[Dailydrool] Long trip with 4 hounds

[Michael Meckler via Dailydrool]

 From my own experience traveling with multiple hounds, I offer this 
long reply with what works for me. You'll be fortunate to have two 
humans around, which will make things considerably easier, though such a 
trip can be done with only one human.

I don't know whether the hounds will be crated, but mine are when in the 
car. For a long trip through unfamiliar areas, I would recommend keeping 
collars and leashes on the dogs while in crates in your van. Usually 
it's recommended not to have a collar and leash on a crated dog, but in 
this situation, the risk of a dog running off in an unfamiliar place is 
a greater worry than the dog getting harmed because the collar or leash 
got caught while in the crate. You'll likely be stopping at rest stops 
or fast-food restaurants for breaks along the way, and there may be 
distractions that entice or frighten your dogs. Having something to grab 
onto immediately once the crate is opened may save you the heartbreak of 
a lost pet.

I also recommend taking the dogs out one at a time during breaks. Yes, 
this is time-consuming, but this way you can concentrate on the one dog 
going out at that moment, allowing you to ensure that you have the dog 
under control the entire time and that you're certain the dog has 
relieved himself/herself and will be comfortable for the next few hours 
on the road. The other human can stay with the rest of the pack while 
each dog gets a break. Also, don't forget to pack water and a water bowl 
so that you can offer the dogs water during breaks.

Concerning a hotel, I would recommend booking a hotel in advance and 
preparing your trip with a stop midway (say, somewhere between Baltimore 
and Philadelphia). With four hounds, it's best not to feel rushed, and 
cutting the trip into two 7-hour journeys ensures you aren't pushed into 
having to leave the hotel early. (If you depart at, say, 8 a.m. on the 
second day, you'll get through the New York-area outside of rush hour.)

There are plenty of hotels that take pets, and most chains will indicate 
on their website whether a particular property allows pets. You'll 
likely have to pay a nonrefundable fee. In looking for a hotel, try to 
find a motel-style property with a direct entrance to a ground-floor 
room from the parking lot. This, in fact, should be a requirement, as it 
makes loading and unloading a lot easier.

My procedure for getting multiple dogs into a hotel room is as follows. 
Assuming the dogs are traveling in soft-sided crates, bring one extra 
soft-sided crate along. When you first enter the room, take that extra 
crate into the room and set it up. Then bring the first dog from the van 
into the room and put that dog in the crate. Then go back to the van, 
get the now empty crate and bring that into the room. (If the dogs have 
their "own" crates and are possessive about it, you can transfer the 
first dog back into his/her "own" crate, and the additional crate is now 
the empty one, though, generally speaking, Basset Hounds don't mind 
which crate they're in.) Now you get the second dog and put that dog 
into an empty crate. Then bring that dog's empty crate from the van into 
the hotel room. Repeat these steps with the other hounds, so that you'll 
end up with one empty crate still in the van, and four crated dogs in 
the hotel room.

Another important point: ALWAYS HAVE THE DOOR TO THE HOTEL ROOM CLOSED 
AND LOCKED WHEN A DOG IS LOOSE IN THE ROOM. With four hounds especially, 
chaos can easily ensue and someone can escape. And there should always 
be a human in the hotel room with the dogs. If one of you needs to check 
on something or run to a restaurant to pick up dinner, the other needs 
to stay with the dogs.

If there is a grassy area around the hotel, this will be useful for 
walks. Often a hotel that's not directly off the freeway but, say, a 
block away or, perhaps best of all, tucked away down a long drive from 
the major thoroughfare will provide the safest location for walking the 
hounds. Check Google Earth to see what the area surrounding the hotel 
looks like. With two people, it is possible to take all four hounds on a 
walk together, with each human holding leases for two dogs. Just make 
sure all the dogs have collars and leashes, and that the humans have 
control of those leashes, before opening the door to go outside. And I 
would recommend three walks during your overnight stay: one walk shortly 
after you've arrived and have moved all the hounds and your overnight 
needs safely inside the room; another walk late at night (11 pm) so that 
they'll be comfortable through the night; and again in the morning.

Pay particular attention to online reviews about the condition of the 
hotel and the safety of the location. Remember, you're only staying 
there ONCE, so pick a hotel based on safety and convenience. Often the 
least expensive option is NOT the safest one. And when booking the room, 
call the hotel directly to ensure that you can get a ground-floor room 
and that they know you are traveling with dogs. The hotel should find a 
room that may be on the end of a building, which will help avoid 
complaints if the hounds start yapping. (But please, quiet them down ASAP.)

Of course, you should keep your dogs from damaging the room in any way. 
And if a dog relieves himself/herself in the room, try to clean it as 
best you can. When you leave the room in the morning, make sure the room 
is tidy. I also take photographs of the room with my cellphone in case a 
dispute arises later about the condition of the room and the hotel tries 
to charge your credit card for damage to the room. I have never had a 
problem with a hotel claiming my dogs damaged the room (and I am VERY 
concerned to ensure the dogs are not doing a lot running around loose in 
the room), but I still take the photos just in case.

Keep in mind that even if your dogs aren't used to being confined in a 
crate for a long period of time, this trip is a RARE occurrence. It's 
better for the dogs to be safe, if bored, than loose. They'll have 
plenty of opportunities to run around in their new home.