Ok, so I want to be able to take my dog with me on the road. How pet friendly is driving?

Please, if you have a dog or animal otr with you help me out with the extra expenses I may encounter while otr with my dog.

The biggest problem you will encounter is finding a company that will let you take a pet on the truck with you.

this thread should help you

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Some customers will not allow pets. If you are going to Canada make sure you have papers for all their shots.

Yes drivers, I am one of those weird people that do not accept my babies as 'dogs' they are my babies. I go no where without them. Little Miss Minnie is my 4 year-old yorkie she is 4 pounds and Mr. Gizzy is my 14 year old shitzu he is 7 pds.

I always make sure there is plenty of food, treats, water, dental bones, and toys in the truck when I leave home (I have occasionally ran out when we have stayed out longer than usual, in this case a quick stop by Walmart is in order). I find there is no extra expense because I take them on the road with me. It is no different than being home (after-all your truck is your home away from home).

When on the road there are a few shippers/receivers that will not let you take your babies on their property. If you are by yourself this can be a problem as they will tell you to leave them outside the gate. We have had this happen twice in 1 year and 9 months, it is rare but it does happen. Most of the time our company will let us know in the load offer that there is a no pet policy. I will not accept a load that has a no pet policy but some slip through.

As for Canada, if you go to Canada you must have all shot records and a certification from the vet that your babies are in good health.

It is my opinion that every driver should have a babie with them it makes the monontony of driving so much more bareable. They are there to listen when you want to talk, they are their to greet you when you come back from the truck stop. They give un-conditional love no matter what.

Remember, in the dead cold of winter or the scorching heat of summer you can idle your truck if your babies are with you also whereas you cannot if you are by yourself. A must for those of you without an APU unit.

Some companies might charge a deposit for having your babies with you, that is the only expense I can see. Everything else is expense you would have anyway.

Well, YOU can ADD me to the weird list too........

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here's what I don't get... if your dog never gets out of the truck, why would that pose any problem to any shipper?

Yes, that is a good question! One that I asked on both occasions this happened. Anwser, because it is policy!

I know I will have the basic expence as if she was home with me. Food, toys, wchew stuff etc. I guess the parts that I am worried about these questions:

I have to put my truck in the shop and for some reason it is several days then what?

Some hotels take dogs with a room deposit.

What if something happens and I need an emergency vet visit?

Will my dispatcher run me on a route so hard that I wont have time to let her go out to potty/excersize?

I have my girl with regular license and microchiped so I am not terribly worried about that. A lot of my major concerns are this.... for one she is a 70 pound Pit Bull/Staffordshire cross. LOL, guarentee no one walk into my truck! She is not aggressive, but she sure looks it sometimes!

My dogs are very little so they don't need a lot of excercise. When underload the company gives you time to reach your location based at 45 miles per hour. If you buckle down and don't dwaddle you should have time to take her potty. We stop for Mr Gizzy to potty about 3 times a day. Little Miss Minnie does not 'drop her drawers' in public. She wears a diaper so she does not go potty outside.
(I adopted Little Miss Minnie when she was 8 months old, she had been sorely abused by 2 previous owners. Her first mommy tried to breed her to young resulting in her being unable to carry babies, so she was no longer wanted. She was given to a single (uncaring) mommy with 2 boys. Not only did the boys kick, hit and abuse her but her 2nd mommy actually kept this little girl tied to a tree resulting in a collapsed treachea. She did not have the money to save Miss Minnie so that is how I came to have her, since she had been kept outside she was not potty trained, I did not have the heart to scold her if she pottied in the house so I just put her in diapers (size 1 huggies) and she and I have been happy with it for over 3 years now, and no it is no different then changing a human baby, oh and yes I clean her with baby wipes each changing, she has never had a diaper rash)

A pitt bull will be a little different in a truck. I had a beautiful pitt bull for 14 years, her name was Angel she was named for her disposition, she passed away just before Miss Minnie came to live with us. I still find myself breaking into tears when I think of her. She also was extremely gentle but looked like she could do some damage.(Of course she wouldn't have bit her own fleas if she ever got one, lol) A pitt will need a lot more exercise then my babies need as a truck is not as big for them as a 4 pd yorkie. I would check with your company as they might not favor a pitt, or charge a high deposit for them, I do see a lot of truckers with them so they might be fine.