We’ve all seen those horror stories on the news and on Facebook about those poor dogs who die in hot cars every summer. Most of us, I hope, know that leaving a dog in a hot car is a bad idea. But what do you do when you just HAVE to stop and can’t take them into a store with you?
I do a lot of solo traveling and road trips with my dogs. For a good amount of the year, a parking spot in the shade and some cracked windows are sufficient, but NOT during the summer. So what then?
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How to Road Trip with a Dog in the Summer… SAFELY!
During most of the year when the temperatures are comfortable, stopping on a road trip is not a big deal and a lot of these tips aren’t as relevant. In our part of the globe, however, summer temps can hit and even break 100 degrees for months at a time. This is when having a good game plan in place for road trips with your dog is a really good idea.
Travel with a friend
The best option when traveling is to have a second person with you, if possible. This way, if you need to run into the gas station to use the restroom or grab a drink, you have a second person to stay in the car with your pups in the air conditioning.
Take Turns
If you do travel with someone else, take turns running into mini marts, bathrooms, fast food restaurants, etc. This also makes it easy for one of you to take your dog(s) out to use the restroom and offer them water during pitstops.
Pack Smart
A cooler full of drinks and water for the dogs and a few snacks means less need to stop on the road.
Efficiency is key
If you’re like me, you don’t always have the luxury of bringing a second person on your road trips. When this happens and it’s hot out, I try to stop as seldom as possible to prevent leaving my dogs in the car. But you can’t just NOT use the restroom.
When I stop for gas and a bathroom break on the road by myself, I look for 3 things:
- Can I get/do everything I need in one stop?
- How busy are they? A busy gas station means longer waits at the register, and probably for the bathroom too.
- Is there a nice grassy area for the dogs?
Bring a Second Set of Keys
When I do need to stop on a hot day, I either bring a second set of car keys or I take my key fab off of my key ring so I can leave my car running in the parking lot. I park as close to the front door as possible so my car is in full view and lock the doors. This may make some people a bit nervous, but I generally travel during the day and find places where theft is pretty unlikely. Gas stations, for instance, are usually pretty busy and as long as your car is locked, theft is pretty difficult in plain view.
Leave your windows up and your AC on. Cracked windows and even a shaded parking spot are NOT enough.
*TIP from a friend: IF you’re worried that a good samaritan will think your dogs are locked in the car and about to die (if they don’t see your car is running or you drive an electric vehicle that’s practically silent) try this! Hang a dream catcher or a piece of streamer, paper, etc, in front of your vents to show that the air is running.Â
Have Water Available
When you do stop, fill up a nice big bowl of cold water for your pups to leave in the car. I bring a water cooler with ice in it to make sure we don’t run out on the road.
Pumping Gas
You obviously can’t leave your car running while you pump gas. If it’s REALLY hot, I try to pick a gas pump towards the middle of the station that’s full shaded and open my windows all they way while I’m pumping. If your dog is a flight risk, make sure they’re restrained in some way so they don’t take this opportunity to go on an unwanted adventure. This is also a great time to offer your pups some water.
Split long drives into multiple days
When I’m not traveling with a dog, I tend to power through a 10 hour drive no problem. Traveling with dogs means more time for potty breaks, exercise breaks, water breaks.. you get the idea. More frequent stops and longer stops mean a 4 hour drive is now a 5-6 hour drive and a 10 hour drive is just, well, not gonna happen. Instead, try to break up your longer trips into multiple shorter days.
Find a pet friendly hotel so you all spend less time in the car. Then once your dogs get to roam and sniff and pee on every bush outside, get them settled in the room and go get an actual dinner with real food. AKA something that wasn’t purchased at the gas station counter while you were attempting to pee, eat, get a drink and get gas in less than 5 minutes because your dogs were in the car.
Other Options
For an extra level of coolness, consider getting a cooling mat for your dog to lie on during summer road trips.
You can also get a spill-proof water bowl to give your dog constant access to water while you travel.
If all this seems like just too much effort…LEAVE YOUR DOG HOME OR WITH A PET SITTER 🙂 Happy traveling!
Getting ready to take a road trip with your dog? Check out our printable road trip gear list!
Do you have other tips for traveling on those SUPER hot days with your pups? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Thanks for reading,
Debbie & THE MUTTS
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23 Comments
REALLY great tips! I love the idea of brining a second key — how have I never connected the dots when I see people running their air conditioner for their dog?! Brilliant. I’m buying my first car this fall, and have already been wondering how I’m going to tackle this issue. These tips were actually really helpful and I’m so glad I stopped by!
I also love the idea of a cooling mat in the car — we have one of the apartment but that is so smart.
Nice tips. Hmm not sure about the leaving the car running where I live however I understand exactly why. Kuddos to you for that. Helpful tips for the hot days ahead. I like your friends idea about the streamer /ribbon trick. I never would have thought of that.
These are all such great tips Debbie! My husband and I travel a lot with the dogs so we don’t have the issue of leaving the dogs in a hot car, thankfully. I love your tip about having a cool mat with you in the car, what a great idea! We have a cool mat at home for our Husky Icy and it’s been super helpful. I never thought about using it in the car or taking it along on trips so thanks for that tip. I like the tip about putting something in front of the air vents so people know the A/C is on & the car’s running. Another great idea. Sharing!
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
These are really fabulous tips. Summer safety is so important for our pets as well!
So important! Not just traveling tips but for the SUMMER HEAT! Ugh! Don’t leave your dogs in the car unattended, plan plan plan ahead! 🙂
YES! Extra keys! Brilliant! Also, LOVE the idea of hanging something in front of the AC vent for those good samaritans! A note taped to the window would be good too just as an added measure.
I love it. I especially appreciate the Efficiency is key part. I travel solo a lot, and you have to pee! People have criticized me for leaving Dex in the car for under 5 minutes to do it. I don’t enjoy doing it, but he’s not going to overheat in those 5 minutes, in the shade, with his cooling fan on him. Thanks again for this post.
We always pack a picnic lunch (kept in a cooler that plugs into the car to stay cold because we are health nuts so the food on the road in North America isn’t ideal and is never vegan and well… we don’t do fast food!) this means we don’t have to stop at the places most people do but rather we map out any local parks, national parks or hiking trails and stop there. Even just a nice lookout! It’s so much better! Also an option is to contact a local small B&B and ask to use their lavatory and say – front porch as a stop over spot. We search for “pet freindly” B&B’s and have found that for a small fee (often less than $20) they are happy to help out!
As for the hiking trails … there is a dry toilet or something at the parking area. We will often include enough time to enjoy a small hike if possible. Good for all of us to stretch! If it’s raining, we pop the trunk of the car open and use it as a covered picnic area!
Note; In Europe, Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica, Peru etc. it’s not an issue. Dogs are allowed inside.
This is great! A lot of these things I have never thought of before. I really haven’t traveled with my dogs, but I’d like to at some point. A printable list is a big plus.
I’ve had to do this many times. The trick is to FIND SHADE. Using a cool bed also helps if you can keep it out of the sun, then the air conditioner should keep it cool. Use drive thru’s for food and of course water for your dog. A last resort is to take him out of the car and tie him to a post in the shade. Only leave him for a few minutes and keep an eye on him if you can.
Important stuff! Pet parents are getting more savvy about this, however I appreciate the general public also policing it.
Well done.
I’ve often wondered what I’d do if I had to travel with the girls because I do live by myself. I like the idea of hanging something from the mirror in front of the AC vent so people can see it’s cool. One of the cat bloggers at BlogPaws had a sign she put in the window stating the AC was on and she was in the restroom.
There are some great ideas here. It’s obvious you care for your pet very much. I do like your friend’s tip on hanging something in front of the vent to people can tell you have the air-conditioning on. Good idea. Thanks for putting this post together for us. Safe journeys!
Great tips and an adorable pic, too! Fortunately, we usually take road trips as a family, so there are plenty of people to take turns staying in the car. Reading your article makes me want to get out on the road again…preferably when the weather is nice!
These tips are really good, and not least so important for the safety of the dogs! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the awesome tips. It is important to think things through and plan carefully, including what to do when things go wrong.
We think the second set of keys is a fantastic idea! We bet there are a lot of people who can benefit from that advice.
These are wonderful tips for planning a road trip with dogs. I usually travel with my family, so we do our pit stops in shifts. That way someone is always with the dogs.
I’m loving all of your tips! Right now, we’re a one car family so there’s always two people in the car when we travel. But we’re thinking of getting a second car and in Tucson, Arizona, I will definitely need to consider how I will travel safely with our pups if I am alone.
a great place to stop for a human bathroom break when traveling with a dog is Petco,Petsmart, Home Depot & take the dog in with you.
You know what, you are SO right! I never thought about that until this weekend actually. I took Roxie to Virginia Beach with me and we stopped at Petsmart on the way. Perfect time to stock up on treats and toys for the trip too! Great suggestion!
Well done, thank you. Like you I’m pro active, but I just learned some liable info. Definitely saving this
I’m so glad you found our post helpful! And good on you for being proactive about your dog’s safety when traveling. Feel free to sign up for our new mailing list for more tips and tricks about traveling and adventuring with dogs 🙂 Thanks for visiting.