Driving with Dogs
This is my dog, Snow (2003-2019), all buckled into the Pearl Princess the day I drove my Honda CR-V home from Howdy Honda in Austin (they used this image on their Facebook page). Snow was a seasoned cross-country passenger.
Fur babies are family, and like human family members, you’ll probably have yours riding in your car at some point.
My late dog, Snow, rode with me during my first ever solo cross-country drive from Texas to Pennsylvania in 2012. In the years I had her, I stuck to cross-country driving because she had separation anxiety and did not do well in kennels (or away from me). While she did not travel well in the car as a puppy, she fortunately outgrew it and was a great travel buddy.
I focus on dogs here because, based on what my friends with cats have told me, traveling with them should generally be limited to transporting them from one home to another rather than cross-country trips. I am not a cat person and I’m allergic, anyway, so if my cat-loving friends want to contribute or elaborate, please contact me.
First, Let Me Introduce You to Snow…
Snow was a miniature American Eskimo and one of the loves of my life. I adopted her from my sister in 2011 and was her mama until she passed suddenly at age 15 on 30 March 2019.
An extraordinarily beautiful dog with a fluffy white double coat, Snow got attention wherever we went, though I had to make sure that people did not mistake her cute face as an invitation to pet her. She really didn’t like that. You only petted her when she gave you permission. And she didn’t grant that often.
She was a one-human dog. Of course, that human was me. Snow was my baby princess, and she made it clear to others I was Mama and the center of her universe. When I was not at work, I was with her. Every day, I sang to her from a personalized song catalog that could have filled a couple Broadway shows. Some of my favorite moments with her were when she demanded tummy rubs and snuggles.
When she died, I was left with a massive black hole in my heart and home. I could not eat in my home for a week because I expected her to come beg for a bite of my meal. It’s six years after her death as I write this in May 2025, and I still sometimes cry when I think of her.
Dog Road Travel Tips
At around 17 pounds in the final half of her life, Snow did not meet the size requirements for plane cabin travel, and I would never allow her in cargo. Aside from a couple of very short work trips to California that required I kennel her, air travel was not an option for me.
Lodging
Snow finds peace in a hotel room during one of our road trips.
Many hotels welcome dogs, so I had little trouble finding a hotel that welcomed her, even when I needed to book a stay at the last minute.
My favorite hotel chains when I was traveling with Snow were (with pet policies linked):
La Quinta: Most La Quinta hotels welcome dogs (sometimes for free), though some properties may charge an optional fee. La Quinta belongs to the Wyndham Hotels, which includes other hotel chains that have pet-friendly options.
Staybridge Suites: For long-term stays, I usually opted for Staybridge Suites, which is one of the pet-friendly options of the IHG hotel group. They typically require a pet fee (which varies by location) that covers cleaning. However, most have designated potty areas. Candlewood Suites and Holiday Inn are also IHG hotels that welcome pets on most properties (for Holiday Inn, check with the property first).
Other major pet-friendly hotels by group include (all links go to their lists of pet-friendly hotels):
Comfortable Car Ride
I firmly believe dogs should be secured in a vehicle. Anytime Snow was in the car with me, she was always in a harness that I could run a seat belt through when she was in the front seat for shorter trips.
For longer trips, ensuring Snow’s comfort in the car evolved over time, but I eventually got it to where she was secure in the car with room to sleep and stretch her legs for long trips.
I did this by reserving the entire back seat just for her. I would install a back seat extender (or hammock) that provided comfort, cover for the seat, and room on the floor for storage. This also prevented her from being thrown to the floor during sudden stops. To keep her secure, I installed a dog zipline for cars that included a leash that attached to her harness. It included hooks for attaching the zipline to a sturdy anchor point. I kept a water bowl handy on the seat; I found one ideal for travel that would not spill or tip over.
I never let her go more than a few hours without a potty stop. Most rest areas and truck stops have dog potty areas. Of course, I made sure I had enough bags so I could pick up after her.
Hotel and House Stays
Due to Snow’s separation anxiety and behavioral issues, I learned a lot about traveling with a dog with special needs. I had to manage our stays very carefully.
When I arrived at a new location, I found that staying with her there for a few hours made her feel comfortable that I was not going to leave her. I made sure to put her food and water bowls out immediately plus a few toys with the goal of communicating to her this is where Mama and Snow were staying.
If I went out immediately and left her, she acted out and barked loudly and scratched furniture, so I had to make sure to get her and the essential luggage into the room right away (I could get the rest of the luggage after she settled in).
When leaving, things worked best when I was able to put Snow in the car first, then go back for luggage so she was sure she was leaving with me. On hot days, this meant timing departure for first thing in the morning when the car wasn’t likely to get hot.
Finally, When Am I Getting Another Dog?
I get asked this question frequently. I love dogs so much, but since Snow’s death, I have been content to love on the dogs in my neighborhood and the ones I meet on my travels. I keep a bag of treats handy for them, and several of the dogs now get very excited when they see me because I’m the Treat Lady.
A year after Snow died, I started my cancer journey, then I got laid off a few years later. With me figuring out life on a different trajectory and spending years cleaning up so much psychological dust, it has not been a good time to welcome another dog.
I have a particular love for miniature American Eskimos, and I hope one day to have another one when life settles down for me (preferably a retired show dog).