How We Travel with Our Pup Grainger

​Before I get into how we travel with Grainger, I want to tell the story about Matt and I deciding to adopt her.
 
When I moved to Texas by myself, I knew I wanted to get a dog, I wanted to adopt and wanted to wait until Matt was back for the offseason. I began following all these shelters on Facebook and would check them everyday.
 
I saw the picture of Grainger on the shelter page in Kingsville, Texas, page in November 2015. I knew instantly she was the one. I sent it to Matt. He agreed, and said we should name her Grainger. I loved it, and that was that with the name.
 
We contacted the shelter and got the information we needed to go through the process. G was available in two days, and she was “first come first serve.” By the next day, there were over 100 comments on her picture with several people saying they wanted her.
 
The night before adoption Matt and I were standing in PetSmart for over an hour just discussing if we should adopt her. I was working a ton of hours, and he was going to leave for the season soon. Talk about finances was in the mix. The last thing we wanted to do was neglect the dog and make an irresponsible decision.
 
But we just couldn’t convince ourselves we shouldn’t. And now more than ever, I see what God’s bigger plan for adopting Grainger was/is.
 
I loved having her when I was by myself in Texas of course, but having her while we’re traveling and while Matt is gone during baseball is the biggest blessing.
 
Adoption day: Matt got up super early, drove an hour to Kingsville (I was at work) and was the first one at the shelter – even before the volunteers! Three other cars pulled in…all after Grainger. But the lady knew Matt was there first, and we got her! You guys, I can’t stress enough how important adopting is. We paid $25 that day for G, and got $10 back after getting her shots and fixed. FIFTEEN DOLLARS for our best friend. (Adopting > shopping. That’s my soapbox for the day.)

​Okay now to the topic of this post!

In the picture above, you can see everything that I usually pack for G.

From the first road trip we took with Grainger two days after bringing her home, we knew she was going to be a pretty good traveler. (Even though she got really carsick that first ride, she adjusted well to new environments. Now she loves the car and sticking her head out the window!)

So in regards to her being constantly on the go in new places, she adjusts really well. She is super timid and takes a long time to warm up to strangers because of her background, but she doesn’t show aggression so still easy to take her places.

Grainger is a registered service dog, so we have no problems taking her into hotels, ballgames, etc. If you need more information on that, you can contact me directly!

When driving, we always let her out to use the bathroom or just to walk around when we make a pit stop for gas, food, etc. She is a pro when it comes to using the bathroom, so we never have to worry about that. She doesn’t even wake up us up when we’ve been sleeping for like ten hours. She knows we will take her out…eventually. ;)

​​            G road trip essentials
 
Bag: My mom got Grainger a super cute Thirty-One travel bag.
 
Food: I use a gallon zip lock bag and fill it with her food for the trip.
 
Treats: I take the entire bag.
 
Bowls: I found our duel pop-up/fold down bowls at Marshalls for $7.99, and it is the best thing to have for travel! 
 
Poop bags, poop bags and more poop bags (Can never have too many)
 
Chews: G is a chewer, so I always make sure I have enough chews to give her either before bed or if she gets bored during the day.
 
Toy: She doesn’t play too much inside with toys unless we’re playing with her. So I usually only bring one toy for if we go swimming, at the park, etc.
 
Travel water bottle bowl: My mom also recently bought G a -- what I like to call the --  “bottle bowl." It’s so helpful for in the car and at games, and I’m excited to use it on our next road trip soon!
 
Harnesses and game attire: Always need the service dog harness and the orange harness for runs outside. At the games, G is either wearing her Drillers or Beaty bandana! (I know I’m that dog mom.)
 
Pet roller: Grainger has been shedding a lot this summer, so we got a roller to help keep the hotels white sheets/rooms [somewhat] hair free.
 
Brush, Paw supplies and Benadryl: I try to brush G out everyday to help with dry skin, shredding, etc. I recently found Natural Dog Company with all natural pet supplies. G’s paws were getting really rough and cracked from all the adventures. In not even a week’s use, I can tell a big difference since applying the PawTection and Paw Soother. We found out Grainger had a food allergy soon after we adopted her, so we started getting 4Health which basically has no artificial flavors or other food allergy prone ingredients. The food allergy symptoms stopped. She still scratches some and has red eyes from what we think is just being outside, so we give her Benadryl when needed (mostly at night) which helps.
 
Kennel and blankets: Until recently, we put G in the kennel when we were away. The kennel is her safe place, so we still bring it anyway! As well as her blanket to give her familiar smells, etc. and to cover up where she usually lies down.

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At Grainger's first game - NW Arkansas - Bark in the Park

Family photo after Matt hit his first professional walk-off home run

​Before the game, I always take G to a dog park or go for a run to make sure she is tired and will sleep through the night. The app, Bring Fido, helps me find all the dog friendly places in a new city!

When I take Grainger to the game, she just goes under my seat and pretty much sleeps or quietly looks around. I forget she is there most games. I bring the bottle bowl and treats to the games. To be honest, she is scared when walking around because of all the people and weird objects, but she has gotten a lot better!

She loves to sleep, so we usually do not have any problems at night with her. We got lucky Grainger is a super laid-back pup which makes traveling with her a breeze!