Earlier this month, we offered readers some tips on
traveling with your dog. We put some of those tips to the test recently when we took Izzy to Indianapolis for her first hotel experience.
At age two, Izzy is already a seasoned traveler, at least by car. In 2011 alone, she made eight trips to Lima (our hometown) and many other trips to Dayton-area dog parks and dog events. However, we had never stayed in a setting that was both unfamiliar to Izzy and to us.
We selected Indianapolis as the city to visit primarily because of its proximity to Dayton and our general familiarity with Indy. We read the
Indy Dog Blog to see if there were any “dog events,” we could take Izzy, too, but there was nothing scheduled. (Winter sure is a dull time for dogs in the Midwest!)
We also researched “pet friendly” hotels ahead of time and discovered that it would be hard to use a “you bid” hotel site (like priceline.com) because you don’t know the brand of hotel you’re getting when you place your bid and not every hotel allows pets.
We searched the Internet for other economical options and discovered that even some “pet friendly” hotels can become more expensive when they charge a pet surcharge for cleaning and damages. When we called a
LaQuinta, though, we were told that there would be no extra charge for our dog. We were able to book a king-size suite with whirlpool and no additional pet fees for less than $100 per night, just a few minutes outside downtown Indy. Score!
Our drive to Indy was uneventful. Izzy, being the seasoned car-rider that she is, slept most of the way there. When we checked into the hotel, we signed the pet waiver and quickly discovered we were not the only ones staying there with our dog. That made us feel reassured that we’d chosen the right hotel.
Izzy immediately took to being in a hotel. Even though she is not allowed on the bed at home, she had no problems jumping on this one and getting comfortable. Once again, we were reminded of how lucky we are to have a dog who can adapt quickly to most situations.
Izzy makes herself right at home in Indy.
Since there were not as many dog friendly things going on in the winter, we stayed in our hotel room a little more than we might usually. Since we were just testing the waters with Izzy, we really didn’t mind. We ordered pizza in our room one night. Plus, we did something we would normally do at home: drive around to see Christmas lights. We took Izzy with us, but again, she just slept. (“What? I can’t smell the Christmas lights. BORING! Zzzzz….”)
Now that we’ve taken Izzy to a hotel and know how she will react, we look forward to taking her on more trips to Indy and beyond.
Things we learned:
If you’re traveling with a partner, ask that person to check the room before bringing the dog inside. Check the floor and “dog-level” surfaces for items that might be tempting for the dog to chew or eat; move or remove them if possible.
The hotel we stayed at had a designated pet “exercise” area and had waste disposal bags, too. In the future, we’ll ask the hotel about this ahead of time since it was such a nice feature.
You should clean up after your dog immediately, but doing so in the dark can be a challenge. One smart couple we saw had a flashlight with them. We’ll be adding one to Izzy’s overnight bag for future trips.
Watch where you step. That flashlight isn’t only handy for picking up after your dog; it’s good for when others don’t pick up after theirs.
Make sure you pack things for the dog to do in the hotel room. Once the newness of the situation wears off, your dog will want to revert to old habits. Better to bring a Kong or a chew toy than to have your dog eat the remote!
How does your dog react to staying in a hotel? What additional tips can you share?
