Hey guys and welcome back to another blog! Today is all about packing for your doggos! As you might have seen in a previous blog post (here), we took Sweetpea and Loki to a super dog friendly place in Georgia called Jekyll Island. We are big fans of traveling with them whenever we can so I’ve become pretty organized when it comes to their packing situation.

Quick note: The flat lay photo above isn’t everything we bring, but the list below is! :)

PACKING LIST:

• Dog Food with measuring cup - I always measure out how much we need so I’m not over doing it or under doing it. I do typically add an extra days worth of food to the large ziplock bag (if it’s just for a weekend) or small food container (if we are traveling for a long time) for each dog incase we were to get stuck or something random happened that extended our trip.

• Dog bowls | 1 water to share and 1 food bowl for each

• Collars with tags that have their names and our phone numbers on them - I am the QUEEN of finding other peoples dogs and it’s so frustrating when owners don’t have any tags on their dogs. Please have your contact info on your dogs tags so if something were to happen they can be returned quickly.

• Harness - each dog has their own harness that doubles as their seat belt. When in the car we clip the leash to their backs so their necks aren’t being pulled but they will stay safe if we get in an accident. It also has a place to clip from the front if they start pulling on a walk.

• Leash - again, each dog has a leash that doubles as a seat belt. Each one is looped around my back seat head rest and clipped to each back part of their harness while driving. And, of course, also used as a walking leash.

• Hands free hiking leash and leash coupler - This is great for taking both dogs on a walk together. The hiking leash was given to us from a friend and it’s become one of our most used items. It goes around our waist, has a bungee leash which is AMAZING because Sweetpea is 70lbs and Loki is 50lbs so it’s absorbs a massive pull if they were to see something and pull hard at the same time, and a handy zipper pocket for keys, poop bags, etc.

• Poop bags and poop bag dispenser with hook to attach to belt loop or leash.

• Travel collapsable bowls and water bottle - If out and about I always bring the collapsable bowl with a bottle of water to keep them hydrated.

• Medication and pill pockets- your dog may or may not take medication but if they do, you can’t forget it and we always use pill pockets to disguise the medicine.

• Treats - I typically bring a few kinds incase they lose interest in one.

• Toys! - A variety that usually includes something to play with together (like the big rope pictured above) and an individual chew bone for each of them. Those are always great if they have to be left at the hotel alone and I don’t want them getting bored and up to no good. Better to be safe than sorry.

• Dog crate with blankets and dog bed- so crates might not be needed if your dogs are super well behaved like Sweetpea is, but Loki is an escape artist. He can get out of doors that have door “handles” instead of door “knobs” and he has even busted through single pane glass after seeing a cat in our front yard. He’s crate trained so it’s his happy place and we always fill it with blankets and a toy.

• Backseat cover - I didn’t have one of these for awhile and boy can you tell. My car has nail intents on the center console and dog hair was to the MAX before I got myself a nice backseat cover.

• Towel(s) - we always bring 2+ dog towels aka towels we don’t mind getting muddy or stained. They also come in handy to cover furniture and decrease the amount of dog hair you leave behind.

• Long cable tie out like this one - so again, this is usually for Loki only since he’s a runner and we don’t always use it. We originally bought the cable one so he wouldn’t chew through it as a puppy and only have it on him if he’s being supervised. It’s great for taking him outside and clipping it to itself around a tree or something sturdy so he can still run around but not run away.

• Life Jackets - each dog has their own life jacket. We always put it on them if they are on a boat or plan to do any lengthy swimming.

• Clean up - you never know if your baby might get sick or have an accident so a bottle of carpet cleaner and paper towels is brilliant if needed.
  
  

TIPS:

• if you’re staying in a dog friendly hotel, but are nervous your dogs might bark hearing every person walk by, door shut, new sound, etc - I HIGHLY recommend turning the tv on at a decent volume.

• We always put the do not disturb hanger on the door so the cleaners don’t come in while we aren’t there. I don’t want to worry about Sweetpea wandering out of the door or the dogs scaring the heck out of them. Although are dogs are super sweet, a lot of people are scared of dogs so I just avoid making the cleaning staff uncomfortable and we will just ask for anything extra like towels and toiletries if needed.

• Look for dog friendly restaurants ahead of time so you get optimal time with your furry babies.

Do you have anything else to add to the packing list or any extra tips? Please leave a comment below if so!

Also, if you’re looking to go somewhere dog friendly, I highly recommend Jekyll Island. We had such a great time!