While you would be hard-pressed to find a pet owner who didn’t love his or her animal to the end of the Earth, it would also be difficult to find one who wouldn’t admit in a candid moment that there are a few ways owning a pet makes certain things in life a bit more difficult than they would be otherwise.
Travel seems to be the one area pet ownership often causes some difficulties. Whether it’s a day spent running errands, or a two-week tropical vacation, pet owners always need to plan ahead a little bit more than others to ensure their pet’s health and happiness. Even a trip to the store to pick up milk or a prescription means a walk-through of the house to be sure there isn’t any food left out where your pooch can get at it, and that he’s been taken out before you leave.
Some people are fortunate enough to have friends, family, and neighbors flexible and reliable enough to take care of their pets when they have to or want to leave town for a bit. Others are able to afford professional boarding for their pets. But for those who bring their pets with them when they travel, either by choice or out of necessity, there are often a few issues that need to be dealt with.
One of the most important issues is maintaining the comfort of your pets in unfamiliar places, and when considering vehicular travel, tight spaces don’t help. To ensure they’ll be comfy as you both go where you do, pet beds and other cushioning products from Foam Factory, Inc. can make a big difference.
For dogs large and small, a wide range of soft, cushioning, and comfortable beds exist, in multiple shapes, sizes, and colors to fit whatever you and your pet’s needs are. Obviously, pet beds are a great idea at home, but people sometimes overlook the benefits they can provide when traveling as well. In addition to simply being comfortable, bringing along your dog’s bed gives them a familiar place they understand is their own, no matter where you go.
On longer trips, putting the bed in their travel space will ensure their comfort and can even help take an edge off a stressful time, with the familiarity factor it provides. Smaller dogs that may have sat in laps can also have their beds brought along, giving you something to hold them on. Available in both solid and compactible shredded foam, you could even have a spare “travel” bed for your pet that saves you the hassle of hauling their everyday bed, and also selecting a material that is more easily compressed and packed to help conserve space. In the winter, foam beds will also help pets stay a little warmer. For larger dogs that may travel in the cargo areas of vans or SUVs, rectangle pet beds that fill the area can be an added benefit during cooler months.
Some pets travel better in crates – whether to limit their anxiety, to make them more manageable, or both. These are usually molded plastic shells, however, and attempts to place folded blankets or towels in these for softness and warmth usually fail, as they get bunched up in a corner. With the movement in a vehicle, a pet can even wind up sliding around, as a fleece or cotton lining won’t give them any traction against a hard plastic shell. For something that pads, insulates, and even offers additional grip, closed-cell foam sheets can be cut to line the inside of pet crates!
Rigid enough to not roll and fold up, closed-cell foam, when cut on the generous side, can be compressed into place and stay put. Possibly best of all is the fact that as a closed-cell foam, these materials are non-absorbent, so they can be wiped down and sanitized as needed. This is also extremely helpful if the pet has an accident, as spongier, open-cell foam is absorbent and would be ruined.
Ultimately, people love having their pets with them, which means when it comes to traveling, they don’t like leaving them behind. While it requires a bit of effort to make things happen, ensuring their comfort and happiness is as beneficial to you as it is to them. After all, if people enjoy travel pillows, why wouldn’t your pets?
