Dogs
 

are dogs a good road companian ?

Some people seem to think so. Personally, I don't think a truck is the place for any animal. You can probably do a search and come up with some comments about dogs on the road.

I would think there would be a problem when you stop for a meal at a restaurant. You would not be able to bring the dog in, so he would have to stay in the truck. Even if he is well behaved, when you leave him alone in the cab, he might start barking or whining and disturb the other sleeping truckers.

I've brought my dog with me before and while I enjoy the company, it can be cumbersome. If you break down, you have to get you and the dog somewhere to stay. Just getting there can be an issue as most tow trucks don't allow pets and then there is finding a hotel that accepts pets. Also, some shippers and receivers don't allow pets on their property. Some times that just means that you can't let them out while you're waiting, other times it means no animals on the property at all. Keep in mind too that having a pet on board will mean stopping more often and for longer than you would just for yourself.

I wouldn't recommend a new driver having a pet for the first year and then only if you get home regularly. They need a break from the truck, too.

dogs in truck
 

I have my dog with me. It can be a great thing but does have it's issues. You have to stay outside with the dog when you have truck worked on. Sometimes it is hard to find hotels that will take pets. Have to walk it in bad weather. But then it is a great security in some of the places we have to park and certainly beats talking to yourself.

You really have to have the right dog as a 'co-pilot'. One that does not have to get a lot of excercise and that is well trained. Some dogs simply do not have the right attributes, namely most working breeds- they are happiest when they have lots to do and plenty of time to play and run. Some rest areas are large enough to where you can risk a ticket and let them run and chase a ball, but most do not. Truckstops are not a good place for dogs. Noise will hurt their ears, fuel and other substances will be absorbed into their bodies when they walk on them and there is barely enough green for them to do their business. Tight schedules will force you to neglect your dog, get annoyed by it and problems will escalate. Then you will constantly be looking for places to excercise your dog wich are hard to come by since Industrial areas do not have Parks...Maybe an empty lot though! But will you have time and a place to park when you see a place? Too late, you done passed it and no place to turn around!

I used to carry a dog with me - and she really was my "co-pilot". Just about everything One and two4theroad said is true, however. While my truck was in the shop, I spent many a long day sitting outside with her at terminals and truckstops.

You have to carry extra bottled water with you (I speak from experience that refilling a jug from a truckstop or rest area is NOT a good idea). You have to carry food. Training is a BIG issue - they need to be completely housebroken and you have to be willing to make more stops. I was lucky, my girl usually only needed to stop about twice a day. Truck damage is an issue - if you have a nervous or bored dog, they WILL chew on things. I was lucky to avoid that, but my company truck showed signs from a previous driver's animal... and even if they don't chew, shedding is an issue for a longer haired breed. You need to be willing to clean your truck every few days. I even carried a handheld Bissell machine for my carpeting when I was longhaul.

Some customers will also not allow a dog to be present in the cab while you are being loaded/unloaded. There was a few times I had to close the curtains on mine and tell her to hush so that she would not be found - thankfully she listened.

Also, another truckstop hazard that was not really mentioned.... other drivers. I have had another driver on several occassions attempt to run my dog over with his truck - not that she ran in front of him, but a deliberate attempt on the driver's part. Beware.

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Last company I drove for Henderson had at the time a great pet policy and I had a beagle and that dog kept me from getting multiple tickets plus also got me out of the truck. The one shipper that had a issue with her was Baskin Robbins in Kentucky beyond that no problems with her.

I have mixed feelings about bringing a dog on the road. One, we all know that dogs are happiest when they are with their owners. Heck just look at their reaction when you come home :lol: You don't have to feed them or give them anything, they are just SO happy for you to simply come home. So by being in a truck, the dog will always be with who it loves most and who makes it so very happy. It won't have to wait forever for you to get home from work only to have you jump in the shower, eat and go to bed. The not so good thing is, the dog will be kept in the truck and not get out enough. It may not get the exercise it needs. Then you have all of the stuff to deal with about bring a dog with you that is already mentioned such as having extra water on hand. So I think there is good and bad about having a dog. I never had one with me but I was not out there that long. I liked to go in the nicer truck stops and eat at the restaurants and would hate to leave the dog in their alone. Maybe a cat could be better in a truck but I really don't know. I do know cats like to sleep alot and don't have to get outside :lol:

We have had both a dog and a cat, and I have to say a cat is a lot better. He takes care of his own bathroom needs and all we have to do is take a couple of minutes a day to clean out his litter box. He doesn't take forever in the freezing rain, snow or wind to find the "perfect" spot to hike his leg nor does he chose to bark at the trucker next door in the middle of the night because the guy gave him the wrong look. :shock: The only thing our cat has been guilty of is standing on our horn about 0300, when I opened the curtain he was looking at me like "What the heck is that noise?" We have since remedied that problem by taping a little box over the horn to prevent this.

If you choose to have a pet on board, remember that with most Freightliners the windows go up or down no matter if the engine is on or you are in the truck. You can tape boxes over them to prevent your pet accidentally opening it and escaping or even worse we heard of a horror story where the pet hung itself by opening the window and then closing it while standing on the control with their head out the window.