How To Keep Pets Safe & Cool OTR

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Headache said:
I also put up Reflectix and drop down the blackout curtains.

What do you mean by drop down the blackout curtains? Do you mean leave them open?

waldenbound said:
Is boarding pets at a local vet an option?

Actually in our case boarding the pets would be terribly more expensive than just renting a hotel room at Motel 6 for one night as suggested by Almost There. Plus I really do not trust people I don't know to watch my pets. There are too many idiots & Aholes out there. 

suzanne said:
I have a small dog.  I can carry her on my back in a dog back-pack.  This works for grocery and other shopping.  For rest-room stops and restaurants, I put her in an enclosed (breathable) dog-carrier that I can sling on my shoulder, and set on the floor when I am eating.

I could not put 4 cats & a Jack Russell in a back pack on my back. People would think I was being attacked by a wild animal LOL. 

earthling said:
i'm sorry, didn't mean to imply...just letting anyone that ventures to AZ or CA and wants to go to Mexico in hot months that it's a real bad idea.  you would not believe the things that go on in AZ during hot months with kids & animals...some ppl are "!" ... I'll leave it at that :)

No problem, thank you.

omatrisha said:
[quote pid='379012' dateline='1521983523']
Not being snarky but as someone allergic to dog dander, you bringing your dog into the store if I'm there can cause an anaphylactic reaction which could kill me. Please, unless your dog is a service animal or psychiatrist-certified emotional support animal, don't take them into public places like grocery stores, restaurants, or libraries. It can cause severe and life-threatening reactions for those with allergies. Thank you.

[/quote]

And this is one MAJOR reason you should never take your dog/cat into a public place like a grocery store or restaurant. I understand how that is, I have an EpiPen myself and pretty much freak out when I spot a bee or wasp. Not to mention taking your pet into a restaurant is illegal in ALL states/cities etc. Probably just for the reason mentioned above.

Dingfelder said:
I simply don't believe we can make the world safe for you ... or anyone, ever.  

This world cannot be made perfect for you.  Or anyone.  Or even safe.

Spoken like a person who has never had any allergy to anything ever. You really do need to stop and think about the people around you. When someone says that a dog allergy is deadly to them they are likely not kidding. You are right, the world is not a safe place. And asking someone to obey the laws and leave a pet out of a place that sells or prepares food is really not too much IMO. 

Sorry for the late reply all. I did not get a notice that there were any replies on this thread until today.
 
Have you considered reducing the pet count?

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
 
Spoken like a person who has never had any allergy to anything ever. You really do need to stop and think about the people around you. When someone says that a dog allergy is deadly to them they are likely not kidding. You are right, the world is not a safe place. And asking someone to obey the laws and leave a pet out of a place that sells or prepares food is really not too much IMO. 

Sorry for the late reply all. I did not get a notice that there were any replies on this thread until today.

Yup, I've had allergies.

My allergies don't change the world, though.  And some, like my allergies to certain kinds of pollen, simply cannot be managed.  Even if they could, I wouldn't want them to -- do I want to kill all offending plants?  Make them illegal to plant?  Raze the countryside?

The world cannot ever be made completely safe.  

I am going to keep eating peanuts, enjoying flowers, and own a cat or dog whenever I please.  

I agree that keeping a dog out of a place that sells food makes sense.  It's the law around here anyway, and I'm assuming that's very common all around the U.S. at least.
 
Yes I'd be surprised if non-service animals were allowed inside any stateside restaurants.
 
As far as grocery shopping, at Fry's ( the Arizona version of Kroger), you can order your groceries online, and then you can reserve a pickup time, where they will bring them right to your vehicle. But there is a few, v so maybe not cheap. I think I read that Walmart will do the same
 
I wondered about putting a small a/c unit in a window space, and hooking it up to a generator lashed to a hitch tray at the rear of the vehicle. If you had a set up like that and were parked in the shade, would the law, or random folk, still get up in arms and/or prosecute....?

What is needed to take your vehicle and pets into Mexico....? I'm assuming veterinary certificates of health for each animal and the appropriate shots would be necessary. Do you have to pay fees for either pets or your vehicle? I haven't been down there yet.
 
I would imagine there are pet sitter services available on the USA side of the border towns. Try the website care.com or rover.com. They both have members who do overnight or daytime pet sitting in their homes.

But I do know that people in caravans and such do sometimes swap pet sitting when they need to go run errands. Sometimes people who don't have pets who are in caravans might be willing to be a short term sitter. Of course you should offer compensation of one kind of another.
 
Just an added heads up on taking pets out of the US...

When I went to Alaska (2013), Canada required only rabies certs.  Alaska required the whole health certificate less than 30 days old from a USDA certified vet (Ask! Because not all vets are USDA certified) and yes! They did ask to see it.  It isn't leaving the US that is difficult, it is returning!  Each state has its own rules so be sure to check with that state's vet (each state has a State Vet).  I came back through Washington and they required only the rabies cert.

I don't know about the US states that border Mexico.  Do your research.

Best wishes!
 
Many people do their shopping and laundry, etc, after dark, when temps are cooler.

Check with local vets or boarding kennels and ask if they do one-day boarding.

If you go with a group that you know, maybe park in a circle (like an Old West wagon train) with one or two people sitting in the circle to watch everyone's open/vented rigs. I would PAY for this valuable service.
 
HerzeleidMeister said:
I've heard about using an ice chest. Does that really keep it kinda cool? I had not thought about people "rescuing" our pets. *Sigh* We have a Jack Russell that barks at everything she hears. If a bird farts outside she barks at it. So keeping them quiet may not happen. :(
You might have to take turns babysitting, then.   

Our cat was terrified the first week, then gradually got used to being on the road.  You might get some Nature's Miracle pet urine remover, it really helps even if you have to use it 3-4 times to get rid of that first week pee apocalypse.  You'd never know our cat was in the truck now that we have used the stuff.   A friend of ours puts a wet towel down on a cookie tray for his cat in the summer, but he also parks in the shade a lot with the windows open. And lots and lots of water in the dishes.  We have also had to quick cool the cat by dunking him in water on a 115 degree day.  He had to get used to the heat after being a house cat.  People with long hair cats can get a "cape cod cut" that makes them look like little lions, but it's pricey.
 
CatCaretaker said:
I wondered about putting a small a/c unit in a window space, and hooking it up to a generator lashed to a hitch tray at the rear of the vehicle. If you had a set up like that and were parked in the shade, would the law, or random folk, still get up in arms and/or prosecute....?

 I did exactly that. After researching the various ideas, it seemed the only truly practical way to keep an animal cool in a vehicle when stopped. The cooler and ice idea is seriously flawed in many aspects, not the least of which is you cant use it if you break down on the road somewhere, or stop unexpectedly for some reason, and they just dont make it that cool. I set the AC on 61 deg and its pretty darn cool. My malamute sleeps and doesnt even pant when I leave her. Everything in the truck feels cold. Perfect! 

 Its not legal in some places, or smart, to leave a vehicle running when away from it. I was informed of this in Montana when someone called in my two dogs in the shade in my suburban several years ago. We stopped for a very quick meal before going up ion the mountains, where it would be cool and nice, with snowfields for the dogs to hang out on. The dogs were fine, and the officer had a probe he stuck in the open window to check the temp inside. 
 Anyway, I hope its OK to link to another forum. I posted about my AC installation in detail, here it is.

https://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threads/full-hillbilly-window-ac-in-a-vehicle.228995/

 I will add some more experience since posting it. NEVER assume the fuel level is good without checking it. I got in the habit of topping it off if I had used it more than an hour previously. I was getting 6 plus hours of run time on the Honda generator and its one gallon tank. I kept two one gallon cans of gas in the cargo box along with it to keep it topped off at all times. You REALLY want to get the hard start capacitor and install it. It makes it possible to run the generator on economy mode (3 hrs run time vs 6-8 hrs per tank) and kick over the generator reliably, mine wouldnt every time before getting the capacitor. Look it up, its $12, and simple to do. Theres many youtubes on it. I drilled a couple holes in my AC housing and zip tied it to the side out of the way and ran the wires in and plugged them in, Done. It works perfectly.

The AC unit was a cheap small one from walmart,  Haier? I was willing to go cheap on an AC, Ive had pretty good luck with them, but I was NOT willing to go cheap on the generator. Honda. Get the best if at all possible. The little suitcase type is good. Ive also used it to run various tools in places there was no power, and it could be handy to run an electric chainsaw for road clearing in the mountains, the power being available makes a very small, light chain saw a workable idea. I abhorred electric chainsaws in the past, but the shear practicality and simplicity of them for certain tasks not related to cutting down large trees and large mounts of firewood are difficult to ignore. Thats for another discussion, but the point is a generator is a good tool to have and can do much more than run the AC. They are a good investment in independent living.

 I think its also a worthwhile investment to get a temperature alert device to let you know if the temp goes above a certain point. I dont have one yet but plan to.

 I keep a large round outdoor thermometer in the truck where it can be seen from outside (and not in the sun where it gives false readings), in case anyone decides to save the world by breaking the window out to save my dog, but for the most part nobody notices the dog sleeping on the platform bed in the back with the tinted windows. People DO notice the AC and when its running though, and often ask why, or if my truck AC doesnt work etc. Be prepared for many people taking pictures of your hillbilly AC in your vehicle. You get used to it. I painted it the color of my vehicle to somewhat camo it though.

 With the generator on ECO mode, many people dont even realize the generator is running until they are walking right by it, and then many still dont seem to notice.
 
Hi,
I've thought about this too. What do I do if I have to shop ect. I was going to leave the vehicle running with the air on. Do all cars stop after 20 minutes? I don't have auto start on my fob. I would leave car running and lock the door.
I camp out of my Dodge Caravan now.
Gold
 
I worry about my dogs just driving the to the park down the street in my SUV. In a van, I wonder how I'd build into safety for them. My thought is that I'd make the bed pretty big (so I can sleep with them), but also so I could maybe hook them to the back doors while they're on the bed so they couldn't fly off if I took braked too hard. I also think about putting up padding everywhere, maybe a padded van could make sense from "my mental health state" in general, but also so they can't bump into a wall too hard - I could also baby proof any corners. I'm in the design mode for my van, but essentially everything is being designed around their comfort and safety. All other considerations are secondary. 

On another thread, someone even mentioned they had their vent fan rigged up so that it would automatically pop on if temperature went above a threshold. I can't seem to find quite how I would manage something like that, but I do think I will subscribe to those temperature monitoring services - probably multiple of them - just in case
 
If there are 2 of you you already have the solution. Being a Pet Parent has its sacrifices. This just means that one of you must stay with the pets while the other goes in the store. Perhaps that's not the answer you're looking for but its a reality.

Jack Russells are very smart another option may to look into professional trainer to work on the barking. I was extremely fortunate with my Yorkie she doesn't bark at anything. She is extremely hush. She only barks when I tell her to get the kitty...she doesn't really get the kitty but she barks at him then gives him kisses.

I have also been extremely fortunate that the Walmarts I've gone into dont bother me as long as I hold her and dont put her in the cart. If it was an issue I wouldn't shop there anymore. I let my money do my talking. I haven't ate out in probably close to a decade which started well before I got my furbaby so its not something I miss. That's not to say I dont order take out every now and then.
 
If you have a choice, go where it's shady and cool (mountains). Or at least shady.

I shopped either early in the morning or late in the evening. Park way out where few people will walk by and in shade if at all possible. I covered all windows so dogs couldn't see out and left a radio on to mask outside noise. When doing laundry, I would stay in the van while washers/dryers were running.

Nowadays, WalMarts and other stores have curbside pickup. Order online, set a pickup time and you don't have to leave your pet alone at all.

If it was too hot or not safe to leave my babies in the van I didn't go.
 
I just realized I mis-stated something and cant edit, it should read:


Malamute said:
  You REALLY want to get the hard start capacitor and install it. It makes it possible to run the generator on economy mode (3 hrs run time vs 6-8 hrs per tank) and kick over the ̶g̶e̶n̶e̶r̶a̶t̶o̶r̶  AC compressor reliably, mine wouldnt every time before getting the capacitor. Look it up, its $12, and simple to do. Theres many youtubes on it. I drilled a couple holes in my AC housing and zip tied it to the side out of the way and ran the wires in and plugged them in, Done. It works perfectly.
 
Watching the YouTube videos I see so many people living in their vans who have pets, often single people without someone to watch their pet while they shop, do laundry, etc., so I expected to find some very helpful info on this subject.  I am very surprised that there is so little info.  I am considering this lifestyle, at least for a while, but cannot do it if I can't ensure my dog is safe.
 
You might try traveling with a caravan. I’m sure you could trade babysitting duties.
 
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