Traveling with a Guide Dog

As I have traveled quite a bit since coming home with Eve, I thought I would put together a list of the few things I have learned along the way. Unfortunately, I do not have the experience of traveling out of the United States as of this writing, so I do not have any tips there. 

Eve sitting on a hotel bellman's cart. 

Being in a good mental space for both dog and handler to take on such a large adventure: When traveling with a guide dog it's important to ensure that both dog and handler are in a good mental state as travel can be stressful for the team as a whole. As blind and low vision travelers we know that there are many obstacles that we may face in getting to a given location, some of these include not having the right documentation for us and our dogs, TSA trying to separate us from our dogs when going through security, being forced into wheelchairs by well meaning staff, and the list goes on. As a result this brings much stress and anxiety to many blind and low vision travelers when they are just trying to get to a given destination. 

Having the needed forms handy: When flying with a guide dog there are a number of documents you should have access to. What I normally carry is the Department of Transportation's DOT form, veterinary documentation including Eve’s latest vaccination records, and my school issued ID for Eve and I. I carry all of this documentation as the DOT form helps in giving Eve the ability to fly, having proper veterinary forms helps in the event of a medical emergency, and having my school ID helps in explaining the law in public spaces. 

Knowing where the relieving area is at the airport you are traveling to: Before flying out it is a good idea to find out where the pet relief area is so that once you deboard your plane you can take them where they need to go. I have found it is easiest to find this by searching the airport's name and then adding pet relief next to it. For example if I did this in the Oakland airport it would tell me that the Pet relief area is by gate 25 in Terminal Two. It is a good idea to do this as not all airport staff know where such areas are. 

Knowing your rights: In some cases being in a different state than your home state may require you to educate the local businesses about guide dogs and your rights as a guide dog handler. One thing you can do in helping to educate the public on guide dogs in other states is to leave them with cards like ADA Service Dog Law Cards 2024 - THE ORIGINAL - 50 ADA Service Dog Information Cards, that explains the law and gives them more information. 

Having a compact set of dog bowls: When traveling it's important to have compact dog bowls, as you want to conserve as much space as possible for other items. One of my favorite compact dog bowls are DogBuddy Travel Bowls, Large Collapsible Silicone Dog Bowl with Case, Foldable Expandable Dog Food Water Bowl, Portable Pet Feeding Accessories for Outdoors Travel Camping Hiking, Mist, as they fold and have their own case. I would also recommend packing these dog bowls in your carry-on in the event that your luggage gets lost. When going on road trips its important to keep such travel bowls at easy reach, as you never know when your dog may need food and water. 

Packing more dog food than necessary: When traveling, it’s important to carry at least one more day’s worth of dog food than you think you will need, so that if a flight gets canceled or another disaster happens you have enough food. On this same topic it’s a good idea to carry at least one if not two meals for your dog in your carry-on in the event that your luggage gets lost. When on road trips, its important to keep easy access to one meal in the event your dog needs food while your on the road. 

Bringing more poop bags than you think you will need: like with food, it’s a good idea to bring more poop bags than you think you’ll need just in case flights are canceled, dogs get sick, or other emergencies arise.

Looking at emergency vet’s where you are traveling to: When traveling it's important to know where an emergency vet is where you are traveling because emergencies could arise. I bring this up because during the National Federation of the Blind’s 2023 convention @shelbi_nichole found out that her guide dog @kristentheguidingeye had an ear infection. Had the National Association of Guide Dog Users not provided us with an emergency vet for such situations we would have been lost as to where to go to get @kristentheguidingeye the care she needed.  

Having access to The Seeing Eye Advocacy app: The Seeing Eye Advocacy app is really helpful as it has the laws around service animals broken down by state. Not only does the Seeing Eye app have the individual state laws, but it gives information on transportation and housing, which are important factors to consider when traveling. 

Lindsay, Eve, Shelbi, and Kristen in front of the #FLYLBX sign before they flew to Washington DC. 

I hope these tips help, and happy travels.