’re brief, or local, or not quite on topic (like great chew toys for dogs, or an interesting convertible seat belt harness/leash product too heavy for dogs Chloe’s size).

It finally occurred to me that Twitter is the answer, so now I’m tweeting. Please follow @dogjaunt, and spread the word!

Tub faucet adapter for washing your dog

2004 Utility

Photo by Homz

No matter how short the trip, Chloe invariably becomes filthy at some point and requires a bath. Most of the time, it’s no problem, since nearly every place we stay has a shower — and with a small dog, a shower’s all you need. Pick her up and hold her under the water until she’s wet, set her down and lather her up, then pick her up and rinse her off. Easy! Every so often, though, we encounter a hotel room or a house that has a tub, but no shower. Washing a dog in a tub is a pain, so we’ve added to Chloe’s travel checklist and packing list a shower head on a hose that slips over a tub’s faucet and converts it to a handheld shower. It’s inexpensive and not terribly bulky — and it sure beats wetting your dog down and rinsing her off one mugful of water at a time. [5/15/13 I’ve removed the link because the product I bought is no longer available. Look in the comments below for a link to an alternative currently available on Amazon — sadly, it has very mixed reviews. (If that link doesn’t work, I suggest doing a search on Amazon for “tub faucet adapter.”)]

Orient-Express: No dogs allowed

I saw Murder on the Orient Express at an impressionable age, I guess — ever since, the Orient-Express train from London to Venice has seemed the acme of luxury to me. Someday I’ll go, but it won’t be with Chloe. The Orient-Express‘s extremely courteous Luxury Travel Manager tells me that dogs are not allowed on any of the Orient-Express trains (there are four in Europe and one each in Peru and Southeast Asia), or on either of their cruises (France and Myanmar). In fact, only “a select number” of the hotels in their collection have pet policies.

Pet Top water bottle adapter for dog drinking

entirelypets_2072_216046552I loved the idea of this adapter, and eagerly screwed it on to a handy bottle of Arrowhead bottled water as soon as it arrived. For the life of me, I can’t make it work well. You’re supposed to turn the bottle over and hold it vertically, with the top unscrewed as little as possible (while still allowing sufficient water through). Your dog laps at a ball which rolls and dispenses sips of water. It’s a large version of a gerbil water bottle, in effect, but in practice either not enough water comes out and Chloe loses interest, or some water comes out around the ball and a bunch more water dribbles onto her head (dampening her enthusiasm). Either way, it’s a bust. I was finally reduced to unscrewing the thing and pouring water into the palm of my hand for her to drink.

It’s a nice idea, but I’d spend your money on a Gulpy instead.

Amazon links:
Pet Top Combo Pack – Portable Drinking & Short Neck Adapter

Travel book review: Globetrotting Pets — An International Travel Guide

Published in 2003, this book is very useful but it’s starting to show its age. Be sure to double check the entry requirements for the countries you’re traveling to, and don’t be surprised if you need to get updated contact information. That said, I’m very glad to own Globetrotting Pets — the author gives you a good understanding of the kinds of documents needed and how to get hold of them, and generally reduces the task of preparing for international travel with your dog (and other pets) to manageable steps.

The first fifty pages give you an overview of the process, list useful resources, and offer suggestions about crates and carriers, pet identification, and preparing your pet for travel. The bulk of the book is a country-by-country list of pet import requirements, followed by tourist office and embassy contact information.

The entries aren’t perfect — the entry for Mexico, for example, states that a vaccination certificate is required, but does not mention that your dog’s rabies vaccination has to have been administered within the year preceding your entry into Mexico (even if your vaccine has a longer coverage). They do, however, give you an idea of the basic requirements for a particular country, and tell you where to go to get current details.

Amazon link:
Globetrotting Pets: An International Travel Guide

U.S. airline policies for pets as checked baggage

Since this blog focuses on traveling with a small dog, I’ve only provided you with a guide that sets out the main U.S. airlines’ policies for in-cabin pets. That’s how I travel with Chloe, and how I suspect most of you travel with your small dogs. However, I’ve created a chart for my other blog (Pet Carrier Reviews) that sets out the main U.S. airlines’ policies for pets as checked baggage, and I thought I’d let you know about it — sometimes your pet just has to travel in the baggage compartment.

Traveling by St. Louis public transit with a small dog

Photo by Andrei Niemimäki

Metro operates bus (MetroBus) and light rail (MetroLink) systems in and around St. Louis, MO. Only service animals are allowed on Metro’s buses and trains.

Madison County Transit (or “MCT”), operates a bus system in Madison County, IL, located to the northeast of St. Louis. MCT also operates a weekday express bus service connecting Madison County with downtown St. Louis, as well as a regional bus service connecting Madison County with MetroLink and downtown St. Louis. The customer service representative I spoke to told me that small dogs in carriers are allowed on MCT buses, for no extra fee.

For other posts about traveling with dogs on public transit, take a look at Dog Jaunt’s handy guide!