About us

Jim and I have always loved to travel. We have been fortunate enough to be able to see much of the world. We have seen many different parts of the United States as well. There is so much to see and experience. 

Jim and Bee

Early on in our travels, we discovered that we miss our dogs, when we travel without them. We would be at a nice beach, or on a hiking trail, and one of us would say: “I wish our dogs were here with us!” - and the other would answer: “I was just thinking about them, they would love this place.” Or we would find ourselves at a restaurant, and there would be someone with a dog, and we would go over and pet it and tell the person about our dogs. Then Jim would look at me and say:” I wish we had brought our dogs.” 
 
Eventually we decided to plan our vacation and weekend excursions with our dogs in mind. Well to tell the truth, at first we actually didn't plan, we just took our dogs. However, we soon learned that some prior planing was required. Traveling with dogs was not as easy as it seemed. We found out that there are places your dogs can't go. We knew that finding a dog-friendly restaurant could be tricky, but we also ran into hiking trails that would not allow them. 
 
Traveling with our dogs turned out to be a lot more work then traveling without them, but both Jim and I agree, we would much rather travel with our dogs, than without them. Some of my favorite memories include taking Jaeger and Heidi with us to Seattle. They even went with us to Pikes Market, one of the busiest places in downtown Seattle. There were thousands of people milling around the outdoor shopping areas. Pushing through the streets with the crowds, with loud and noisy farmers offering their goods, Jaeger, our 95 pound Chesapeake Bay Retriever was walking close to my side, and Heidi, our 10 pound tiny Jack Russell Terrier was safely tucked under Jim's arm. They might have preferred to be on the beach chasing a ball, but they were comfortable being with us, no matter all to hustle and noise around us.

In Montana, I got to fulfill one of my dreams, as Jim and I rented Paddle boards and rode them down the Swan River near Flathead Lake. Jaeger and Heidi quickly accustomed themselves to the boards and I was able to ride with both dogs on my board, something a had dreamed of doing for a long time!

Bee paddle-boarding with Heidi and Jaeger

 
As we came across other people traveling with pets, we noticed that many seemed unprepared or poorly equipped. When we started looking for dog-friendly accommodations, we found we spoke with vacation owners that told us about bad experiences they had with traveling pets.

At some point, we realized that there is a need for information on traveling with pets. A resource that would provide helpful tips for traveling with pets. Information that would make the travel easier. 
 
Jim, who has been a dog trainer and behaviorist for over 25 years, also saw a need to offer some simple training exercises. These are mostly behavior modifications, providing tools to the dog owner to teach their dogs to behave in a safe and agreeable manner. 
 

Our blog, Keep your Paws on the Road is the result of our many years of experience in traveling with dogs. It is our hope that it will make your travel more enjoyable, that your dog will be more comfortable and a better travel companion for you.