Taking your furry (or feathered) friend with you on holiday can be an extremely rewarding experience. Keep you and your pet safe when you travel, and discover Australia’s pet-friendly accommodation.
Driving holidays
No matter how far you are driving with your pet, it is important for their safety (and yours) that you keep them adequately restrained. Car harnesses for dogs and cats can be purchased at your local pet store, and birds should have their cages firmly secured. It is also important that you never leave your pet alone in the car. The temperature inside a car can rise or fall to deadly levels within minutes, even on an overcast day with the window cracked open.
Some animals find driving stressful. This is usually because they have not been exposed to positive experiences in the car at a young enough age. If you get a new dog or cat, make sure you take some short trips early on—just remember to put towels down on the seats before you head off. If you do have a nervous traveller, try to create some positive associations with the vehicle. You might like to feed your pet their dinner in the car, or reward fearless behaviour with a treat.
Safety first
Before you leave on your trip, make sure that your cat or dog has a firmly-secured collar with a tag. The tag should have a number on which you can be reached during the trip, so your landline may not be the best choice. It is also a good idea to take a spare tag with you, just in case your pet loses their collar while you are away.
It is also important to make sure your pet is microchipped, as this can greatly increase your pet’s chances of being returned to you in the unfortunate event that they become lost during your trip.
If you are going somewhere away from major cities or towns, such as on a camping trip, you may wish to consider learning some basic pet first aid. It may save you a long drive and quite a bit of money. To learn more about pet first aid visit www.australianexplorer.com
Pet-friendly accommodation
Where once it was nigh-impossible to take your pet with you to a hotel or holiday house, now there are thousands of pet-friendly options all over Australia. www.wotif.com offers a list of pet-friendly hotels by location, www.stayz.com.au gives you information on all types of pet-friendly accommodation, and www.holidayingwithdogs.com.au offers a list, a search function and a route planner, to help you find pet-friendly places to stay on your journey. Holidaying with Dogs also publishes a book with even more listings than the website.
Can you recommend any great places to stay with pets?
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