Dr Carol, PAAWS, and VitaLife

12 million pets mostly dogs are expected to be traveling this holiday season posing all kinds of thorny hospitality issues for pets, as well as their owners and guests.  Veterinarian Dr Carol Osborne offers pet lovers great ideas for holiday trips and safety tips whether you’re traveling “Over the river or through the woods” with your 4 legged friends.

40 % of travelers with pets already enjoy pet friendly commercial venues and today the numbers of holiday travel sites available to pets are soaring. In the last 3 years, nearly 30 percent more hotels, motels, parks, campgrounds, resorts, designer boutiques and even neighborhood bars and airlines have opened up their doors. They actively court per lovers and extend their hospitality. That’s good news for people looking for the perfect pet-friendly vacation this season.

Top end hotels from the Ritz Carlton to the Hilton now welcome pets with open arms.
The W Hotel chain offers a canine-friendly Woof program which includes pet pillows with special treats placed on them at turn down time and gourmet menus prepared to suit a king.
Pets are also a social ice breaker and help spark up conversations making it easier for traveling singles to meet new people.

What’s the best way to plan your trip?

• Plan and prepare your trip ahead of time so you don’t find yourself in frenzy at the last minute
• Check out web sites dedicated to traveling with pets such as www.TRIPSwithPETS.com
• Look for vacation ads in pet related magazines & newsletters
• The AAA travel guides provide listings and the Dog Lovers Companion offers a series of books with inside information on where pets are genuinely welcome-www.dogloverscompanion.com
• If you think you might need a kennel on your trip- check the web for kennels American Boarding Kennel association-www.abka.com or for a pet sitter, try Pet Sitters International at www.petsit.com
• It’s always a good idea to call your hotel and be sure your pet is welcome.

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