[Dailydrool] Bringing Fido

[decadog at cox.net]

<A person can move with a dog.> Amen, Sister!  First, I'm not bashing people in truly difficult situations during this horrible economy. I could be there one day myself, with fellow rescuers saving my dogs. Unemployment is 15% here in Vegas, foreclosure still rampant.  People with Master's Degrees are working at McDonalds, if they're working at all. It's a tough gig now. Some folks moving in with friends or family are lucky to have found a spot for themselves and their children--much less their pets. From working with some relinquishers you can see how hard it is for them to give up their pets, most thank us repeatedly for helping. And, that's our job--just help the dogs and keep our pie holes shut, no matter what the circumstances. That being said...if it's just that they think it's too much trouble to move one or two pets, that bothers me (and I've been hearing the "moving" excuse for 30 years, through great economy times, too).  When we moved from Las Vegas to Tennessee 3 years ago, we took 9 dogs (2 of whom were blind). When we moved back to Vegas a few months ago, we brought 9 dogs--and added 2 parakeets to the mix. Was it a trip full of laughs? No, only laughing to keep from crying. Four long days on the road, 3 nights in motels, dogs crammed like sardines in the SUV, following my husband driving the U-haul full of our worldly possessions (not to mention watching the U-haul in horror as one tire blew out at 70 mph--knowing I could have lost my husband in that instant). Being looked at like we were a freak show at rest stops and motels. Who cares? It was only 4 days out of a lifetime of love with our pets. They just wanted to be with us. We had to rent  2 rooms each night to appease the Days Inn and Motel 6's we used. Our dogs were all troopers, even if they weren't happy about the inconvenience. Even the parakeets survived! Do I want to do it again anytime soon? No. ;-)  But, we are all grateful we had a home to come to. 
If a relinquisher's only problem is where to stay while on the road with their pets, tell them about www.bringfido.com  Before we started our trip we mapped out how far we'd go each day and then made reservations at places that would allow multiple dogs per room. Don't forget to request a first floor room when you have multiple pets-and always speak to the desk person at that motel (don't just call reservations) to make sure of their individual pet policies, no matter what BringFido says on their site. 
Darlene