A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FULL-TIME
TRAVEL DOG
Truffles now has a lot more adventure, which she loves. BY SHAE PEPPER
Typical Day Here’s what an average day in the life of a full-time travel dog looks like. Morning 8–9am: Truffles wakes up and is taken out to the bathroom. She’s provided a small offering of breakfast meat from the hotel breakfast (by her dad) for going into her den nicely while we are out of the room. 26 CINCYPET MAGAZINE | ISSUE 4
9–11am: She may have some breakfast. Truffles free-feeds. She doesn’t have a set food time—we provide her with food when she’s hungry and she stops when she’s full. When she was a puppy she was on a schedule, but as she self-regulates we allow her to guide feeding times as an adult. She plays ball in the hotel and barks at the housekeeping staff that walks by the room with the vacuum. Afternoon 11am–5pm: We go out and do something. She’s an avid hiker and has been known to do up to 10 miles on her little paws. Our average hike is 3–6 miles. We pack a picnic lunch for us all and eat during the day. Sometimes she has to stay behind in her den, but we try to do outdoor and dog-friendly things whenever possible. If she stays in we try to take her to a dog park, a longer walk at a local park, or even out to the pet or home improvement store to get sniffs on cold or rainy days. She gets out at least once a day or every other day depending on the weather and our workload. Two days a week we work from the hotel. Stephen is a travel writer and I’m an online teacher. Truffles naps and plays like most any dog on those days and gets her 2–3 walks in depending on the weather.
PHOTOS � Shae Pepper
“D
oes she like to travel?” That’s always the first question we’re asked when people find out we travel full-time with our dog, Truffles. The answer is yes and no. Truffles spent the first four years of her life with a fairly normal dog routine—three walks a day (average 1–2 miles each) with her dad, who worked from home, plenty of space and time to play ball, couch snuggles, and treats. That all changed on January 1, 2018, when we left on our five-year, 50-state road trip. While there are a few predictable things in her life, Truffles now has a lot more adventure, which she loves. But she’s not a big fan of moving day—when we pack up and move to a new hotel or location between 2–6 hours away. We do this about every seven days. We have some strategies in place for moving day, but it’s still a more stressful day for her than the others.
