Dog Travel Bag or Dog Emergency Kit

You might already have an extra travel bag at home that you can designate for pooch. If you don't, check out the local thrift shops as people often get free travel bags from travel agents that they never use or they upgrade to more specific bags for their needs. This travel bag was bought from the St. Vincent de Paul Society thrift store for $1.50 and it had new handles put on that cost $3. The best travel bags to use would have wipe able fabric and be large enough for pooches needs and treats without too many pockets that you would have to search through. If your Fifi is a real princess look for something in hot pink or one of her other favourite colours. If you are using a boarding facility check to see what they suggest to bring. Dog boarders  generally have a specific list of items they ask you to bring and leave behind, make sure that you follow their list or discuss with them if there is something you want to make sure that your dog has.

Start by adding a luggage tag to your pets travel bag. This will identify the bag as theirs which will be helpful to the staff at a kennel. This cute tag was easily made by down-loading a image of a terrier silhouette from the internet and cutting it out of white card stock, adding coloured paper with the same markings as pooch, and a little red paper collar. A glue stick was used to glue it to a piece of black card stock then that was glued to a piece of slightly larger white card stock. Her name was written on the back of the tag and it was laminated at a local office supply store (This was done with a heavy laminate and cost $3.50). A button with a shank was sewn to the front of the travel bag and a black cotton ribbon was pulled through the shank and tied to the top of the luggage tag through a hole that had been made with a hole punch.  If you don't want to do a dog silhouette your luggage tag could be in the shape of a bone, a fire hydrant, a dog house or even a photo of your pet. You could also easily attach the luggage tag to a zipper pull. 

Paper work is important for your pet. Include your name and contact numbers (but not your address)  along with the name, address, phone number and office hours of her vet.  Have a copy of her recent vaccinations (updated yearly for your emergency kit). Most kennels have a vet service they use in case of after hour emergencies but if you are leaving them with

friends or family find out the nearest emergency animal care facility near their home and leave them that information as well. If your pet is taking medication have two copies of the type, times and amounts that they need to be given. Hand one to the care giver with the medication and leave the second in the bag. For your emergency kit find out from your vetranarian how long you can leave the medication in the kit before is loses it's effectiveness and will have to be replaced. Have at least three days worth of medication.

If your dog is micro chipped  then  make a copy of the name and contact number of the service you use.  Make sure that this service has your most recent phone numbers, including a cell phone number. If the dog is lost during an emergency you can call them to leave an emergency contact number for someone who is not in the emegency area. Include a recent photograph of your dog, in case your dog gets lost it can be used to make up flyers for their safe return. Have all the papers in a plastic bag or folder and mark it with your animals name. 

Your dog should have separate food and water dishes. It is best that these be made out of stainless steel, (theses can be bought from a Dollar Store for $1.25 each))  so they don't get chipped or broken and can be sanitized with boiling water. Mark your dog's name on the bottom of their dishes. Depending on how long they will be staying and how big your dog is their food might fit into their travel bag. If they eat dry dog food and it is a small dog or short visit, you can use an air tight plastic containter (bought from the Dollar Store for $1) and mark on it your dogs name and how much food they get morning and night. Have a scoop  (we used a extra laundry scoop that had been cleaned)  to easily measure out the amount. This should be in your emergency kit with three days worth of food. This food should be cycled out every month or two so it does not get stale. Try to get in the habit of using it up when ever you buy a new bag of dog food. If they eat canned food have enough cans and a can opener in the kit. For your emergency kit you should also have at least a 1.5 litre bottle of water strictly designated for the dog, this water can be changed out once a year (or by the best before date).

Your dog might get lonely for you when you are gone so for a week or so before you leave for your trip have a blanket or towel in the TV room or where ever most of the family gather and have all the family member handle it so it picks up their scent. Pack this with your kit as they can sleep on it and it will be a great comfort for your dog.  You might not want to send the dog bed, especially if they are boarding with a lot of other dogs due to the transfer of fleas. If you do send your dog bed wash it well before they use it again at home. Their blanket or towel should also be washed well when it returns home. For your emergency kit a blanket is useful to use as a dog bed or to keep your dog warm and a towel should be added in case they need to be dried or cleaned up due to injury.   

A toy from home would be fun but some kennels provide their own toys and discourage home toys in case other dogs get a hold of them and destroy them. If friends or family are looking after them by all means send a toy but no more than one or two as they might just get lost if you send more. Warn anyone if your dog is jealous of their toys and if they try to nip if they are taken away. For your emergency kit put in something that can be chewed on, this would help if your dog becomes anxious.  

For an extended stay you would want to include a grooming kit of a brush, comb, nail clippers  and shampoo, but for a short visit or for your emergency kit these really are not needed unless you have a type of dog that must be groomed every day. If that is the case them make sure that all grooming instruments are clearly marked with their name and place it in a clear plastic bag with a zipper seal with a list of what is in the bag.

Some dogs do have special needs such as sweaters during the colder weather or boots for sensitive paws. For an emergency kit you will have to decide if you want to buy a second set of these items. 

Last but not least treats. Treats are a lovely little bonus to send with your pet. Any one who looks after dogs on a regular basis probably has treats on hand but this is a time the you can spoil them just a little and send them that extra special treat that they love so much. Treats should definetely be put in an emergency kit, you might have to use them to coax your pet if they become frightened or just to have on hand as a reward for good behaviour.

The total cost of the travel bag that we made up here was $13.00 including tax because we used items that we already owned such as the blanket, towel, chew toy, treats, water and dog food. If you need to buy a towel and/or blanket for them look for seconds at warehouse sales. 

No matter what situation your dog is in, be it an emergency evcuation or a restful few days with a trusted caregiver, their bag should provide everything that is needed.

Copyright Ingrid Talpak 2009 morestylethancash