Many people love to travel with their animal and feathery friends. One doesn't have to look very far to uncover the explanation. We love our animals. Seems simple. Not so. Our relationships with our animals are rather complex. It was beautifully explained to me quite innocently in a conversation with the business owner of a dog wash storefront. This was a complete career. He left a well-paying, high stress construction job to escape burnout. His long working hours coupled with his management responsibilities put him on a collision course to become a workplace stress related casualty.

Although he loved dogs, he lived with a cat. His busy schedule wouldn't allow him to enjoy the company or and responsibilities of a dog. So he did the next best thing-create a business that would allow him to be around dogs. Indeed, he did discover a fabulous way to surround himself with canines six days a week. Once in awhile, a brave courageous soul brought a beloved feline into his establishment to be washed, but this was a rare exception. His could have easily called his business Dogs Only instead of City Dog Wash. His business was a success. His human and animal customers enjoyed his excellent customer service and genuinely warm personality. He observed the animals. He made friends with them. He loved them. I met him after being in business for about six months; he had this to say about animals.

MUTUAL ADORATION CLUB
“I have always loved animals but didn't understand the animal human connection until I opened City Dog Wash. If something happened to my cat, I would be devastated. Animals can love us in a way that humans don’t. It is not just the way that they unconditionally accept us. It is the way that we are so totally adored by them. “ After visiting with hundreds of dogs, other animals and their human friends, I agree. I would add that it is a mutual adoration club. Animals are as fascinated by humans as we are by them. Moreover, they need us and we need them. Many people allow their animal friends to know them in ways that they would never allow another human to. Perhaps we feel safer with them than we do with humans. Some animal lovers admit to preferring their animals to human friends. Not only that, they are often cuter and better looking. Wouldn't you agree?

Is it any wonder that we hate to leave home without them? Some humans won’t or don’t go far without their animals. Numerous hotels recognize this and allow you to bring your best friend with you when you travel. For some travelers, it is easier to find pet friendly hotels than it is to find ways to make their animals feel comfortable traveling. Sometimes people can talk the animal through the trauma and sometimes not.

Car rides are nightmares for some. Some get nervous. Others get physically sick. Some cry. Some quietly mope. A retired couple’s family included three adopted greyhounds that often accompanied them in the car. They had never experienced a problem until Sandy came to live with them. Sandy was an emotional wreck and shook the entire time that he rode in the car and continued shaking even after he was taken out of the car when they arrived at their destination. I told the couple that Sandy probably would never recover from the earlier emotional trauma that caused this reaction to car rides. Sandy may have had at least one bad experience in a car while being transported from where he lived to the racetrack. This couple will resolve the issue by leaving Sandy at home with someone.

TELL THEM
Remember that your beloved pal knows about your travel plans before you have that “goodbye” chat. All you have to do is think about your trip, and often they know. So by the time that you start talking to them about traveling, it may already be “old” news. How they know seems to be a mystery. Perhaps they are truly telepathic. A woman’s silky terrier knew when she was going to give her a bath. “She doesn't see the shampoo or the towel. All I do is think about bathing her and she runs off and hides.” Sometimes animals will sit in opened suitcase and vote their displeasure with an organic deposit that you REALLY wish were odorless. If indeed animals read our minds, it seems smart to start talking with them long before the suitcase appears. Since we don’t seem to know exactly how they know and what they know, why not assume that dogs and other animals know more than we realize and understand? Wondering what to say? What you would tell a child? Perhaps the golden rule to follow is the five “Ws” that journalists try to answer: what, when, where, why, who and how. Talk about what will happen, when you are going and when you are coming back. Tell your friend why you are going away. It may sound silly to talk about who is going and how you are going to get to where you are going. Your “story” does paint a picture for them.

Explain why your best friend can’t accompany you. This will help them understand why they can’t go too. This is particularly important if you are in the habit of taking your animals with you. Beware. Even when told why they aren't accompanying you, some may not accept the explanation. Remember that even if they are accustomed to being taken places with you, they may wonder why don’t you take them wherever you go. Surely you can figure out a way to take them with you can’t you? Although they may not accept your reasoning, they need to hear why.

If after reading this you still doubt that your friends will understand you, keep reading. A woman who lived with two greyhounds was puzzled. She purchased a small lamp to put on her desk in her home office. Where is it she asked herself? She sat down at her desk to look for the lamp. One of the dogs sat next to her desk and began whimpering. She looked to see what the noise was all about. The dog was staring at the lamp. It looked at her and then at the lamp. Her greyhound was telling her where the lamp was!

Remember talking to your furry, feathery, and reptilian friends only helps you build a better relationship with them. It is a win-win situation. What do you have to lose?