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Over the years, I have worked and traveled with two, beautiful German Shepherd guide dogs. At first, we travelled light. But, as the years progressed, I picked up a few things to help my canine companions travel more comfortably.

First, I bought a collapsible bowl and a couple of brushes. The bowl rolls up tight enough to fit in a pocket or backpack and holds either a healthy meal or a thirst-quenching drink. It is easy to dry with a paper towel. The brushes, a coarse bristle brush and a softer one for finishing, don't take up much room either and keep my guides looking (and smelling) their best. These three items are probably the most important supplies you can buy for dog travel.

Once I had the essentials, utilitarian dog travel supplies I picked up a few playful toys, a fluffy mat and a collapsible kennel.

A hard, plastic bone is the best chew toy I've found for travelling shepherds, and a two foot length of sturdy rope is great for tug of war matches. A heavy-duty tennis ball completes my trio of toys. Tugging on the rope and fetching the bouncing ball relieves a lot of travel stress. Believe me, nobody wants to travel with a stressed shepherd.

When the fluffy mat is inside the kennel, my guide has a nice, comfy den, where he can chew on his chew toy and sleep. It is the same kennel he sleeps in at home, so he always has a familiar place to "chase bunnies."

Pet travel kennels come in various sizes and types. Kennels that don't collapse are stronger than the ones which fold up, but they're awkward. Travelling by mini-van or car isn't too bad, but air cargo can get rather expensive for solid boxes. The way I see it, the collapsible crate is the way to go.

As my collection of pet supplies grew, I needed some place to keep everything, so I picked up a custom pet travel bag. Pet travel bags don't have to be expensive, but they do have to be light. I found a light nylon backpack with a bunch of pockets that keep things organized and Has enough room for a small bag of food. There are even a couple of zippered pockets just the right size for flea protection and heartworm medication.

I probably take my dogs farther in a year than most people do in a decade. While food, water and a place to curl up are the obvious things you'll need, providing a few luxuries for your best friend is the least you can do.

Learn more about this author, Dudley Hanks.
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