Sharing your travel experience with the pet is always a pure pleasure. But at the same time, it requires significant preparations and precautions to provide absolute safety for both you and your canine. The market is full of various useful pet products aimed at all ways of traveling – by bike, car, plane, or on foot. Besides, their price can hardly overpass their safety benefits, so every dog or cat parent will find an affordable item. Today, I’d like to tell you about five best travel products that became my favorites and absolute necessity while traveling with the dog.
Dog Carrier
I think every pet owner possesses a carrier since, in the time of constant flights, this device has become salvation and pure necessity. Today, all airlines require the transportation of animals in specialized carriers that ensure their safety. A carrier may also be required to check into the hotel, travel by car, or visit the veterinarian. That’s why this product should become the first in my top.
It’s quite natural that demand creates supply. Therefore, if you try to look for a dog carrier, you will most likely drown in a variety of brands, models, materials, sizes, and so on. However, my life experience has shown that a good item should have the following characteristics. It should be reliable, durable, large enough for a comfortable trip of your pooch, aired, and viewed. It also turned out to be essential for me that it should be supplied with a tag where I could indicate my dog’s ID and my contact information in case of unforeseen situations. In any case, a properly selected carrier will be a profitable investment in the safety of your pet. And if you travel a lot on airplanes, then this is the first product that you should pay attention to.
Car Seat Cover
Yet we don’t travel by plane as often as by car, do we? And such trips can have a deplorable effect on the state of the car interior. Moreover, long trips to the forest or camping aren’t the only problem situations. Even a shopping trip with the dog, in combination with wet rainy weather, turned the backseat of my car into a mud mess too many times. But the solution was found quickly – a protective car seat cover. With a minimum investment of $40-50, I permanently got rid of stains on covers and significantly saved on cleaning service.
At the buyer’s choice, there are different models – covers for the trunk, backseat, or front seat. For myself, I chose a large backseat cover, which is attached to the backs of the front seats. This model not only protects against dirt but also ensures the safety of my dog, as he can’t fall into the recess between the rows of seats. Plus, many covers feature a slot for the seat belt or provide their own belts. All covers are waterproof and machine-washable.
Dog Bike Trailer
If you’re a great fan of cycling like me, do purchase this product. After a couple of long journeys, I realized that it’s quite difficult for my friend to make the whole way by himself. An Internet search gave me a great solution, and its name is a dog bike trailer.
The construction is quite simple – it is a pet cart for a bike that has its own wheels, safety leashes, mesh windows for ventilation, and overview. It is attached behind the vehicle and drawn by you. The trailer allows a dog to rest as long as he wishes while never interrupting the trip. It will also become a tremendous way-out for the owners of hyperactive canines that may run after passing cat or car and harm themselves.
Some models combine two carts in one body as they can be used both like bike trainers and joggers.
Dog Backpack
In hiking conditions, when you have to overcome distances on foot and in difficult terrain, the dog can become not only a companion but also a real helper. Thanks to special bags, you can entrust the transportation of some things (for example, his food, bowls, and others) to your canine.
The backpack is securely attached to the back of the pet with a special breast-band. The pack evenly distributes the weight of the luggage, without exerting excessive load on the back. Plenty of pockets allows you to arrange things conveniently and, if necessary, quickly access them.
The bag material is waterproof. It’s better to choose bright colors so that you can see your dog even at a great distance or behind trees. You can also pick up a model with reflective elements and an ID label.
Dog Travel Bed
Although the purchase of a separate dog bed for travel seems to many a waste of money, for my dog and me, this product turned out to be extremely useful. We tried all variants – an ordinary pillow, a soft pad, a warm blanket. But they all didn’t give enough heat, never appropriately washed, and were uncomfortable in transportation. Then I decided to try a special hiking bed. And the result pleasantly surprised both of us.
Firstly, the bed was soft and insulated, that is, it warmed the dog well at night and surrounded it with comfort. He stopped asking me to let him under my covers. Secondly, despite its bulk, it quickly folded, fixed, and took up much less space than an ordinary pillow. And thirdly, the waterproof material didn’t let the cover get wet, and was very easy to wash in the machine. This purchase solved all the problems with my dog’s sleeping place, and now I confidently recommend it to all pet parents.So, here is my list of top 5 best dog travel products that were thoroughly tested and approved in real trip conditions. Though I happened to waste money on useless things, none of these five disappointed either me or my pet friend. Hope this review will help you make your traveling much more comfortable too!