[DogNDamsel12]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

I like reading this. Thank you.

The family isn’t a pet friendly one and somehow never reconciled to keeping one at home. However, the videos show the canines exhibiting unrestricted love.
A few quick questions.

Very valid questions. I will try to answer them from my POV as a rebellious dog parent, who introduced the family to the pooch.

My entire family was against any pet too. In fact, they had created and watered quite a few myths including saying that one of the family members is allergic to dog fur. However, I grew up with friends who had dogs and all of them were large breeds. I only had one aversion to a dog - when they cross over the rainbow bridge! Apart from that if you are passionate about having a pet - the decision is like having a human baby - some people plan it to the t and some don't and go about reinventing themselves as parents. But once you become a parent, you decide to go all out to educate yourself as one so that you minimize the possibility of any harm, and yet there is nothing called perfect parenting. At some point, you learn to have some empathy and forgiveness for yourself as well.

Nemo was a gift to me from a friend (else I believe in adopting for both human and animal kids). When I brought him in, I was a layman. My family was standing with placards against my name. But now I can very well apply for the post of a dog psychologist somewhere. And my obnoxious family loves him to the moon and beyond. You can cross oceans for the love that you receive when you get home.

Now to your other questions:

1. Taking care of the car: It is a tedious process and I have accepted that the Polo belongs to Nemo and me. We can at best accommodate one more person in the shotgun seat. Unless someone is really dog-friendly and does not mind riding at the back and come out with fur on his clothes. I keep loads of wet tissues in the car to do some quick cleaning of the car - fur, drools, etc. Nemo also has a hammock of his own for the backseat (which unfortunately is not easy to keep clean either). The car has to be deep cleaned. Towels don't work too well either. I used to be a neat-freak. But "acceptance and perseverance" is my new mantra as a dog-mum. Nevertheless, scratches on the outside aren't so much of an issue (feline parents will tell you a different story!)
   Hammock that fails to prevent the fur from creeping in
   
   Blower that tries but fails blow the fur away
   
   Vacuum cleaner that tries but fails to suck it all in:
   
   ...you get the drift!
   
2. Bio-breaks: DO NOT feed the dog right before traveling. Should have been fed at least 2-3 hours prior. Before you get them to jump in, make sure he has walked for at least 5 minutes to relieve himself. They get jumpy if you don't allow them that time. Dogs usually do not pee/poop in the same place where they rest. I used to take a quick pause every 2 hours to let him out for 2-3 minutes. Keep water in his bowl, and a quick treat after he has stepped out for his thingie(Again, no proper meal). A dog gets toilet trained within the first few days of being home, so he won't ever mess up your car. There was this one time when Nemo got a little sick (because my fellow passengers won't allow for the glass to be rolled down). He threw up slightly on the floor mat (which is something I cleaned up as I would for my human baby too). But even as he was sick, he held himself together pretty well for the remainder of the trip. And as soon as I reached Delhi, I made a beeline to the vet.
   
3. Pet-stink - There will be some of it. But try to keep the windows down when you are traveling. The more they sweat, the more they stink, the more they also contract skin infections. A cleaner dog leads to a cleaner car (..and cleaner homes and furniture and mind). Once you are a dog parent, you will get used to their routine and also get used to constantly running your fingers through their skin and paws to check for any bumps, ticks, allergies, etc.
   
4. Car temperature: With always a coat on their body, they will feel much hotter than you. I will abstain from taking him out on a hot summer afternoon if I have to leave him in the car. For example - when we were in Lucknow it was winter and while I explored the Labrynth, he was in the car for 3 hours with all windows rolled down. I would not have done the same thing in the summers. They love the AC, but you also need to roll down the windows while driving sometimes if the AC is weak. They feel suffocated sooner than you think. You can tell from the fidgetiness and the length of the tongue that comes out! Leave loads of water to last them the time that you are away! If Nemo is comfortable, he will curl up and sleep. On shorter trips his head will be out of the car with the tongue blowing out in the wind.

In the end, like I said, just like for your human child you will always know what works for them, so is the case for your goofballs. There is no one-size-fits-all. They are not fads, fancy or possessions - they have their needs and opinions that we need to respect. You will also know when you need to stop pushing their limits. They require your affection and attention - and they love with you all they have. I do hope more than convincing you to drive with a dog, my response convinces you to get one in the first place. And I am always here for any unsolicited advice.

I decided to hijack the tippy-tappy booger and respond to all of you my fans!


Mum did not give some of the captions to the photos earlier because she is tech-challenged. But now I have taught her how to use the multi-quote! So we will post more.

Originally Posted by Samba

What a lovely narration! Enjoyed reading it to the core.
Nemo is such a cute dog. Expected to meet him in the last Kolkata Team-Bhp meet, but Nemo skipped the meet! Else would have loved to hear Nemo's take on Kolkata Bhpians!

She is mean to me in this new city. Maybe she will take me if we changed the name to Team-BHPaw!

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

This Nemo needs no finding!

What a wonderful doggo; eager companion and a well-narrated tale.

He he thanks!

Originally Posted by batladanny

Wooof!! Loved this post a lot! I too have a pet, albeit a cat and it's been an experience traveling with her.

I have written about one of my trips here (My experience: Travelling 1000 km with a cat)

Nemo woofs kitty-kats too.. even though they slaps Nemo! Mum is intently tracking this post! It is way more difficult to travel with kitties coz they don't know sit and treat, they scratch everything and they judge your existence all the time.

Originally Posted by vox_alienus

However, having a dog at home is a big decision one shouldn't lightly. Especially someone like me, who lives alone. Because, for one thing, as a dog behaviorist has told me, there should be at least two people in the household other than the "parent", who are sufficiently familiar with the dog, and vice versa, to take care of him/her if the parent is incapacitated. No less important is my itinerant lifestyle.

Yes, I grew up alone too with mum - I would chew everything out of anxiety. It was not easy. We had a good trainer. But I got used to it. Now I have a family and am better off. I have made grandparents out of doggo-disliking hoomans.

On my last road trip, a forest ranger asked me, why didn't I travel with a dog if I loved dogs so much? I asked him, would he let me let me stay in the rest house under his care if I had a dog? He said "No" a little sheepishly.

Taking me to the forest is difficult. She was told that my sniff can attract big kitties and scary things.

Forest-ranger seems to not love drools and fur. All places mum kept me have been kind to me - pat, treats and open spaces. Never a 5-star, but that's okay for both of us. Also, she has crate-trained me. If she says "Nemo crate!" I open my crate door and go and sit inside. This is in case there is an emergency. But the crate itself is too big to be taken in the car. Can help if I have to fly or take the train.

Originally Posted by yesyeswe

I loved reading from the point of view of a dog, lovely pictures and videos too, he looks super fun and playful, give him some scratches from my side too.

Hi Ron, we woof you and miss you. Sorry that you are gone. We could have been friends. Your parents can come to meet me any time. And thanks for the scratches.

Polos are our best friends! Nemo woofs Polo.

Originally Posted by Axe77

One small point to be mindful of if you don't mind. It seems in the first video that the front passenger door is actually unlocked. I'm sure the dog is buckled in but could still be dangerous.

She must not have noticed at that time. Mum's clumsy sometimes! Thankfully, our car now has auto-locks. You are right - while we were travelling with a fren, he had put down the handbrakes of their Safari while no one was watching. predatorwheelz can tell you that story.

Originally Posted by hari_snair

Very nice read !! Nemo is so sweet and wish many many more miles

Thanks!

Originally Posted by soumiksett

A true friend indeed. Nemo is very sweet.

Thanks! Will see at the OTR next time.

Originally Posted by anivy

The following threads have more details related to traveling with pets:

Pawsommmme... we are tracking!

Originally Posted by skyocean

I want to ask if anyone has taken their dog to Ladakh, I'm all ears to hear their story. I'm looking forward to such a trip in the near future.

Mum also wants that and I love traveling with her too. She is still waiting to understand how best to handle low oxygen. She would not take me anywhere only for the heck of pictures, she takes me to places where I will enjoy the open. She is slightly wary of such high altitudes because if my sniffle-snaffle has any issue, she still has not figured out a way to address it. You let her know if you hear more on this. And maybe we can travel together some time.

Originally Posted by vigsom

What a lovely report by Nemo, @DogNDamsel12. We had four Lhasa Apsos and one GS, all one after the other. Only one of them, Bingo, had the pleasure of travelling along. Those days, we used to take Bingo along in the Guard cabin in trains, and check on him at every station. The GS would enjoy the car ride to the vet. What I have seen,though, is that they are very sad to let Mom, Dad and siblings go away leaving them in town. In the same vein, extremely excited to get into a car and enjoy the wind-in-the-face feeling.

Nemo loves the wind-in-the-face and hates being left behind! They had creches in Delhi which were good to me. I bonded well with hoomans there and sometimes did not want to come back home just to give Mom an identity crisis.

Originally Posted by pdma

Sharing one of our many trips here,
https://Youtu.be/EvvsY0nRgdY

Cheers,
Pradeep.

PAWWWSOMME!

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[eyeman]

Very well written. The write up from a dog's perspective was fresh and amusing to read. Give my love to Nemo.

[vox_alienus]

"Taking me to the forest is difficult. She was told that my sniff can attract big kitties and scary things.

Forest-ranger seems to not love drools and fur. All places mum kept me have been kind to me - pat, treats and open spaces. Never a 5-star, but that's okay for both of us. Also, she has crate-trained me. If she says "Nemo crate!" I open my crate door and go and sit inside. This is in case there is an emergency. But the crate itself is too big to be taken in the car. Can help if I have to fly or take the train."

This Ranger's family lives in the big city in the plains, at the foot of the hills. His wife has 4 Spitz's. So I don't think he's against dogs per se. Also, a pahari puppy with a collar belonging to one of his staff members was making a nuisance of itself in his living quarters when I went there for tea, with him benignly looking on. I picked up the thing, planted it on my lap and kept tickling it until it wanted to get off.

"Taking me to the forest is difficult. She was told that my sniff can attract big kitties and scary things."

But the puppy that forced me to scratch her belly for half-an-hour was in a forest camp run by the West Bengal State Forest Development Agency, behind two fences, one electrified. There were three of her siblings there.

[digitalnirvana]

Love that you found your Nemo and he found his mom in you. Give the adorable pup some pets and scritches from me.

Thank you for giving him a good loving home.

[ABHI_1512]

The video featuring Nemo’s goofiness made me love the doggo and the point of view from him is indeed an wonderful account of his loving ways. Enjoy the wonderful company and thanks for writing this one out DogNDamsel12. Will look forward to see him sometime soon whenever that happens.

Regards.

[vtecblast]

Loved going through your thread!
Being a pet parent, I always enjoy taking my pets with me to travel. In 2020 (picture 1) I took Scotch (the dark one) as a gift on a vacation to a pet-friendly homestay in Bhimtal. Now, I have 2, Whiskey (the white one) he's son of Scotch and recently took them in Snow for the first time (picture 2) . And All they did was eat the snow! Whiskey being 4 months old only is still trying to get hold of travelling in car but, ain't that's Scotch's responsibility to teach him as a father?!

[benbsb29]

Thanks for a refreshing writeup, and glad to have made acquaintance with Nemo.
Nemo, meet Alfie who is our partner in crime and affection.

Agree with the points you mentioned about looking after pets and the affection you get in return. As a first time pet family, there's been a lot we've learnt and enjoyed, along with the learning curve involved.

Here's a writeup of our first long trip with Alfie, as well as some pics from the trip.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ia-pajero.html (Pet-friendly travel escape to tranquil Stanthorpe (Australia) in a Pajero)

[pdma]

Originally Posted by DogNDamsel12

I decided to hijack the tippy-tappy booger and respond to all of you my fans!
Attachment 2134965

Iam following the thread too, Nemo.

Woof,
Zar.