Road Trips with Basenjis
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As usual, I was so preoccupied that I hardly took any pictures. The few I did take are under Member Galleries titles "Road Trip".
Thanks for the pics, sounds like all had a great vacation.:)
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O.k what kind of travel harnesses is everyone using. I bought on the other day, the kind that you can also use for walking and not only did it take me half an hour to strap my B in but it took him about half a second to wiggle his way out. I know it's not safe but my only option right now is to carry him on my lap. I do hold him tight but I really with there was another way. My car is small so a crate is not an option. What else can I try?
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Well, I could hardly believe it, but Lola was a perfect angel during our vacation
I was really surprised on how well or dogs do on vacations. we crate them both in the car and at the places we are staying when we go out.
They seem to be happy as long as they are with you.
Actually they get so much attention, they seem to have a bit of trouble once we get back, after all attention, everyone goes back to their regular lives which usually do not include them.
They seemed a bit sad & mopey for a bit.
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I have been taking Captain Jack on road trips almost since I got him. He loves it, once you get going. I don't crate him, because he just screams the entire time. We have one of those seat buckles, but he can't figure out how to sit with it on without getting completely tangled up in it and the seat belt itself.
For the holidays, we drove from Boston to Atlanta. Took two days. My husband drove the whole time and I was in the passenger seat. Wouldn't you know that within the first 15 minutes of being in the car, Jack figured out how to unbuckle the seat belt? I buckled him back in once, figuring it was just a fluke. 2nd time, I was like that's bizarre, and buckled him in again. The third time, I said forget it. He rode the rest of the way in my lap, usually curled up and sleeping. My legs fell asleep with the weight, but it was totally worth it. He was so cute!
I can't believe he figured it out! I am constantly amazed by how clever and smart these dogs are.
Robin and The Captain
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We take my 2 b's down to the Oregon coast and they love it.
All the family is sad when we get back.
I keep telling my 2 that the lotto win will make EVERYONE so much happier…
Laugh, until then, we can only vacation and enjoy it a couple of times a year. -
My basenjis travel with us all over. They all ride in their crates and once we are at near freeway speeds everyone quiets down and curls up for a nice nap. When we first got Nicky he would scream in the crate for the entire trip but we remained firm that he had to be crated in the car for his safety and ours and it did not take too many trips for him to figure out that riding in the crate in the car usually meant going somewhere fun.
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I take my Basenji's with me almost anytime I travel in the car, I won't subject them to a plane. They get a sitter if I have to fly, I have tried boarding and Solomon lost a lot of weight and I was not very comfortable about the boarding process. I allway's put a kennel in the back and allways leave a 6' leash on them anytime they are in the car. It make it much easier to control when you make stops. Mine don't get car sick but My daughters B allways got sick and we started giving a couple of ginger snaps and that as cured her car sickness. Best of Luck!
Glenn -
Riding free in a vehicle and riding with a harness.
For those of you that do not remember this or the people involved. There was an accident with a full size van and it's attached travel trailer that got hit with some high winds and rolled. 3 adults 1 child and lot's of senjis and 2 malmutes. All the dogs were in crates (kennel aire to be exact) and the crates were bungied down. All humans were wearing their seatbelts.
The only injury was an adult shoulder that got whacked when it hit the one childs childseat. The dogs suffered 1 torn toenail. No imagine that with a dog loose in a vehicle - the dog would be dead AND perhaps when the doggy projectile was flung forward - you would be too - killed by your own dog. Now imagine the dog in a harness hanging in the air upside down neck or back broken by the impact.
Folks I don't care how much they carry on you should have your dogs in a crate when you are traveling. They are not humans they are not playing car bingo - they our both our treasured companions but also our responsibility. You need to work with your dogs until you find a combination that works (like go in a crate and stop and the Dairy Queen - that works for me :))
Please crate your dogs AND tie down your crates.
Sorry - off my soapbox now.
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My Luxor has gone some 160,000 miles with me in trucks and other vehicles. He settles down after a couple hours, but I try to keep him awake so he's as tired as me at the end of a long drive. We're leaving for Fla. next week and will be looking for boarding in Austin, TX and Miami, FLA so dad can get out for some fun!
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So would you suggest the crate be in the front seat or in the back? The reason I ask is that I am moving in less than 2 weeks. I drive an SUV, but pretty much everything I own is going to be packed up in the back, so not only will it be cramped, but in the front he won't be as hot, which is something else that I worry about. Is there any danger in having his crate strapped into the front seat?
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I didn't even think about the airbag! I will try to pack everything in with his crate as close to the front as possible while still in the back. I have enough luggage and boxes that his crate should be secure, but I'll see about some bungee cords just in case. I'll just try to do a lot of switching around to see how to get him in the car as safe as possible. Hopefully he will not have to ride in the front.
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Can you situate the crate so it opens toward the rear passenger door and then pack around it? My husband always packs our vehicles by figuring out how where the crates need to be for the dogs and then packing everything else around those. Don't ask me how he manages to get everything in but he does.
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I drive a sport SUV, so it's only a 2 door. I think I am just going to put his crate where I think it needs to be, probably just behind the passenger seat, then pack around him.
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I drive a sport SUV, so it's only a 2 door. I think I am just going to put his crate where I think it needs to be, probably just behind the passenger seat, then pack around him.
That sounds like a good plan especially if ventilation is an issue. One thing I do in my car (if carrying a full load and only 1 crate because the venting/ac isn't super strong) is put the crate so it is center to both seats, as close to the front as possible…that way some of the vents blow right into the crate. As well, I have access to the crate door so that I can get the dog out thru the front if need be. Then I just pack stuff on all sides of the crate. I use bungee cords to secure crates in my car. In the summer I use wire crates in the car and in the winter I use the plastic vari-kennels.
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If air circulation is a concern - you can buy some crate fans at PetCo or PetsMart that run on batteries that help quite a lot.
Good luck in your move - I'm sure that because you are asking questions and getting opinions - you will figure out something that works for you both.
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I'm worried about the heat/ventilation because lately it has been so hot here that Cody is miserable if he is in the car for more than 45 minutes, and this is going to be a 5 hour drive. Last year around this time, when I made the trip just to visit, the a/c really didn't help much. I think it's just the humidity in NC, it's horrible. I just want it to be as safe and as comfortable as possible for him.
renaultf1, situating his crate behind and between the seats sounds like the best bet. Thank you for the suggestion.
dmcarty, thanks, and I will definitely look into the fans.
