[Ragul]

Is she also going to be walking nature trails in the mountains? Dogs are the favorite food of leopards. They will sniff out the trail and come visiting at night to the tent or campsite.

--Ragul

[Sutripta]

Hi,
A couple of questions. This proposed trip - Want to do it this way, or forced to do it this way? And any army connection?

Regards
Sutripta

[lucifer1881]

There is this option of her staying at TBHPians homes during the night. I am sure we have a TBHPian in every major town / city along her route. If she passes through Hyderabad then she is welcome to stay at my place for the night. Other TBHPians can make similar offers and we can work together to make her trip possible.

However, I would still advise her to think through this thoroughly. My wife and I did a trip from Hyderabad to Ladakh and back with me as the only driver. Trust me, driving all the 7000 odd km yourself is a tough ask.

[prasadee]

Originally Posted by recker_us

Hi,
I am posting this on behalf of my friend. She extremely passionate about himalayas and was planning to drive solo from Hyderabad to Uttaranchal/Himachal Pradesh in her Maruti Zen along with two dogs.

We have a labrador retriever who travels with us everywhere in the US. Eventhough we can find petfriendly hotels and vacation homes, we camp in tents and campsites. Temperatures are easily sub zero even in the deserts at night. So having gear for the pooch for warmth is essential. I see several dogs sensitive to cold wear jackets such as this
Climate Changer Fleece Dog Jacket Black Medium#

I do not think it is safe for a lady to camp in the wilderness with 2 dogs for company. If she could find other like minded people who could accompany her then it can be a fun outdoor camping adventure with the pooches.

[silverado]

If drving in himalayas is the utlimate goal, why not transport the car in train to Chandigarh/Kurukshketra, and then flydown to start the journey with the pets/take a train.

This might not entice her, but i find this very practical if her dream is to drive in Himalayas.

Eliminates all the hassles till HP, plus keeps Car and Driver fit and Fresh for greater challenges in hills.Also she can then explore much more than planned in hills this way.

[black12rr]

I would strongly suggest her, not to take dogs at high altitude .When humans starts gasping for breath ,headache,vomiting and sometimes are unable to explain how are then feeling , how would dogs be able to explain to humans how are they feeling if they are suffering . please don't put the dogs under this ordeal .

[torquecurve]

Okay, I have a dog and we have done some long trips together. She is pretty composed as long as you leave the window open slightly. So I generally drive with my front and rear windows 1/4th open.

Finding places where you are allowed to take your dog (lodges/dhabas and hotels) is very difficult. Most dhabas have a couple of local dogs as their guard dogs and they are mighty agressive (desi breeds). It could be difficult.

Also she will have to be long trip ready. Being a Maruti it wouldnt be too difficult to find a service centre in most places. However I would suggest 2 spare tyres instead of one, a power jack atleast. Tubeless tyres with Slime (the puncture repair solution that you fill in the tyres) would be Highly advisable.

She could stay with T-bhpian families enroute. If out of 20 stops she can do that at 15 it would be great. Also, if some T-bhpians are also travelling the same route at the same time period it would help with her safety. Maybe we could have small Tapri get togethers at most points and this would help her.

Being a lady esp in MP and naxal infested areas she could be at a disadvantage. Suggest you buy a tracking device for the car, with atleast 3 maps (not GPS) but paper road maps from 3 differnt publishers. Also buy the I-ball senior phone. It has a panic button which could help in worse case scenarios. She should add atleast two t-bhpian numbers from the two cities she is travelling between. Help will be close at hand.
Also she could have a Stungun with her (someone from the US/ singapore could source) and pepper spray.

For the dogs, I would also suggest that she has warm clothing and bedding.

I hate to say this but toilets in most places are not women friendly so she might have to manage. She could carry collapsible frame curtains.

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by black12rr

I would strongly suggest her, not to take dogs at high altitude .When humans starts gasping for breath ,headache,vomiting and sometimes are unable to explain how are then feeling , how would dogs be able to explain to humans how are they feeling if they are suffering . please don't put the dogs under this ordeal .

Dogs have a very high VO2 max (VO2 max - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Where Olympic athletes are *born* with +75 ml/kg/min ability (you still have to get there with training) and the average folks have about 35 ml/kg/min , dogs typically have a VO2 max of 150 ml/kg/min.

Ever tried running around playfully with your dog? He will tire you out with boundless energy and leave you gasping for breath. For the above reasons only. So I don't think a dog will have too many problems in high altitude. But these ones being a weak foreign pedigree which are less robust than a local village pedigree, one should consult the vet and research the breed on the Internet before venturing out.

--Ragul

[mandhir.s.bajwa]

Mods: I tried to search for this, but found nothing. If similar thread exists, Kindly merge it.

I've been thinking for sometime now that we all know as how to travel safe in a car when we have co-passengers, i.e: wearing seat belts and all. And why having child safety seat is extremely important. But I've never come across any suggestion which talks about the correct way of travelling with a pet in the car.

These days whenever I go back home and the family plans a day out, we take out dog with us. we ensure that there is his tower nicely spread on the back seat and he's not left alone in the car when we step out. But god forbids, If for any reason I have to brake hard, then he'll be the only one totally unprotected and sustaining injuries is pretty high.

So, what do you do? and can we really do anything to safeguard the travel experience of our best friends?

[rahulraxx]

Originally Posted by mandhir.s.bajwa

Mods: I tried to search for this, but found nothing. If similar thread exists, Kindly merge it.

You have indeed raised a very important issue. I myself have faced similar situations when my dog lost his balance and hit his face on the front seat due to emergency braking. I've seen some cars in the US which have been specifically built for people who have dogs. Wish similar things were being done in India as well.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money...ts-autos_N.htm

[mandhir.s.bajwa]

Originally Posted by rahulraxx

You have indeed raised a very important issue. I myself have faced similar situations when my dog lost his balance and hit his face on the front seat due to emergency braking. I've seen some cars in the US which have been specifically built for people who have dogs. Wish similar things were being done in India as well.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money...ts-autos_N.htm

Till the time we get anything like that in India, are there any alternatives?

[rahulraxx]

Question for the folks travelling with their heavy pets in their SUV's, how do you'll get them into your vehicles ? Do you'll use any pet ramps or pet loaders that we generally get abroad ? Here's what I'm referring to :
http://www.amazon.com/Pet-Loader-Lig.../dp/B00MFXDGOW

I intend to buy one but would like to here from fellow bhp members if we have some desi jugaad available ?

[esoticoreventon]

I have been pondering over this for a long time and I wanted to get the views of like-minded people on this issue. I did search for a similar thread but could not find one, mods please move this thread if deemed necessary.

How does one ensure that dogs are safe in cars? The two things I am passionate about are cars and animals, and I have been lucky enough to end up with a four-legged mate who enjoys car journeys as much as I do, but there have been situations where things could have ended badly for him.

The first incident happened when I had to brake very hard to avoid a motorcyclist who was riding at high speed on the wrong side of the road and ended up hitting a pedestrian and landed with his head barely a few feet away from my bumper. I was wearing my seat-belt so the hard braking had barely any effect on me, but my dog who was sitting in the back seat ended up falling off the seat and into the footwell. Luckily he was shaken but no other damage. The second incident was similar, a Santro decided to swerve badly into my path and almost collecting my bumper in the process, and I had to brake hard and this ended up with my dog hitting his head in the driver's seat, and once again lucky to have no injuries. On the first occasion he could have had a fracture and in the second one he could have broken his neck!

I guess if dogs could just be placed in the footwell rather than on the seat they might be a bit safer but it is not comfortable for them and nor can they do the one thing they enjoy doing, that is stare out of the window and look at traffic! And also these incidents are in city speeds where speed is not that high and so are the consequences, but what if it was highway speeds? And how can anyone save pets from accidents or roll-overs? I remember there was a mention of seat-belts for dogs on TopGear, but I don't know if that was implemented and mostly certainly it will take time to get to India, because well, we are only just starting to get ISOFIX Child seat mounts!

I would like to get an opinion from people here with regards to ensuring the safety of animals in cars. I intend to buy a 7-seater to replace my Honda City ZX just so that my dog can have the last row to himself, and also keep him as far away from frontal impacts as possible when I eventually do take him on highway trips. Also I understand animals are not to everyone's interests, but to me my dog is an extension of my family and so please do not be insensitive in suggesting ideas if you do not like animals! Cheers!

[WorkingGuru]

There was a small buckle like thing that could attached the collar / neck holding thing to the seatbelt buckle.

It was mentioned in another thread called "small things that add value to my car" or something.

I thought that was a very good safety buckle for pets. I'll just try to search again & post link here.

Edit : HERE

[docsinghal]

There are few things that you should get for your dog when you intend to take him on a road trip in your car.
First is a seat hammock, this will prevent the dog from falling into the footwell even if he slips off the seat, it also creates a barrier between the rear and the front in addition to providing protection for your seats. I personally use a hammock by Kurgo.
The second is a seat belt harness, the harness goes on the dog's body and the seat belt clips on to the existing seat belts, there are enough options available online.
The third and one of the most commonly forgotten things is a pair of "doggles", you don't want anything getting into your furry friend's eyes when he looks out of the window.
This is what I can think of now... I use these, I suggest you get them too.