Before you think of all the problems with this idea, let me clarify that by 'trip' I don’t mean a journey that involves a flight or a train; because that is a bother not just for you but even more for your pet (unless your pet is a goldfish, then you can even go skydiving for all we know)! I would suggest a road trip to the nearby hill station, an out-of-town beach or some place from a blogger’s list of weekend getaways from your city.
So the next time your pet makes that puppy dog face while you pack your bags, pack a tiny one for them too and take them along.
1. It’s like you’re travelling solo, but with your best companion
You have space for your thoughts, you make all your decisions yourself and most importantly nobody argues with you about what music will be played in the car. Yet when you’re feeling lonely, you will have your best mate to curl up with or when you feel lost, your dog with his/her adorably dumb face will be just as lost with you.
2. You’ll end up talking to more people
How many times has it happened to you that while walking your dog, random people came up to you and started petting your dog, asked his/her name and struck up a conversation with you in general. Now while on a trip, the same will happen to you, just on a wider scale, as you get to meet travellers from more diverse backgrounds.
3. Your dog will make you feel safe
Even if you have one of those dumb huge dogs who are scared of the stray cat or the pricey tiny dogs who get annoyed by the butterflies, this trip will bring out the best in them and put their instincts to test. It will keep the shady strangers away. It will also give you a sense of security strolling down a random road at 1 AM.
4. It gives you more bonding time with your dog
Every dog has a favourite family member and chances are it isn’t you. Especially if you are the youngest in your family, your dog probably thinks you’re his or her butler. The trip will give you time for some butler-beagle bonding and what better way than to also be his or her driver.
5. Your dog learnt to sit and fetch. Now he will learn to live
For all of you whose dogs are spending their life fetching frisbees like a pro, this is a chance you can give them to put their superior senses to use. Even though dogs are the most common pets, they aren’t designed for a two bedroom on the 14th floor of a building and even if you believe your dog is addicted to the AC, he will have the best time of his life running around in the rain on a hilltop.
6. The park must get monotonous after a while
Yes, they lose their shit every time you put on your shoes and go for the leash, but I imagine in the pet world it must get boring talking about the same old park. Give your pet a chance to show off about the cooler ‘park’ he went to, that one fine weekend.
7. It would prove to be educational for the dog
A dog isn’t very different from a child (any day, better than a child, but that’s a different topic) so you can use the trip to teach your dog about the world. As you go around in your car, you can be like “Look trees! They are different from lamp posts, they have leaves.” Or “Look the beach, it’s like a huge pool with lots of scope to get dirty.”
8. Kennels aren’t the safest option
If you are a single dog-parent, kennels are your go to for every office trip or vacation. But the ticks they bring back from the kennel aren’t the only concern. Today many kennels are known to be involved in breeding dogs without the owner’s permission, selling off or kidnapping dogs and mistreating dogs on a whole. Such trips will help skip your dog’s kennel stay unless absolutely necessary.
9. It’s your grand payback for your dog’s unconditional love
Some researchers say that a dog can love their owner more than it loves itself. And all those who have a dog, know that this is true. So the best way to live up to all that love is to give your dog a well-deserved break from his busy schedule of sleeping, eating, playing in the park and chilling otherwise.
10. Dog travel selfies need to be a thing
Our Instagram and Facebook feed is filled with pictures of people vacationing, chilling and doing random shit nobody cares about. It’s about time we take trips with our dogs, click travel selfies with them and flood other people’s feed with it. Let’s make it a thing.