Traveling for work, business, or pleasure can be so much fun. However, it can get pretty lonely if you’re going alone. What’s worse is when you have to leave your beloved pet behind.
You probably miss your pet a lot when you travel
Most people with pets, say dogs, tend to have a little separation anxiety, a psychological condition where a person experiences extreme anxiety due to being separated from something they are familiar with, when they travel without them.
Non-pet owners might not understand why you’d feel that way about an animal. Having a dog or any pet is like being a parent. No one in their right mind would be okay with just leaving their baby alone or with another person for a couple of days. Even the dogs miss their owners when they travel without them.
To cope with the anxiety, you need to prepare yourself and your dog before traveling
First, find a trustworthy pet sitter to take care of your dog while you are gone. For a more luxurious option, you can check your dog into one of those fancy pet hotels where they will be sure to have a ton of fun.
Also, your local vets can take your dog for a while. Most vets have groomers and they will be able to hold the dog for a while.
Regardless of all the preparations you make for where they will stay, you still need to prepare yourself and them emotionally beforehand.
To do this, you need to spend a little extra time with your dog doing all the fun things you both enjoy doing. Then, send them off with items that they are familiar with so they don’t feel too out of place in the new environment they’re going to.
Alternatively, you could get a house sitter who will take care of your house and your dog. That way, your dog doesn’t have to leave the house he’s used to.
Lastly, keep steady lines of communication open. Even if they stay at home, it will still be very good for them if they could hear your voice or see your face via video calls. [1]
Irrespective of all the plans put in place, you and your dog will still miss each other dearly. However, put the above plans in place and the process will be much easier.
Quick question, why do most people travel without their pets?
The short answer is ‘logistics.’ Imagine you have a big Rottweiler. Just imagine the stress of getting him to the airport and onto a plane. And what about the hotel you’ll stay at. Most hotels have a no dogs or no pet policy. You might wonder why that is.
Most hotels don’t allow dogs in for the following reasons:
1.Dogs bark
Imagine trying to sleep at night in the hotel you paid top dollar for, only for a dog in the next room to be barking non-stop. That doesn’t make for a very good night’s sleep.
2. They can get rowdy
And sometimes they can get destructive. Tearing and scratching at different surfaces, or worse, ‘pooping indiscriminately.’
3. Allergies
Some people are allergic to dander, the tiny flecks of shed skin which can collect on furniture and other surfaces. These can cause allergic reactions leading to swelling and itching of membranes, blocked sinuses, and red eyes. [2] Hotel guests and management would not appreciate any of that.
4. Fleas
There’s a real chance that dogs could spread fleas around the hotel. These pesky pests are transferred from the pets to the beds and furniture they sleep on, and can lead to a serious infestation.
5. Big dogs can be a little scary
They can also just a little mean to people who they don’t recognize. So, when they come across guests in the lobby or the hallways, they could cause the poor people a fright.
What are dog lovers supposed to do if their dogs won’t be allowed in a hotel?
There are several options available. First, you could decide not to travel with them. Remember the tips above on how to deal with that scenario. Secondly, you could look for pet-friendly hotels so you can be able to travel with them.
There’s a third option
You could stay at the Home2 Suites by Hilton Biloxi North/D’iberville. This option works for more than dog owners. It also works for people who don’t have any dogs waiting for them at home but who wouldn’t mind having one.
The extended-stay hotel in Mississippi has been running a program called ‘Fostering Hope’ since October 2018. They get dogs from the Humane Society of South Mississippi to the hotel. The hotel guests are free to foster any dogs they choose to during their stay in the hotel.
The comfortable hotel that is just minutes away from the white sandy beaches on the Gulf of Mexico is a dream to stay at.
However, the sales director of the hotel, Teresa Johnson, noticed that despite all the amazing stuff they had, something was still missing. “We’re an extended-stay Hilton branded property. We have a lot of extended-stay guests with Keesler Air Force Base, Ingalls Shipbuilding and other supporting industries. I could see that our guests were lonely, and I wanted to fill a void for them and at the same time help our community,” she said.
More than just bringing the animals and guests together, she also figured she could do something to help the community at the same time. And with that realization came the birth of the Fostering Hope program. [3]
It goes beyond fostering the pets during the duration of their stay. The guests also have the option of adopting the dogs afterward.
Since the inception of the program, more than 60 dogs have been adopted. Also, it’s not just the guests that are adopting the dogs. About four staff members have adopted some of the puppies for themselves.
What’s more? The presence of the playful creatures makes for a very happy work environment at the hotel. [4]
The humane Society of South Mississippi is totally on board with the program. They have more dogs than they can cater for, so, it was a welcome reprieve when the hotel brought up the idea. And it made a lot of sense for all the guests who stay for a long time at the hotel.
According to Bianca Janik, Relations Manager of the Shelter in an interview with USA Today, “They have a lot of transient guests who stay for months at a time near our army and navy bases and that’s just enough time to fall in love with a dog. Teresa thought they needed to set their hotel apart and this was it. She wanted to have the business more involved with the community. It was a very out-of-the-box way to find our animals’ new homes so we were on board.”
For the guests to adopt a dog, it’s a very simple process. All they need to do is fill out an application and pay a token fee of $50. The dogs are prepared and given up-to-date medical care before being sent off to their new homes.
In the United States, the number of dogs living in shelters and those being ‘put down’ is staggering
According to national estimates, about 6.5 million companion animals go into the United States animal shelter yearly. Of this number, 3.3 million are dogs. Also, 1.6 million of them are adopted while 670,000 of these dogs were euthanized yearly. [5] These figures, especially the thousands that are euthanized, are shocking.
Statistics like that make what Home2 Suites is doing all the more impressive. If more hotels can set up such programs, at least that will be one less dog living on the streets, shelters, or being put down.
As for you dog lovers, now you’re aware that such a program exists, perhaps you could plan a trip to Mississippi for the sights and the dogs.
Who knows, you could fall in love with one and get yourself a furry new best friend.
References
- “How to Prepare Your Dog Emotionally Before You Travel Without Them.” Rover. Editor. Accessed March 13, 2020.
- “Pet Allergy: Are You Allergic to Dogs or Cats?” AAFA. Editor. Accessed March 13, 2020.
- “This Hotel Lets Guests Foster Dogs During Their Stay, And At Least 33 Of Them Have Been Adopted Afterward.” Bored Panda. Rokas Laurinavičius and Denis Tymulis. Accessed March 13, 2020.
- “A Mississippi hotel lets guests foster dogs during their stay and now more than 60 have found forever homes. Insider. Haven Orecchio-Egresitz. Accessed March 13, 2020.
- “Pet Statistics.” ASPCA. Editor. Accessed March 13, 2020.
