Vehicle dwelling with your fur-baby is an epic experience.
It takes a deep understanding of your pet and strong communication skills for everyone to stay happy.
It’s not always easy, but keeping some basic preemptive thoughts in your mind will help you work through it.
Spending time together, isn’t that the whole point? Dog owners know the struggles of finding dog-friendly activities in towns, so the idea of finding them in new locations can be daunting. But that doesn’t make it OK for you to leave Flufferbutt in the car for more than he has to be. I understand certain people may not have a choice, but for the rest of us that elect this lifestyle, I plead that you follow these protocols.
- Always leaving windows cracked open
- Access to water
- Never leave them in the vehicle for more than necessary
- Pay attention to their potty schedule
- Be conscientious where you park, shaded, secluded, quiet areas
Now, that’s done with, here are a few things I don’t leave without.
I LOVE THIS THING. Must have, throw it in the back seat, doesn’t spill, holds plenty of water for my Golden Camel.
Especially crucial in the truck, which has the half-sized seats in the back. I prefer this style (to those hammock fabric ones). It gives them a solid base to get up, stretch, and move around. I put a blanket down and leave the spill-proof bowl right on here.
Indy’s travel bag
Does he have his own personal monogrammed bag? Sure does! That makes it easy for me to keep all his stuff together. You can get into almost anything living on the road (skunks anyone?), so be prepared for anything.
In his bag, things I always use:
Poop Bags
Waterless shampoo
Biodegradable shampoo
Towel
Brush
Ear cleaner pads
Flea/Tick/Heartworm Meds
Tick Twister
Scissors / Nail trimmers
Treats
He also has a separate bag for all his hiking gear. I keep it all together and let it stay smelly because it keeps the bears away (at least in my experience!)
Last storage item, but most important (and only important thing to Indy)
Food Storage.
I use the Vittle’s Vault, 30 lb. I can attest this will keep the food air-tight, so no smells escape, and no critters get in. I keep the measuring cup inside, along with his glucosamine. Bungee it to the side of the truck, slide in the food bowl next to it, and you’re ready to go.
I remember before we were heading out on the road for the first time, I couldn’t fathom what it would be like living out of the truck with Indy. I can now say for certain; you learn as you go – as hard as that is to hear! I would manage to find dog-friendly places easily (thank you Google reviews), and I made sure to have a time limit if I had to leave him for a little bit.
One example; we were leaving Minnesota and passing the Mall of America. I had to see it after hearing about it my whole childhood. So I made sure he was exercised, had plenty of water, parked in a far back shaded corner, cracked the windows (it was a chilly 50-degree day), and I ran around that mall in less than an hour. He was good as gold (no pun intended…or was it?), and I managed to get us some Lush and dinner for our bonfire that night (you got me, Lush was for moi).
So just an example of how I made it work where we both we happy, safe, and healthy!
Mainly this is how car camping worked for us! I wanted to share for other hopeful dog-car-camp adventurers to be.
Stay safe and enjoy the ride!
Cheers,
xx Katie
