Ferrying Fido here, there, and abroad

No Pet Left Behind: The Sherpa Guide for Traveling With Your Best Friend

By Gayle Martz, with Delilah Smittle

Thomas Nelson, 224 pp., $16.99

One of my favorite "girlfriend getaways" was a road trip to Florida with Sabrina and Roxy, my two dachshunds. On the way down, we stayed at a Days Inn, shared a bed (using our bedding), and, to humor them, watched "Animal Planet."

Judging by all the websites and travel guidebooks directing humans to where their canine companions are welcome, I'm in good company among people who enjoy traveling with their pets.

While most of the guides I've seen explore the where, "No Pet Left Behind: The Sherpa Guide for Traveling With Your Best Friend" focuses on the how. Author Gayle Martz is a former flight attendant who in 1989 developed Sherpa bags, a line of soft-sided pet carriers that fit under an airplane seat.

Although "No Pet" focuses on dogs, Martz includes information on travel with cats, birds, ferrets, lizards, rodents, and more. For example, to help with motion sickness, pack soda crackers and plain oatmeal for warm-blooded animals and soak bread in water for the cold-blooded variety.

Martz addresses health concerns, preparing pets for traveling in a crate, pet (and owner) etiquette, modes of travel both domestic and international, and entertaining your pet once you get to your destination.

If you're short on ideas about where to travel with Fido, Martz has a few dozen suggestions, from hotels and resorts to campgrounds and dog camps. But, again, the how is what sets this book apart. For example, here's a tip from Martz for owners whose dogs like to swim. "Before allowing your dog in the water, soak her fur with a natural pet cream rinse or leave-in conditioner mixed with water. When your dog dries off, she will be tangle free and will smell and feel like she just had a bath."

The 45 pages of resources at the back are worth the price alone. A timetable of "things to do before traveling" starts at least seven months before a trip, if flying internationally, and includes everything from vet checkups to crate labeling. Martz also lists which airlines accept pets in the cabin, as of 2008 publication.

I'll be sure to refer to Martz's book before the girls and I hit the road again.

Diane Daniel can be reached at diane@bydianedaniel.com.