Honestly, when is summer not on our minds? As we reach the midpoint of spring, those warm sunny days of summer are incredibly close. What plans have you made for the good ole American Road Trip? It’s a thought that always crosses our minds… But this year, make it a Dog Road Trip year. Yep, bring our furry family members along and make it a summer of memories for our pets too.

Dog Road Trip Planning Guide

We love spontaneity as much as the next animal lover or dog, but when it comes to some (most) of our National Parks, reserving a campsite during peak times will be a challenge without planning ahead. If camping or visiting a National Park is the main destination or theme, you should check out one of our favorite website resources. Pet Friendly Travel has an in depth look at all of the National Parks and National Forests and what is needed for our dogs to join us as we admire their beauty.

Planning ahead cannot be emphasized enough.  One of us here at Advantek recently secured a campsite at Yosemite for Labor Day Weekend. They go on sale five months ahead of time and usually sell out within hours. The more popular destinations, if included on your list, usually book fast and need to be planned out well in advance to secure your time there.

National Parks aren’t on your list of destinations for a Summer Dog Road Trip? No problem. What excites you about the open road? Seeing the largest ball of twine (Kansas) in America? Or a fantastic Route 66 museum (Afton, OK)? How about driving into the never ending blue sky horizon? Or seeing mile and mile of farmland after mile? There’s something out there for all of us.

Sorry, rabbits, but it is not the best idea to take you on a road trip.

Basics First for the Dog Road Trip

• Is your dog road trip ready?
• Does your furry family member suffer from motion sickness? While some dog trips will be on straight roads, some camping adventures very well may be windy.
• Is the documentation in place? License and collar are up to date? Immunization records are taken with?
• Did you use a dog travel packing list? We like to think we remember everything, and maybe we do, but to make it easier here’s a solid list.
  • Toys
  • Leash
  • Blanket or sleeping cushion
  • Treats
  • Water and Food
  • Non spill dishes for food and water
  • Pest control (ticks & fleas e.g.)
  • Brush
  • Poop Bags
  • Remember that being able to secure your dog down within the car is a big safety necessity too.  The need to stop short or swerve will ideally never come about, but if it is necessary, severe injury can be avoided with the use or a crate or doggy seat belt.

Mother Nature Network has a great snippet on a newer idea, but one that shouldn’t be all too surprising.

They say, “While we’re talking about apps, you probably want to download a few more that will make road-tripping easier. Dog Park Finder Plus is a great app for locating a dog park or a dog-friendly park no matter where you are, and BringFido helps you locate these as well as dog-friendly hotels, restaurants, stores and even events. Basically, if there’s a place that’s dog-friendly nearby, you’ll probably be able to find it with this app. It’s a perfect app when you’re on the road.”

Almost every rest stop along the major highways has a pet friendly area for them to run around and do their business. If you choose to avoid the main roads, please ensure your dogs are getting exercise throughout the day wherever and whenever stops happen.

Go Pet Friendly has a great article about road tripping with our dogs.  One of their highlights is, “Keeping A Schedule: Maintaining your pet’s feeding and exercise schedule as much as possible during your trip will reduce any anxiety they may feel about being away from home, so allow for stops along the way to let your pet stretch, run, or burn off some energy – isn’t this what being on vacation is all about, after all?”

One other item to consider is the Advantek Pet Barrier.

The Pet Barrier is a secure way of keep your pet safe during many of your travels.

Go on now! Get planning! There’s so much to see out there and the road is one of the greatest ways to go exploring. Bringing our dogs along to ensure our entire family is along for the ride makes the experience whole.

Let us know where you’re going!

And have fun!

Happy Earth Day 2016!

April 22nd is Earth Day 2016 and it happens once a year, but it’s meaning should be recognized every day. 

But What Does It Mean For Our Pets?

There are many things that can be done on the individual level in regards to keeping Mother Nature healthy, and a lot can be done in regards to our pets. For Earth Day 2016 consider these many options.

Petcommunitycenter.org has compiled a great list on how to get started. This is their post from last year. We can apply these to our Earth Day 2016.

They wrote…

Take a Walk With Your Dog

What better way to commune with Mother Earth than by getting outside and surrouding yourself with nature. Take your dog to a dog park and let him roam free, or take a longer-than-usual walk around the neighborhood. Explore a new walking path or spend a few hours at a neighborhood park.

Buy Green

Do a little research to find and purchase eco-friendly pet products that are made by companies using sustainable practices and materials. This can go a long way to limit both your and your pet’s carbon footprint. Check out Nashville-based earthdog.com, makers of eco-friendly hemp collars, leashes, harnesses, beds and chew toys.

Make Spring Cleaning Count

Instead of throwing out those gently used pet toys, blankets, leashes and beds, donate them to a local shelter or to a family or older neighbor who might not be able to afford new items. Not only will you be helping our furry friends and fellow animal lovers, but you’ll be keeping those items from ending up in our landfills.

Spend Earth Day With Your Friends and Neighbors

You and your pets are invited to Centennial Park on Saturday, April 18, to celebrate Earth Day Nashville. There will be live music, a beer garden, and a reuse arts and crafts village, sponsored by Turnip Green Creative Reuse. This year’s festival will help the community take another step toward Mayor Karl Dean’s goal of making Nashville the greenest city in the Southeast.

Read All About It

For more Earth Day ideas, check out the annual Green Issue of Nashville Paw magazine. You’ll find directions for creating an eco- and dog-friendly backyard retreat as well as a list of dog-friendly adventures in and around Nashville that will help you explore the city’s greener side.

 We Can Also…

Follow these wonderful ideas for Earth Day 2016 from adoptapet.com. They wrote these ideas a few years ago and each one still holds true to this day.

They wrote…

Earth Day 2012 is April 22 and will be on that day for the next 22 years. Every year more and more events are held on Earth Day worldwide to increase awareness and appreciation of the Earth’s natural environment. So what can you do if you’re a pet lover to enjoy Earth Day and reduce your pet’s pawprint? Your pets can have a huge impact on the environment, and aside from buying natural and recycled products for them, and shopping at a shelter or rescue’s thrift store, below are four ideas I have for easy ways you can help lessen the negative impact your pets can have on our planet. You can use these not just on Earth Day, but every day!

1. Pick up after your dog
Dog poop pollutes if it is not picked up & properly processed.
Make sure to use biodegradable pick-up bags.
Take it up a notch: Install a dog-waste mini septic tank.

2. Pick up after your cat
Scoop into paper lunch bags or biodegradable dog pickup bags.
Use a recycled, biodegradable cat litter: my favorite is Yesterdays News from Purina. (Available at PetSmart and online.)

3. Protect wildlife from your pet
Keep your cat indoors, on a harness, or in a catio.
If you hike with your dog off-leash, train him to come when called, even if he sees a rabbit or squirrel.

4. Adopt a “recycled” pet!
Pets at shelters and rescues can become your recycled pet! Someone careless may have thrown away their pet, but that doesn’t make them any less valuable or wonderful as your “new” family friend.

And…

It all comes down to the idea that what we can do for ourselves we can do for out pets.

Biodegradable poop bags? CHECK.

Reusable Tote Bags for purchases for our furry family members? CHECK.

Being out in Nature? Walks in the Park? Exercise outside? CHECK.

Grain Free Food = Less Poop? Yes! That is an option!

Eco-Friendly toys? Yes! Those too!

Did You Know?

For Earth Day 2016, think outside the box. Some urban areas allow pets on public transportation.

There is some much we can do to aid in keeping Mother Nature happy and healthy. Click Here for internet search results on what more we can do as Earth Day 2016 approaches.

What are your ideas?

Share below.

Happy National Poetry Month!

Aside from many other designations, April is also National Poetry Month.

Well, while the above might be advisable, April really is National Poetry Month.  We want to take advantage of this space and time to realize one of our biggest muses, what inspires every day to write and love. Yes, our pets.  How many of you have written a poem about your pet dog, or cat or hamster? As a child i’m sure most if not all of us wrote about our pets, either for a school assignment or just because we love them and wanted to.  We will be posting across our social media channels poems dedicated to the wonder and joy that are animals.  Certain poets will most certainly be recognizable, while others may not be so mainstream.  Those non mainstream poets may or may not include some employees of Advantek.

Never considered writing about your furry family members before? Here are 15 prompts for writing about pets from Journal Buddies.

WRITING PROMPTS ABOUT PETS

1. Have children write a poem about their dream pet. There are no rules, here. Just fun. They can even draw a picture if they would like.
2. Write a story from the point of view of one of your children’s pets.
3. Describe your favorite pet. What do you love about it? If you do not have a pet, describe the one you would like to have the most.
4. Invent a brand new pet. What would it look like? How would you have to care for it?
5. Write a conversation you would have with your pet (or dream pet) if you could talk with animals. (You could even read passages from Doctor Doolittle to go along with this prompt.)
6. What if you had a pet like your favorite cartoon character? Who would it be? What kind of adventures would you have?
7. If you would like to have a pet, make a list of the things you would have to do to care for your pet. If you already own one, write a paragraph about how you care for your pet.
8. You can choose to be the pet of anyone in the world. Who would it be? What kind of animal would you be?
9. Which pets are the best? Why?
10. Let your students finish this story: “If I were a pet, I would be a _____, and I would….”
11. What would the world look like if cats acted like dogs and dogs acted like cats?
12. What if we kept wild animals for pets? Which one would you chose?
13. What would happen if you lost your pet? How would you feel? What would you do?
14. If someone were to care for your pet (or dream pet) while you were away, what things would they need
15. What would your day be like if you were a cat? Or a dog? Or a fish? What sorts of things would you do? What would be your favorite time of day?

Give some of these a try or come up with your own. And don’t forget to share. We love all things pets and look forward to reading yours! We may even share it!

What do you think? Do you have a poem about your pets?