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Weekend Travel Thread: Pet Edition [Y-not]

Welcome to your weekend travel thread. By special request of commenter Seamus M., this week's topic is traveling with pets.

How about some music to kick off the thread?

Yeah, I couldn't resist that one.


Traveling with our furry (or scaly or feathery or whathaveyou) friends can be quite the adventure. I've never brought my friends with me on vacation, but many people do. And when they do, it can lead to some difficulties which may have far-reaching consequences. For example, as we learned a couple of years ago, properly transporting your pets is key to your future political aspirations:

HorseRoof.jpg

Spotted recently on the freeways of southern Utah.

HorseBig.jpg

I guess they wanted a little more "horsepower!" Well, at least it's not a dog!

The above is NOT Mitt Romney's car, although it was spotted in Utah during my recent trip down to Vegas. Who knew you could fit a horse on the roof of the car?! Impressive!

Having moved quite a lot, Mr Y-not and I have traveled with our pets. Usually, they are long distance trips and so not the most fun. All those videos of doggehs cheerfully hanging their heads out the windows enjoying the sights and smells? Yeah, that's never our pets!

Neither of our dogs is particularly good about car trips. Bailey tends to make a big production about getting into the car -- she insists on being lifted, despite our efforts to assist her by getting a ramp. And Little Debbie always tries to get in the front seat and help drive.

But, by far our worst pet in terms of traveling was our first cat, a seal point Siamese named Sushi. She hated traveling and made sure we -- and everyone ELSE within a twenty mile radius -- knew it.

The first car trip she ever took was when she was about five years old. Up to that point she'd never been in a car. We lived in the city and would walk her (in her carrier) to the vets. But one cold January morning we packed ourselves, our two cats, and our things into a rental car and headed East from Chicago. Final destination: Waltham, Massachusetts (a Boston suburb).

Anticipating (based on prior experiences with Sushi when she'd dealt with strange people or surroundings) that there might be shall we say "issues," we'd gotten some sort of sedative to give Sushi at the start of our journey. (Our other kitty, Jackie, was a mellow tabby -- a real "pussycat," in other words. So we didn't sedate him.) So we head off, each cat in its own carrier and Sushi drugged up. It's a 15 hour trip, so our plan was to stop along the way. As I recall we drove to Erie, Pennsylvania, and began looking for a motel. This was before the age of smart phones (or even cell phones), so we were relying on guidebooks and roadside signs to find one. Eventually we found a motel -- no evidence that they took pets, but it was the type where you could park right in front of your motel room door, so we decided to risk sneaking her in.

After a long day of driving, we were bushed. We let the cats roam the room (after setting up a litter box, of course) and hit the sack.

Three hours later we were awakened by the unearthly sounds of a Siamese cat who, upon coming out of her drug-induced haze and finding herself in strange surroundings, decided to channel her inner cougar. Seriously, the sounds she was making were bizarre AND LOUD. And she would.not.stop. After about half an hour of her yowling and growling and hissing we realized we were going to get kicked out of the motel, so we wrapped her in a towel, shoved her in her carrier, and beat feet. (IIRC we had pre-paid the room so we didn't have to worry about stopping by the desk at 3:30 in the morning.)

It made for quite the story, both for ourselves and -- I imagine -- the poor unfortunate souls who had the adjacent motel room. They must've thought we were conducting some sort of weird Satanic rite or something!

In any event, we never tranquilized Sushi (or any of our pets) ever again. Some people do, of course, and I think you can have some success with tranquilizers. According to this veterinary medicine site, the key is to do some trial dosing with your pet before the trip. If only we had known that 23 years ago!

Apparently, we are not the only folks to travel with a pet cat who turned out to be a wild animal, from this article Tales (and horror stories) from pet-friendly inns some folks travel with actual wild animals:

If you travel with your dog and prefer small inns and B&Bs over chain hotels, it can be frustrating that so few allow pets. If you listen to some innkeepers' stories, though, you may wonder why any of them do.

At Les Artistes Inn in Del Mar, Calif., for example, a pair of Weimaraners crashed through a window when they saw another dog walk past. "The owners had said, 'Don't worry, they'll be fine,'" said owner John Halper. "The 'fine' part was incorrect."

Halper only allows pets in some rooms, but one couple checked into his best no-pets, ocean-view room with a crate "carrying this cat that has a head bigger than my own," he said. They told him it was "a real live hybrid bobcat."

Make sure to read that article for some helpful tips on how best to travel with your pets.

Years ago when I was traveling with Sushi, it was very difficult to find pet-friendly hotels, but today's travelers have it much easier. The following are some resources for pet owners who want to take their furry friends along with them. Disclaimer: Linking to these sites is for informational purposes only and not an endorsement either by myself or the Management. I have not personally used any of these resources.

Trips With Pets is a web resource that helps you find pet-friendly hotels along the route you're traveling. It does not seem to exist in phone app form, but another resource called BringFido is available on iTunes. Here's a Yahoo Finance article about BringFido for more information.

Courtesy of Appcrawlr, here's a list of what they consider to be the best apps for finding pet-friendly hotels.

So, what tips or tales do you have from your travels with pets?


Some of you may have read on the earlier threads that my cat, Boris, passed away this weekend. (It's kind of funny timing that it happened on the weekend that I'd already started a pet-related travel thread.) We rescued Boris from the streets of Houston some fifteen years ago, so I know he had a good life with us, much better than he would have had on his own. But it still saddens me that I delayed one day longer than I should have to take him to the vet (to be put to sleep) so that he wound up dying on his own, with just our other cat for company. I wish I had been there to make sure he didn't suffer.

Boris was a good boy. He started out somewhat skittish (his nickname was "The Flea" because he'd tend to hide if company came) and for quite a few years was our third cat. After the other two died, we got him a little "sister" (Moxie) and it seemed as though he really came into his own in those later years. He was not a lap cat, per se, but he would always come when I called and liked to sit on the arm of my chair and keep me company.

Rest in peace, old friend.

MoxBor.jpg

Moxie and Boris enjoying a sun puddle.


To close up, remember this golden oldie?


Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:29 PM




Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Y-not, my condolences . . . it's so sad when they leave us. {{{{{}}}}}

Posted by: Peaches at April 19, 2014 05:34 PM (8lmkt)

2 Woof.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 05:34 PM (zDsvJ)

3 Thanks, Peaches.

It's been a craptastic month. Hoping this is the last bad news we get for a while.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 05:36 PM (zDsvJ)

4 Music to start the thread? How about something from my era? And it fits today


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYac9O3GYTM

Posted by: Vic at April 19, 2014 05:36 PM (T2V/1)

5 I've wanted to ask how it's going, Y-not, but have been reluctant to make an issue of your business. I hope and pray that things start looking up for you.

Posted by: Peaches at April 19, 2014 05:37 PM (8lmkt)

6 I put up an open thread (about the Shot Heard Round the World) for politics and such, in case anyone wants to hang there.

(I don't mind off topic stuff, however. Just as long as it's not nasty.)

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 05:38 PM (zDsvJ)

7 Horse on the car, that is SICK. They are damn lucky I was not there as a cop.

Posted by: Vic at April 19, 2014 05:38 PM (T2V/1)

8 Ah Y-Not I used to have a Siamese cat that loved to travel and would hop in the car at a moment's notice.


But all Siamese cats are loud most of the time.

Posted by: Vic at April 19, 2014 05:39 PM (T2V/1)

9 Dad's health is better and he's at home.

He seems unable to take the first step he needs to fix his situation vis a vis the Witch Wife.

My role at this point is mostly to try to be supportive to my sister, who lives close to my dad.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 05:40 PM (zDsvJ)

10 Nice link, Vic.

I thought about using that for the Gardening thread... although to be honest I prefer Bing's version from Holiday Inn.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 05:41 PM (zDsvJ)

11 If you're going to put the dog on the roof of the Family Truckster, avoid strapping it legs-up or you'll find that your gas mileage will suffer.

Posted by: Mitt Romney at April 19, 2014 05:43 PM (0UGh+)

12 Y-not, so sorry about the loss of Boris.

Posted by: Vendette at April 19, 2014 05:43 PM (7yt0b)

13 Is the horse dead?

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at April 19, 2014 05:44 PM (DmNpO)

14 I really did a double-take when we came up behind that car with the horse. Funny as hell.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 05:45 PM (zDsvJ)

15 I make 1000 mile trips several times a year, alone except for the best travel companion possible, Walter, the bull terrier. He lays down and snoozes, only awakening when food enters the car or we stop for gas. I definitely recommend this guy's brothers and sisters, especially for women traveling alone. He looks ferocious, but, of course, isn't and the few times I have stopped at less than savory gas stations, he, thankfully, intimidated the locals. (Bull terriers are apparently not typical where I travel.)

Posted by: NeverEvermore at April 19, 2014 05:45 PM (QZdJj)

16 To be clear, it was a stuffed (toy) horse.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 05:45 PM (zDsvJ)

17 Great news about your dad's health, Y-not! Hopefully the rest of it will get worked out, probably not a lot you can do other than what you are already doing.

Posted by: Peaches at April 19, 2014 05:46 PM (8lmkt)

18 "To close up, remember this golden oldie?"

Only every time I hear about the latest new policy disaster from President Toonces.

Posted by: torquewrench at April 19, 2014 05:46 PM (noWW6)

19 I love bull terriers. So does Mr Y-not. But we were concerned that it'd be a lot of dog, in terms of personality, for newbie dog owners, as well as for our older cats.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 05:47 PM (zDsvJ)

20 As I posted as my last post in the "news" on the ONT, I had to sing that song in a second grade play. So it brings back fond memories. And I have always liked Judy G. until she started coming apart.

Posted by: Vic at April 19, 2014 05:48 PM (T2V/1)

21 Ah Y-Not I used to have a Siamese cat that loved to travel and would hop in the car at a moment's notice.

It's called a "conjoined cat" and you had two.

Posted by: AmishDude at April 19, 2014 05:48 PM (1UzRc)

22 >>Posted by: Peaches at April 19, 2014 05:46 PM

Kind of hoping for SMOD to hit my dad's wife.

If that's wrong, I don't want to be right.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 05:48 PM (zDsvJ)

23 16
To be clear, it was a stuffed (toy) horse.

Posted by: Y-Not at April 19, 2014 05:45 PM (zDsvJ)


LOL, we been punked!

Posted by: Vic at April 19, 2014 05:49 PM (T2V/1)

24 puppy is home!!!! he's tired but he's home!!!!

he does really well in the car....we haven't traveled with him on a trip, just back and forth to the vet & to work....

Posted by: phoenixgirl @phxazgrl at April 19, 2014 05:49 PM (u8GsB)

25 >>I had to sing that song in a second grade play. So it brings back fond memories.

If only they'd had YouTube back then.



Or film! (Well, talkies that is.) ;-)

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 05:50 PM (zDsvJ)

26 15 years ago we took my two kittehs from LA to Ohio in the Silverado. I have the BEST picture of Otis lounging on his down pillow on the dashboard with miles of open road ahead and lovely green fields to either side. What a trooper! He died while we were in Ohio and is buried there in a very nice spot, right up above the Huron River in a grove of trees.

Posted by: Peaches at April 19, 2014 05:50 PM (8lmkt)

27 As I mentioned in the ONT a few nights back, I'm car shopping, and one of the requirements is making sure the cargo area is big enough for my sister's bird cage. You haven't traveled until you've traveled with a Moluccan cockatoo screeching in the back of the car. It's hard to board the bird, so we take him with us when we visit the parents. He does create a lot of interest when we stop or when we go through the drive-through.

Posted by: biancaneve at April 19, 2014 05:50 PM (2sR50)

28 We have found La Quinta is very pet friendly when we travel w/ our dog Bailey.
Sorry for your loss Y-not. And you have a Bailey! We've run into several others in the 4 yrs we've had this dog. She loves to ride in the car. Great way to get some of her Labrador yaa-yaas out if the weather isn't conducive to a walk.

Posted by: The Farmer at April 19, 2014 05:51 PM (eBupg)

29 We had a Siamese cat once but we had to get rid of it. We fought over who would get the end with the head.

Posted by: Cheng & Eng at April 19, 2014 05:51 PM (0UGh+)

30 Y-not, my experience with bull terriers is that they are terrific as single pets, but tolerate others, both animals and people. He has never been around cats; that might be interesting.

Posted by: NeverEvermore at April 19, 2014 05:51 PM (QZdJj)

31 To be clear, it was a stuffed (toy) horse.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 05:45 PM (zDsvJ)


*Does not care*


Travel recommendation: Find miniature golf courses. Challenge your offspring. Golf several in one day if you have to.

Posted by: Vendette at April 19, 2014 05:52 PM (7yt0b)

32 25 If only they'd had YouTube back then.




Or film! (Well, talkies that is.) ;-)

Posted by: T-not at April 19, 2014 05:50 PM (zDsvJ)


LOL, we had not been long getting a TV then.

Posted by: Vic at April 19, 2014 05:53 PM (T2V/1)

33 13 Is the horse dead?
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at April 19, 2014 05:44 PM (DmNpO)

Whoa. Meta.

Posted by: Insomniac at April 19, 2014 05:56 PM (mx5oN)

34 I think I mentioned on this thread last week about the cabin we had at the GA State Park. It was supposed to be no pets allowed but it was eat up with fleas. Meaning some hard head that would not d-flea their pet violated the rules and brought them in anyway. I let the front desk know about it checking out.


But this kind of stuff is why many places will not allow pets. You can't have anything nice when there are more than a few assholes out there.

Posted by: Vic at April 19, 2014 05:57 PM (T2V/1)

35
I'm sorry you lost your fur baby today, Y-not. In a way, it's good for your remaining pets that Boris passed at home. It is easier for them to recognize that their companion is gone, and not look so much for their return. They get it.

Posted by: grammie winger at April 19, 2014 05:59 PM (oMKp3)

36 I remember when I moved to Orlando from MD. Took my dog with me in the car and the old girl hated car rides. Never liked them. She spent all 900 miles hyper ventilating over my shoulder. Poor thing. She was not a fan of the Alligators down there either... nor was I. So glad I am back in MD.

Posted by: Truck Monkey, Gruntled New Business Owner at April 19, 2014 06:00 PM (jucos)

37 Yeah, as much as I'd appreciate the pet-friendly hotel when I need it, I sure can understand why they aren't everywhere.

In downtown Salt Lake there's a boutique chain hotel, the Hotel Monaco, that is pet-friendly. (It's opposite the opera house and also considered to be the most ghey-friendly hotel in our area, so that may explain the prevalence of bichon frises and miniature poodles.) I was a little taken aback when I realized about the dogs, but we've been lucky when we've stayed there and have no problems with them.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 06:00 PM (zDsvJ)

38
Our Golden Retriever loves riding in the car. If she is the only other rider, she always sits upright in the front passenger seat and holds hands with the driver. Not kidding. She puts her left paw up and you have to hold her hand while you drive.

Posted by: grammie winger at April 19, 2014 06:02 PM (oMKp3)

39 I wish my dogs were better about the car. I need to just bite the bullet and work on getting them acclimated to it. It'd be fun to bring them both in the convertible w/ the top down and head off to a state park or something.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 06:03 PM (zDsvJ)

40 Our Golden Retriever loves riding in the car. If she is the only other rider, she always sits upright in the front passenger seat and holds hands with the driver. Not kidding. She puts her left paw up and you have to hold her hand while you drive.

Posted by: grammie winger at April 19, 2014 06:02 PM (oMKp3)


AWWWW!!!

Posted by: Vendette at April 19, 2014 06:04 PM (7yt0b)

41 My new Weimaraner LOVES the car. My son takes her out for rides in his car all the time. Makes her day and he enjoys it as well (new driver). She will miss the kid when he heads out to college in August.

Posted by: Truck Monkey, Gruntled New Business Owner at April 19, 2014 06:05 PM (jucos)

42 How much is a gallon of gas where you are? $4.09 is cheap as I see around here.

Posted by: navybrat at April 19, 2014 06:05 PM (JgC5a)

43 Posted by: phoenixgirl @phxazgrl at April 19, 2014 05:49 PM (u8GsB)

Good to hear your pup has returned in good shape.

Our dogs don't really like to travel, but we rigged dog beds in the back seat so they have a snuggy personal space and they conk out after a few miles and it works out well for all of us.


Funny thing, when we were frequently traveling back and forth between two fixed locations, one of our dogs consistently woke up and started looking out the window when we were about half a mile from our destination. This happened at either end of the trip but he would sleep like a log in-between for the entire trip.

Posted by: Hrothgar Driving with a GoPro headcam at April 19, 2014 06:05 PM (o3MSL)

44 39 I wish my dogs were better about the car. I need to just bite the bullet and work on getting them acclimated to it. It'd be fun to bring them both in the convertible w/ the top down and head off to a state park or something.
Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 06:03 PM (zDsvJ)




My best pet-traveling days were when I had my Mustang convertible, the Golden and the Greyhound would stand up in the back seat as we sailed down the highway, ears and jowls a-flappin'. (Theirs, not mine.) Everybody I met on the road always gave us a big smile.

Posted by: grammie winger at April 19, 2014 06:06 PM (oMKp3)

45 When I travel, which is rare now, I either get the girls next door to come over and take care of my cats or I get the MIL. I don't try to take them with me. But now-a-days wifey does most of the traveling while I stay at home and I take care of the cats.

Posted by: Vic at April 19, 2014 06:07 PM (T2V/1)

46 Moxie and Boris enjoying a sun puddle.

And plotting the overthrow of the free world. You can see it in their eyes.

Posted by: dicentra at April 19, 2014 06:08 PM (AIGFR)

47 How much is a gallon of gas where you are? $4.09 is cheap as I see around here.

Posted by: navybrat at April 19, 2014 06:05 PM (JgC5a)

We're around $4.25 this weekend, unless you want ARCO. That's a little cheaper, but I don't use it.

Posted by: Peaches at April 19, 2014 06:11 PM (8lmkt)

48 Our gas is about $3.30.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 06:13 PM (zDsvJ)

49 Funny thing, when we were frequently traveling back and forth between
two fixed locations, one of our dogs consistently woke up and started
looking out the window when we were about half a mile from our
destination.


I had a Golden that would sniff at the slightly opened window when we got near home, as if she recognized the scent and knew the answer to 'Are we there yet?'

Posted by: Retread at April 19, 2014 06:13 PM (cHwk5)

50 My dog hated riding in the car. But if I put her kennel that she slept in into the back seat she would hop right in.

Posted by: The Hickster at April 19, 2014 06:13 PM (BJpOW)

51 I had a Golden that would sniff at the slightly opened window when we got near home, as if she recognized the scent and knew the answer to 'Are we there yet?'




Ours does the same thing when we travel up north to the summer cabin. She won't have been there from October till the following May, but half an hour out, her nose is out the window and she starts getting all fluttery.

Posted by: grammie winger at April 19, 2014 06:16 PM (oMKp3)

52 I believe the Motel 6 chain has pet-friendly rooms in all its properties. I have always found found them adequate as a road stop, or place to hang your hat while conducting business. Resorts, they ain't, but that's not their purpose.


I will be embarking on a road trip to Arizona in a day or so, and will be taking the dog along, so Motel 6 it will be.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at April 19, 2014 06:17 PM (6z+tx)

53 Our dogs like going in the car. We don't have a golf cart or ATV so dad takes them for a daily run with the car, and they have to ride the first 1/2 mile till he gets to the empty dirt road. Maximum redneck quotient. I will take Ole on runs when I ride horse just down the dirt roads from home.

Posted by: PaleRider at April 19, 2014 06:17 PM (cQZV0)

54 Gas is about $3.65 in Central MD. In DC it is between $4.15 and $4.30. It is crazy that we have come to accept these prices when we could exploit our resources and bring the Fraudis to their knees and the price back to about a buck. Between food and fuel costs I don't know how most people are making it.

Posted by: Truck Monkey, Gruntled New Business Owner at April 19, 2014 06:18 PM (jucos)

55 Between food and fuel costs I don't know how most people are making it.

The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.

Posted by: Lenin at April 19, 2014 06:25 PM (mx5oN)

56 but half an hour out, her nose is out the window and she starts getting all fluttery.

Posted by: grammie winger at April 19, 2014 06:16 PM (oMKp3)

Yeah, mine would start wagging her tail so we knew she knew.

Posted by: Retread at April 19, 2014 06:25 PM (cHwk5)

57 Cat – the other white meat.

Posted by: Dr. Varno at April 19, 2014 06:25 PM (V4CBV)

58 Between food and fuel costs I don't know how most people are making it.

Posted by: Truck Monkey, Gruntled New Business Owner at April 19, 2014 06:18 PM (jucos)

Really glad to see that Obama is looking out for Gaia and not us by delaying XL. There are many ways to bring this country to a screeching halt and Obama is trying almost all of them, and betraying our allies as well. Fundamental transformations are not always the most intelligent thing to wish for.

Posted by: Hrothgar Driving with a GoPro headcam at April 19, 2014 06:25 PM (o3MSL)

59 Sort of on topic. How would you like to visit here and use this as your "Motel 6"? I am using this as my wallpaper right now.


http://tinyurl.com/m63v5o7

Posted by: Vic at April 19, 2014 06:26 PM (T2V/1)

60 The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.

Posted by: Lenin at April 19, 2014 06:25 PM (mx5oN)



Good thing there is no inflation according to our fearless leaders.

Posted by: Hrothgar Driving with a GoPro headcam at April 19, 2014 06:26 PM (o3MSL)

61 All LaQuintas are pet-friendly.

A little bit of a segue here but for those who would like to help pet rescue but don't want to foster an animal you might want to help in a transport. These are sort of like relay races--homeless needy animal is in one city but a good home has been found in another, so "legs" of the journey are set up by a transport coordinator, each being about an hour long. You just agree to drive a "leg" by meeting the person who has the earlier leg of the journey, picking up the animal and his/her vet records, and driving to the next rendezvous. Thousands of homeless animals have been transported to wonderful homes this way. Google "rescue transports" or search on Facebook and you will find lots of the people who set these up. It is a huge benefit to the rescue community.

And by the way, lots of dogs love the car, although a few get carsick, so I'd recommend crating the animal or putting a cover on your seat. The transport coordinator will tell you more about the animal and what preparations you need to take. I do not recommend bringing your own animal(s) along because short-term encounters in close spaces with other animals aren't always successful!

Posted by: Marta73 at April 19, 2014 06:29 PM (GVA22)

62 Toonces, now that was a smart cat. Effer could drive a car for God's sake.

Posted by: Ricardo Kill at April 19, 2014 06:29 PM (VOHex)

63 The mills of the socialist revolution grind slowly, but they grind exceeding fine!

Apologies to Sir Winston

Posted by: Hrothgar Driving with a GoPro headcam at April 19, 2014 06:29 PM (o3MSL)

64 Good thing there is no inflation according to our fearless leaders.>>

Food and fuel are luxury items in utopia so they don't count in the inflation calculations.

Posted by: Your Betters at April 19, 2014 06:31 PM (BJpOW)

65 I will be embarking on a road trip to Arizona in a day or so, and will be taking the dog along, so Motel 6 it will be.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at April 19, 2014 06:17 PM (6z+tx)


On your way down they can only be found in CO, NM, and AZ, but I recommend Drury hotels. Pet-friendly and with breakfast and happy hour included.

Posted by: Vendette at April 19, 2014 06:31 PM (7yt0b)

66 >>Between food and fuel costs I don't know how most people are making it.

And everything else!

When I was in Maryland a few weeks ago I had to run over to the Mall in Columbia b/c I'd packed so hurriedly we had run out of clothes. Checking the standard stores in which I normally shop, I'd say the prices were at least 25% more than I'd expect to pay in Utah, even on the clearance racks.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 06:32 PM (zDsvJ)

67 "Gas is about $3.65 in Central MD. In DC it is between $4.15 and $4.30."

Don't worry. As we speak, the Top Men in the Republican media brain trust are preparing an ad barrage to highlight these outrageous gas prices and blame them on years of Democratic misgovernance.

::: crickets :::

Remember all the ads Mitt Rommey ran about gas prices in 2012?

::: crickets :::

Posted by: torquewrench at April 19, 2014 06:33 PM (noWW6)

68 "use this as your "Motel 6"


Since you mentioned Motel 6, I had a bad pet/travel experience at one once. Our little pom was with us on a trip to Carlsbad Caverns and we stayed at a marginally dingy Motel 6 in Carlsbad, It was a quick trip out and back and it was the only place we stayed. Got back to DFW and over the next few weeks the little pom began losing hair. Took to vet and it was sarcoptic mange. I blame the motel because she never really came in contact with anything anywhere else.

Posted by: Ricardo Kill at April 19, 2014 06:33 PM (VOHex)

69 Also kinda O/T but pet-related, @ComfyPaws on twitter sent this link:

http://www.dogsondeployment.org/

Basically fostering pets for deployed military.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 06:34 PM (zDsvJ)

70 Cat is dark meat, as is dog.
Rabit, coney are white.
"And remember boys and girls, Ham is from Hamster!"

Posted by: Kindltot at April 19, 2014 06:34 PM (QKJMN)

71 Gas is about $3.65 in Central MD. In DC it is between $4.15 and $4.30.

Posted by: Truck Monkey, Gruntled New Business Owner at April 19, 2014 06:18 PM (jucos)


In my part of VA it's $3.69 to $3.83.

Posted by: Vendette at April 19, 2014 06:35 PM (7yt0b)

72 Google "rescue transports" or search on Facebook and you will find
lots of the people who set these up. It is a huge benefit to the rescue
community.


What a clever idea. I could do that where I couldn't foster a dog since I'm away from home so much.

Posted by: Retread at April 19, 2014 06:36 PM (cHwk5)

73 Posted by: torquewrench at April 19, 2014 06:33 PM (noWW6)


As soon as Rinse P meets his fundraising quota for the quarter, I expect to see a veritable barrage of anti-Democrat ads in every state, high-lighting Fast and Furious, Libya, Egypt, Benghazi, Syria, gas prices, IRS suppression of conservative organizations, true inflation, true unemployment, Harry Reid's questionable fortune, and an expose of voter fraud.

Posted by: Hrothgar Driving with a GoPro headcam at April 19, 2014 06:40 PM (o3MSL)

74 If George Bush were still President we would be barraged with news about Gas prices and food prices and the Homeless. I am so tired of the MFM bullshit. People are suffering and all you about is how fucking swell their boyfriend is.

Posted by: Truck Monkey, Gruntled New Business Owner at April 19, 2014 06:42 PM (jucos)

75 The first cat Mrs H & I ever got loved to ride in the car. He would perch on the top of the seat and purr in the driver's ear.

Posted by: Hrothgar Driving with a GoPro headcam at April 19, 2014 06:42 PM (o3MSL)

76 " If George Bush were still President.."


And don't you know they'd be blow-horning the real unemployment numbers in the double digits.

Posted by: Ricardo Kill at April 19, 2014 06:44 PM (VOHex)

77 So, what tips or tales do you have from your travels with pets?


- 5 years ago, went from California to MS with my two cats - Rex and Regina.

- Go to the vet to get some Knock-the-fucking-cats-out pills since Rex gets pretty mouthy in the car.

- Drug both cats. Drug fails to work on Rex.

- After two hours of nonstop yowling and well-within the effectiveness of first does, give Rex another dose.

- Double dose still fails to achieve desired unconscious state in Rex.

- Endure 22 hours of yowling cat during a 23 hour trip.

- Still miss him since I had to put him down two weeks ago after almost 16 years of being my nap buddy.

Posted by: Burn the Witch at April 19, 2014 06:44 PM (HLprW)

78 Traveling with the dog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTbBvPoxUkk

Posted by: Bertram Cabot Jr. at April 19, 2014 06:46 PM (AaZet)

79 Posted by: Ricardo Kill at April 19, 2014 06:44 PM (VOHex)

If nothing else depresses you, think about the daily headlines about the evil Bush we would be fed, even if he had exactly the same "performance" record as Obumbles does.

Posted by: Hrothgar at April 19, 2014 06:46 PM (o3MSL)

80 Obama makes Carter seem like Reagan.

Posted by: Truck Monkey, Gruntled New Business Owner at April 19, 2014 06:47 PM (jucos)

81 Still miss him since I had to put him down two weeks ago after almost 16 years of being my nap buddy.

Posted by: Burn the Witch at April 19, 2014 06:44 PM (HLprW)





{{{}}}

Posted by: Vendette at April 19, 2014 06:48 PM (7yt0b)

82 Here's an odd story. Two year old reported missing, existed only on Facebook:

Google "rescue transports" or search on Facebook and you will find
lots of the people who set these up. It is a huge benefit to the rescue
community.


Strangely enough I found it on Twitter.

Posted by: Retread at April 19, 2014 06:50 PM (cHwk5)

83 Sorry for your loss BurnTheWitch

Posted by: PaleRider at April 19, 2014 06:50 PM (5CusZ)

84 - Endure 22 hours of yowling cat during a 23 hour trip.

Heh. After The Episode in Eerieeee, PA, we never drugged Sushi again. So when we moved from Houston to Indiana Sushi was alert the whole time. The first couple of hours were over some badly-maintained roads (iirc in Louisiana). She growled every time we went over a bump --- which was about every five seconds!

- Still miss him since I had to put him down two weeks ago after almost 16 years of being my nap buddy.

So sorry for your loss. :-(

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 06:51 PM (zDsvJ)

85 "If nothing else depresses you"

Not to go too far off topic but, yeah, the tales of gloom and lost hope would fill the 24 hour news cycle like nothing before it.

Posted by: Ricardo Kill at April 19, 2014 06:51 PM (VOHex)

86 Guess the link would help, huh?

http://tinyurl.com/kt999j3

Posted by: Retread at April 19, 2014 06:51 PM (cHwk5)

87 i know a dog named seamus

Posted by: yankeefifth at April 19, 2014 06:53 PM (rDidD)

88 I do take the little boy pom I have now on day trips in a carrier. He's quiet and content. In fact, he knows that getting in the carrier means he gets to go too this time so he gladly gets into it. He loves to get to go too.

Posted by: Ricardo Kill at April 19, 2014 06:54 PM (VOHex)

89 Still miss him since I had to put him down two weeks ago after almost 16 years of being my nap buddy.





Posted by: Burn the Witch at April 19, 2014 06:44 PM (HLprW)

I'm so sorry . . .

Posted by: Peaches at April 19, 2014 06:55 PM (8lmkt)

90 Y-Not, sorry for the loss of your kitteh Boris

He'll be waiting for you when the time comes, glad that he lived a long life and he was among loved ones.

Posted by: kbdabear at April 19, 2014 06:58 PM (aTXUx)

91 I think that our ability to bond with a fellow creature (cat, dog, horse) can be viewed evidence of the existence of a soul. There is something about an beloved pet that affects your very core, especially when you lose one.

We have lost a dog to aggressive cancer (way too soon) and a cat to old age in the past eighteen months and both were heart-wrenching experiences. I have some pictures of them on my slideshow screensaver, and when their pictures come up, it still breaks my heart.

Posted by: Hrothgar at April 19, 2014 06:59 PM (o3MSL)

92 I'm sorry for your losses.

I stroke my kittehs' fur every day and I'm thankful for their company.

You can grow to love a new pet, but those who passed on remain with you forever.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at April 19, 2014 07:00 PM (DmNpO)

93 OT the Ten Commandments is coming on ABC now

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at April 19, 2014 07:02 PM (DmNpO)

94
We travel with the missus' service dog (a Portuguese Water Dog) all the time here in the U.S. The missus trained her to pick up dropped items (Mrs. Krebs has back and neck issues) and she does it quite well.

As a service dog, she is seated at our feet on the plane, where we usually are in bulkhead seats. She is perfectly comfortable flying, mores than her predecessor, another PWD (first cousin once removed, as a matter of fact).

The dog stays in our rooms and comes to restaurants with us. She wears a vest when she is working and, between that and her prong collar, she knows when she is "on the job" and when she is not.

It is not a typical pet situation. I am well aware there are many (Adam Corolla comes to mind) who think that the "service animal" routine is a scam to let Fluffy come along on trips without interference. That is not the case here and I would put our dog's behavior up against any other (and most humans traveling by air or any other means), any day of the week.

'Nuff said...

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars™ at April 19, 2014 07:02 PM (HsTG8)

95 My mom would take her Pomeranians (one at a time) when she and dad rode the motorcycle. She had a "front-pack" that they'd sit in with their heads being the only thing exposed. she had several poms and every single one seemed to enjoy the experience.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at April 19, 2014 07:04 PM (GDulk)

96 Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars™ at April 19, 2014 07:02 PM (HsTG

As usual with our degenerate population, there are always a few individuals that will screw up anything by abusing it so that the actual needy are impacted.

Posted by: Hrothgar at April 19, 2014 07:05 PM (o3MSL)

97 It is not a typical pet situation. I am well aware there are many (Adam Corolla comes to mind) who think that the "service animal" routine is a scam to let Fluffy come along on trips without interference.
---

My feeling about things like service animals and so-called handicapped parking spaces is that you gotta just accept there is going to be some abuse by assholes as the price you pay to facilitate a more independent life for people with disabilities. So I try to keep my focus on the good that these programs do, rather than on the abuses that occur on occasion.


I'm always amazed (but grateful, frankly) that airlines will allow furry friends in the cabin, given how many folks are allergic. (I mean, aren't there airlines that have eliminated peanuts b/c of those allergies?)

When we moved from Indiana to California we were able to fly our two cats at the time, first-class b/c the trip was part of the moving package. So they were both under our seats. Pretty quiet most of the time, although the lynx point Siamese did meow a couple of times.

We paid for the privilege, of course, but I am a little surprised airlines allow it.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 07:08 PM (zDsvJ)

98 Shirley IS the bad travel kitteh. Putting her in a cage gets a live demonstration of the Tasmanian Devil shipping cartoon.

One trip cost me 40$ to a van load of Hispanics to help catch her at a 7-11. Then put permanent scars on my hand when I rolled the window up for a parked snooze in the AC before checking where her head was. The Wisconsin National Guard caught her under a HumVee.

Another time she backed out of her leash while my nephew was holding her at a middle of nowhere WI rest stop. Took me an hour of looking in the woods to find her.

All these were WITH tranquilizer. Last long trip we hit some delays and it wore off a few miles from home. So I'm driving and holding a pissed off cat because she'd shred anybody else.

OTOH she chirrs like Terry Jones in the blow to the head sketch and climbs on my shoulder every night for a cuddle and TV.

http://tinyurl.com/pyw5ozp

un-pc statement in that Python clip.

Posted by: DaveA at April 19, 2014 07:10 PM (DL2i+)

99 "If George Bush were still President we would be barraged with news about Gas prices and food prices and the Homeless."

Well, yeah, just as in fact happened.

Except when Bush was President, Democrats talked _all the time_ about gas prices and inflation and homelessness and low-wage "McJobs". You couldn't shut them up about it.

Now that Obama is President, Republicans talk _all the time_ about... amnesty! And you can't shut them up about it.

Posted by: torquewrench at April 19, 2014 07:13 PM (noWW6)

100 Nood.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 07:15 PM (zDsvJ)

101 Nood.

Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 07:15 PM (zDsvJ)


Not so sure I would advise anyone to go there !

Posted by: Hrothgar at April 19, 2014 07:20 PM (o3MSL)

102 Posted by: Y-not at April 19, 2014 07:15 PM (zDsvJ)
Darn and I was just about to say that my wife and I scheduled a "Hotel Points" trip to Chicago

Posted by: tsrblke, PhD(c) (No Really!) at April 19, 2014 07:22 PM (HDwDg)

103 Holly is the good travel kitteh. Sleeps the whole trip on the back parcel shelf. Just gotta watch for escapes at stops.

Posted by: DaveA at April 19, 2014 07:24 PM (DL2i+)

104 I drive with my two cats from SC to FL when I visit my family and Friends once or twice a year. They stay in their carriers only long enough to get them into and out of the car (plus, I stuff them in there when I need to open the car door for any reason during transit).

The younger, nice kittie tends to freak out for the first 10-15 minutes of the trip and will pant as she wanders from place to place within the cabin. Eventually, she'll calm down and just curl up in my lap and stay put. The old, dickish cat just demands that his door is open but will the majority of the trip sleeping in his carrier.

Posted by: Sandra Fluke's Solid Gold Diaphragm at April 19, 2014 07:31 PM (bHnlE)

105 Last summer, I drove to Seattle from Los Angeles with what was at the time a puppy and my cat. The pup was pretty well adjusted to riding in a car as I took her everywhere and even the cat had gone on a few trips to the grocery store. Kitty was in the carrier or so I thought. After filling up with gas and a few minutes back on I-5, the cat suddenly appear on the central console rubbing up against my arm. Chaos ensued as the pup realized she had a playmate.

It was an interesting week to say the least. I only spent 1 night in a hotel in Reno. The Sands there is very pet friendly. For Seattle, I camped across the Puget Sound in a state park. Both the cat and dog got out right after arriving but I was too cramped and sore to chase them. They eventually came back when enticed with food. There was a semi homeless guy next door to me whom I gave 20 bucks to watch the pup while I went into the city for my conference. This fact turned out to be my opening joke for my presentation. The homeless guy was all happy as my pup found some cocaine stashed away outside of a 7-11 down the street. The cat stayed in the tent as it was mostly cool and rainy.

Posted by: flailing at April 19, 2014 07:47 PM (LUkTR)

106 Since 2007 we have been regular guests at LaQuinta Inns and Suites whenever we travel.
Some of the locations we have stayed at include:

2 January 2009, Perrysburg, OH, three weeks.
Late January 2009 to 27 Febraury, Piqua, OH
March 2009 – August 2009, Macedonia, OH
September, 2009, 38th Street, Myrtle Beach
September 21-26, 2009, N21st Ave, Myrtle Beach
February, 2010, N21st Ave, Myrtle Beach
April, 2010 (Easter Weekend), me alone at N21st Ave, Myrtle Beach
April, 2014, Strawberry Plains, Knoxville, TN, one night
April 11-18, 2014 (planned, see below), N21st Ave, Myrtle Beach.


We have always liked the clean rooms, courteous and efficient staff, and convenient locations, especially for business travel. Since we have four dachshunds, LQs pet friendly policy has always been a major determining factor in choosing LQ for our lodging. For several years we have traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, first from New Jersey, then New York, then Ohio, and finally Missouri, to visit my parents.

In each case, we traveled with our dachshunds, and we could always count on the LQ location at 1561 21st Avenue to provide us with the accommodations we needed for such a trip. We even stayed there with them in 2009 for my Father's funeral, and we experienced nothing but courteous and professional service.

About a week ago, my 86-year-old widowed mother notified us that she was going to be having surgery on April 14, and could we please come down and spend the week with her to take her to and from the surgery, plus assist her with whatever tasks the surgery precluded her from doing.

We once again made reservations at the La Quinta on 21st Avenue, and despite the short notice, they accommodated us for the time we requested, namely April 11 to April 18. I informed LaQuinta that this was not a vacation, and informed your staff up front that we would be bringing our four dachshunds. We informed the hotel we had chosen to clean the room ourselves, as we always do, to give the staff a break. Again, it looked like we were in for seven days of the same courteous, professional services we had enjoyed so many times before.

We were wrong.

On April 15 is when our troubles began. Around 4pm, while doing an errand for my mother, I received a call on my cell phone that for the past several days, the desk had received numerous complaints from other guests about our dogs barking, and told us we had to “come back right now and deal with it.”


I replied that we had left them hotel only ten minutes earlier, and the dogs were fine, and that were on our way to my convalescing mother's, and the staff member ignored me and repeated “You have to come back now and deal with it.” We returned to the room and found our dogs resting quietly. We took them for a walk, then headed back to my mother's.

On Wednesday, April 16, at around 10 am, we were at my mother's house, when another call came in with the same message. We were occupied with her issues and could not come back immediately.

When we did return, around 1 pm, my husband found that our room key card would no longer open the outside door. We went back to the front desk, gave the clerk our room number, and asked for a new key. He typed in the room, but when he saw our name, he said, “Oh, Mr. Bullock. Wait here, please.”

After several minutes, a 40-something-year-old dyed-blonde woman, presumably the hotel manager (though she wore no identifying nameplate or insignia) came out, and told us that they had gotten complaints from two rooms about our dogs and that someone would have to remain with them at all times when they are in the room.

With this news, and the previous days message, my husband asked this woman why, if complaints had been coming in for several days, did the hotel wait that long to tell us. This woman looked at him, and said, “Sir, I don't understand the question.”

He asked her what about it she didn't understand, and then re-asked the question. This time, in a more condescending tone, she said, “Sir, don't get mad at me.”

When he told her not to speak to him that way and that he was entitled to a proper answer, because we were paying for the room, she said, “Then you can leave now.”

When he answered, “Fine, we are out of here”, a thuggish-looking black man, presumably a hotel employee (he wore no uniform or insignia) standing on the other side of the counter bellowed, “Sir, keep your voice down!”

Since we had already been asked to leave, this presumed hotel employee was out of line, so he asked him what would happen if he didn't “keep my voice down.”

He replied, “Then I call the cops!”

Since we hadn't broken any laws, I instructed them to do so. At this point the presumed manager instructed another employee to notify the police, and then escort my husband and I back to our room and keep an eye on us until we were off the property.

By now my husband was livid, yet that thug and a uniformed employee continued taking verbal jabs at him, including ordering him to calm down. Not asking, not requesting, ordering. Sounds like they wanted physical confrontation. Funny, we thought hotel employees were supposed to resolve issues to keep customers calm, not deliberately anger them and then escalate the situation by goading them.

As my husband proceeded to remove our belongings through the exit door, one of these men said, “Now you just broke a door.” “Now?” As if to imply that it was one of many offenses we had committed.

I heard one of the men actually notify the police with his cell phone, saying, “I have a very irate customer here.”

Two police officers and a supervisor were called in, even though we hadn't so much as touched any staff member, nor had we threatened to do so in any manner. But they thought they needed three police officers to get us out. They shouldn't flatter themselves into thinking we'd actually want to stay.

Interesting way how this LQ handles customer issues. Throw the customer out, tell him how he may or may not react to your decision, bully them into submission, and if that doesn't work bring in the big guns to make it stick. So much for the customer always being right. (Unless you happen to mean the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, etc.)

I must say, in all the times we have stayed a LaQuinta, never have we seen a staff that behaved with such contempt or arrogance, nor have we ever seen more childish behavior in a nursery. Your presumed manager evicted us simply because she didn't get her way. That's what babies do. It's called a temper tantrum.

Because of their arrogance, rudeness, and unjust eviction we were forced to leave for home only two days into the post surgical convalescence of an 86-year-old widow.


Posted by: Agnes Bullock at April 19, 2014 09:01 PM (ru32g)

107 Moxie and Boris enjoying a sun puddle.
And plotting the overthrow of the free world. You can see it in their eyes.
Posted by: dicentra at April 19, 2014

Are you sure their names aren't Barack and Valerie?

Posted by: The Farmer at April 20, 2014 12:06 AM (eBupg)

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