Our trip began with a checklist and an internet search of where to stay.
We had plans to visit Grandma for lunch in her home on Friday afternoon, in Jacksonville, Florida. Since the puppies would be too distracting and interact with the dogs in Grandma's home, we were advised not to bring our pups to the visit.
Since we live in Orlando, we had to decide if we should make the 2 1/2 drive without them, leaving them home with our older daughters. The pups had been sick and Wesley is recovering from pneumonia, so we didn't want to leave them behind either. The decision was made for us to leave early Friday morning to drive to Jacksonville and leave early after our lunch with Grandma and skip any other visits with friends.
To maximize our time up north on previous visits we typically stay with my husband's friends, but since they just put down hardwood floors we would not be able to stay there, in case our puppies had accidents on their new floors.
So back to the drawing board. We needed a GAME PLAN. (Love that phrase!)
My husband searched on line for "pet friendly hotels in Jacksonville." A hotel called Aloft came up in his search. He recalled seeing this hotel while visiting Jacksonville and drove past another one in Orlando previously. So he called to get the rates and details. To his surprise they don't charge a pet fee (typically $15-$20 per pet) and their military discount was pretty significant. (About 33% discount).
Their website had details about their pet policy called, Arf!
Our trip was set!
Now we had to decide if we should pack both crates or just one and have them share. We were also concerned with space in our car. Since one of us would have to watch the dogs while the other was assembling or breaking down the crates we opted for just one and making that work for the two of them. The crate is large and adjustable.
I packed their puppy bag with toys, food, poop bags and treats. We bought collapsible water and food bowls which attach with a carabiner to our bag. I also packed a few blankets and of course, Wesley's medicine and gloves. (The medicine warning label and veterinarian told me to wear gloves when administering). My husband folded down the crate and packed the car perfectly. The crate fit just behind our front seats. As an added bonus this also prevented the puppies from trying to crawl up front while we are driving. They can still stand and look out but it is nearly impossible for them to crawl over it.
The puppies travel in a pet hammock that covers the entire back seat. They have gotten used to this way of traveling since day #1.
The dog (baby) bag goes in the back seat with them complete with wipes, poop bags, treats and toys.
On our drive to Jacksonville we planned to stop in St. Augustine for dinner to celebrate my husband's birthday. St. Augustine is a very special place for us. Earlier in the week we called several restaurants looking for a dog policy that didn't require them to be service animals. We also used the Bring Fido app and also Yelp. Yelp had some great reviews and photos of happy customers
