This is a sponsored post created in partnership with Purina. However, I used their products prior to this arrangement & voice only my true & honest opinions. It’s really nice if you can travel with your pet. Most often I do not carry my dogs with me when I fly but when the folks from Purina invited me and my pooch to St. Louis for their MeetPurina event, I knew things were going to get interesting. I had never taken a pet on an airplane before so, although there were a few minor growing pains, everything went along as smooth as a gravy sandwich.
Travel Tips For Pet Owners
- Are the accommodations pet-friendly?: Make sure wherever you are staying allows pets. We all remember our parents hiding kids and dogs in the car while they checked into hotels back in the day, but many places don’t mind pets at all. We stayed at the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis where Lucy was a welcome guest. She walked through the halls like she owned the place. There are great parks for her and great shops and restaurants for me nearby. The hotel also contains a movie theater so every night, folks in the hotel lobby get to enjoy the perfume of melted butter and popcorn. Lucy wanted to see the new dinosaur movie but we were just too busy. She just loves the compys.
- If you keep your furry friend close to you, make sure she is comfortable: With small pets, it’s nice to have them ride in the pet carrier under the airplane seat in front of you. Larger dogs go down in the baggage area but Chihuahuas will throw an absolute fit if that is suggested. It’s not pretty. Each airline has their own rules about pet carrier dimensions, but they really look small when you think about cramming your dog into it like a sausage. My canine is such a sissy, she actually enjoyed being buried in her tiny dog bag. During the flight she was allowed to lay in my lap and watch Milo and Otis on my computer. She told the stewardess that I was blind.
- Go Potty Beforehand:Â You would not realize how long a flight can be for a small pup. Make sure you take her for a long walk before you hop on the plane. If you have a layover, doggie bathrooms are often not provided. Just like kids, make em go before you head out!
We spent most of our time at the Purina headquarters learning the ins and outs of pet food science. From the test factory to the kitchen and the computer labs, our team really got the five star treatment. Representatives from Purina’s many divisions spoke to us about how the company got there and where they were going.
While in St. Louis, the organizers brought us out to Purina Farms. This event center and outdoor competition area is about forty-five minutes from St. Louis and houses an amazing array of dog training and animal competition equipment. The Visitor Center offers educational experiences through exhibits that help you explore what goes into feeding pets and keeping them healthy. Everyone here, from the flying disk trainers, to the pool diving trainers, is committed to pets and making them healthier through their diet.
Purina employees are allowed to take their pets to work with them anytime. While at the office headquarters, we saw a multitude of dogs and even an occasional cat that looked up with lazy disdain. I”m not kidding. There were pets all over the place. They showed us around the entire plant and I really got the feeling that they cared about making a difference with pets and diets.
From the laboratory to the lake and dog walk behind the headquarters, it was genuinely interesting to learn more about what they do there. My dog already thought she was a princess. The kind of treatment she got in St. Louis will not make her any easier to live with.
