ACCORDING to the trusty poindexters over at the Travel Industry Association, just 14 percent of adult Americans have traveled with a pet on a trip of 50 miles or more in the last three years – a doggone shame, according to Daphna Nachminovitch.
You’d think an organization like PETA, where Nachminovitch is a director, wouldn’t want your pet under any stress whatsoever. Not so.
Turns out, the biggest animal-lovers in the world think hitting the road with Whiskers is a fine idea.
“We absolutely encourage travel, as long as your pet is actually comfortable and happy, and [it’s] not like Paris Hilton dragging around her chinchilla,” Nachminovitch says.
So eager to promote the concept is PETA, the organization has set up a site devoted to pet travel (helpinganimals.com/ travel.asp).
We’re eager to promote the concept too. Here, a few frequently asked questions answered.
Is my pet healthy enough to travel?
Check with your vet before you do anything. Besides getting up to date with vaccinations, you want to make sure your pet is age-appropriate (not too young or old) and not pregnant. They also shouldn’t have any respiratory conditions or other problems that travel would exacerbate.
“If you and your pet are traveling across state lines, you must obtain a recent health certificate and a certificate of rabies vaccination,” Salerno says.
In some cases, your pet might just be plain uncomfortable with staying in a strange environment, in which case you should at least bring along squeeze toys, blankets or other recognizable items from home.
Can my pet fly?
PETA recommends not flying with your pets unless it’s an emergency. Between May 2005 and May 2006,
there were 28 cases of animal deaths, 22 injuries and 6 losses as a result of air travel.
That said, many pets fly just fine. Each airline has its own specific policies on pet travel, including frequent flyer programs (for details, make sure to visit petflight.com).
They all require the basics: a secure portable kennel to carry them in (make sure they’ve been acclimated to it at least 10 days in advance), documentation of health and vaccination from your vet issued at least 10 days in
advance, and current tags.
And if your dog or cat can’t fly in the cabin of the plane, you should just scrap the whole idea.
“Stashing animals in the cargo hold is extremely hazardous,” said PETA’s Nachminovitch.
Of course, there’s also the hassle of getting through airport security.
Notify the TSA as soon as you can, and do not put your animal through the X-ray machine; carry your pet or
lead himby leash through the metal detector.
If you can’t, you’ll both be subject to a special physical and visual search. Tape a picture of your pet to the
kennel, and tuck another in your wallet in case you get separated at any point.
Be certain to let your pet stretch its legs after you touch down.
Can we go overseas?
“Make sure they have the correct veterinary certificates and import permits as required by that particular country – they are all different. We stock the pet passports for well over 100 countries,” says Jerry Hatfield, president of PetTravel.com, an online pet-friendly hotel booker.
According to the USDA, which oversees the import and export of animals, some countries require a Heath
Certificate proving rabies vaccination signed by a U.S. official.
The USDA also recommends contacting the consulate or embassy of whichever country you’re planning on visiting for more specific information on the “pet passport” (visit  for a list).
Hatfield also says that having your pet microchipped is mandatory for traveling outside the U.S.
What about hotels?
Increasingly, they’re very pet-friendly.
Hatfield knew of only 7,000 pet-friendly hotels, motels and B&Bs when PetTravel.com first launched nine years ago. Now it lists over 39,000 from around the world (“We certainly do not have them all,” he says). Wherever you stay, just remember to put out the “do not disturb” sign if you leave them in the room alone, mad dashers that they are.
Also, very few chains have a company-wide policy, preferring to leave the rules up to individual properties.
That said, hotels in the Kimpton Group – which numbers around 40 properties now in North
America – are widely regarded as the most petfriendly, a stance they’ve taken since 1981.
Each hotel that’s part of the San Francisco-based company shows the love in different ways: Cat and dog
massages at the Hotel Allegro in Chicago, gourmet treats at the Hotel Marlowe in Cambridge, and Pet
Psychics at Portland’s 5th Avenue Suites Hotel (kimptonhotels.com).
In the doghouse
2) Basin Harbor Hotel,Vermont – The “Dog Lovers” package at this Lake Champlain resort includes a painting of your dog by renowned watercolorist Sean Callahan
3) Hotel Monaco, Chicago-Stevie Nix, a Lhasa Apsho-Terrier mix and Humane Society alum, is the hotel’s “pet ambassador” at this Kimpton property , greeting guests in the lobby, posing for photo ops and pulling the daily bingo lever