Traveling with Nola is always more of an adventure.
Flying:
We try and get the bulk head seats on the plane so that we all have more space. This is great but can take a few calls to the airlines (we normally fly Delta and Alaska. Both those airlines have been wonderful). They sometimes have to move people around so try to do this as soon as you know your travel dates.
When Wes's grandpa passed away we had to fly with such short notice that we didn't have time to do make special seat arrangements. Although an airline is required by law to accommodate anyone with a service animal, we chose not to take the chance that we'd be hassled or delayed so we had a couple of friends look after her. Sometimes it just isn't practical to travel with a big service dog so keep that in mind when you fly.
One thing we do to prep Nola for the flight is fasting her 24 hours before the flight (no pooping on the plane!) We've never traveled far enough that she couldn't hold it normally but its best to not take any chances. We give her crunchy treats throughout the flight to pop her ears as pressure changes so don't feel too sad for her.
They have pet relief spots at most major airports but my crazy dog doesn't believe she's allowed to go on astroturf. For that reason we always try to get direct flights when we go to Atlanta to see Wes's family.
When we fly to see my mom we fly to Seattle or Portland but then have to to take a much smaller plane over to Spokane or Pullman. Its a good thing we don't have a bigger dog than Nola because she has to stand the whole time on this relatively short (thankfully), one hour flight. Here she is with Wes (I sit in the row across to give her more room.)
Driving places with Nola:
Most people think "you have a huge dog, you must need a huge car." Nope, we have a Nissan Versa and she rides in the back seat. She's really good in the car. She's pretty happy to just be going with us. After about 5 hours she starts to get a little antsy but who doesn't? To keep her hydrated we have a neat water bottle that doubles as a water bowl.
She won't sleep in the car, however and for a dog that takes about a half dozen naps a day that's really saying something. Its funny to watch her try to stay awake. Its like she doesn't want to miss anything.
At hotels we usually lay blankets on the floor for her to sleep on and she's always out hard as soon as we arrive. I always try to get Wes to ask for a cot for her but he says the "precious princess dog will be fine sleeping on her blankets." Nola also won't really eat in the car so we always feed her once we get to the hotel.
On the trip we are leaving for on Thursday we are staying at a hotel in Redding the first night but then staying at a family friend's house the next night. We try and stay with these dear people when we go to Oregon so we can visit with them but its also super Nola friendly and they really like her.
On this trip they are actually letting us stay there while they are out of town and I couldn't be more grateful. Nola loves it there, as you can see in the photo above. I took that after she stole my spot in bed when I got up.
Traveling with Nola has its challenges but I think we're all used to that in the disabled community. The benefits are much greater, however!
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