The Pros and Cons of Pets on the Road

By Sandy Long

Sit back in any truck stop or rest area and you may see a vast array of pets, from birds to snakes, brought out of trucks for a bit of fresh air. The most common are dogs and cats, though I have seen some exotic pets on the road.

Dog

There are many benefits to having a pet on the road. They relieve stress and loneliness, get the driver out of the truck into the fresh air, and can provide security. I had a cat on the truck at one time who would nip me on the hand if someone came near the truck while I was sleeping, so even they are protection at times. My late little dog Lillian Russell was with me for 12 years and racked up over a million miles. Now if I was out of the truck, and anyone came near, she would raise some serious sand. However, if I was sleeping, she too would sleep hard depending on me to wake up if there was a problem, only then would she raise sand.

There are drawbacks to having a furry pet on the truck. Shed hair gets into everything and will clog up AC filters if inside the cab. Dogs, cats, and birds can cause seen and unseen damage to the truck itself. At my last company, who had a no deposit pet policy, there was a driver who had a duck on the truck, yes, a duck! He carried a plastic tub that he would put water in when he had time and allow the duck to swim in it. That duck was well trained to follow the driver anywhere, and the driver let him do so often. 

Two problems, while the driver made accommodations in the truck for the duck, the duck was not potty trained, so left a trail where ever he went, and the driver would take the duck into customers to show him off. That caused some issues for sure! The other problem did not arise until the driver moved to another company in the winter time. The boss had his truck detailed and assigned it to another driver. When the weather warmed up, the new-to-the-truck driver started to itch. The boss called in an exterminator to see what was the problem. It was bird mites and the truck had to be fumigated. No more ducks are allowed at that company.

Being on the road with a pet takes more responsibility, observation, and control than having a pet at home with a fenced yard. One has to scope out any area before walking the pet for any contamination on the ground or obstacles to the pet and the driver’s health. Many of these things are found in the grass at the back of truck stop lots, sadly. Used drug paraphernalia for instance, used prophylactics, body fluids and matter, and spoiled food to name a few things. Then there are the bad things for pets that nature provides, nettles, stickers, burrs and thistles, fleas and ticks, not to mention fire ants in the south and snakes all over in tall grass. One of the worse things that can be easily overlooked is antifreeze that has been dripped or leaked on the ground. Antifreeze is deadly to animals, even a lick of it off of their paws can kill them.

Some folks do not think and will walk their animals where they should never be walked. Two of the worst places I have seen this done is on the fuel islands on the concrete, and the other was at a grocery warehouse where the woman took her dog under the trailer while at the dock and allowed it to do its business, and no, she did not clean up after it. It is no wonder that some facilities will not allow pets on the property.

I would not give up the years that I had Black Cat or Lillian Russell with me on the road for anything. To be honest though, chasing Black Cat all over a truck stop when she would jump out of the truck, only to find her sitting on the step of my truck waiting on me, was annoying. Furthermore, with Lillian, having to get out of my nice warm truck in  minus 60 degree wind chills to allow her to do her business was not fun either, or in the pouring rain, or blistering heat. However, the unconditional love and their silly antics made my job easier for the most part and my life fuller.

Only you can decide what type of pet you want to have. I hear hedge hogs are becoming popular. However, think of the pros and cons of having a pet on the road, make sure your company allows them, and be a responsible pet owner. They are worth the trouble. 

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Clare Ravenwood - Wednesday, May 03, 2017
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Being single, I got the ok to bring my dog with me on the road. Certainly cheaper than having to board him and he loved the ride. The drawback is having to hoist a 65 pound bull terrier up into the cab each time! Clearing Customs was never a problem as I had the appropriate paperwork and always told them I had a dog with me. At some customer's warehouses I was not allowed to take him out of the tractor for a bathroom break and that was on occasion a problem. He felt bad when he went and I wasn't there. Upset me too knowing I could not take him out. He wasn't alone though as sometimes even I wasn't allowed a bathroom opportunity! Either by not allowing me in the building for security purposes or no facilities for women and not allowing me access to the men's room. In retaliation I would empty the bucket's contents out the window as I left. It was only a bathroom break, not a jail break for crying out loud. There can be some fun things with a pet. Although he would often fall asleep in minutes, usually between the seats of course, the memories last. I always had the passenger seat all the way down and he would climb up and look out the window or sometimes climb up and sleep on it. I had stopped for directions and the dog was asleep on the seat and the fellow stood on the fuel tank steps and was speaking with me through the open window. This woke up the dog after a while who made a ruckus by barking and growling. The fellow asked what that was and I said it was ok, my co-driver has a mental problem and thinks he is a dog. Poor fellow almost fell off laughing. If you woke him up, he was great security, otherwise one had no idea he was there. If you stole the tractor, didn't trip over him, and he woke up and didn't know you, surprise!! It was great having him along. When I stopped for the night, he would climb up on the bunk beside me while I watched TV and he would fall asleep like he does at home. It was a nice feeling scratching and stroking him after a long, sometimes hard day in traffic, customers with poor attitudes and lousy weather and being far away from friends and family. Made the day's stress go away. When he has crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, I think I will have a smaller and lighter travelling companion!! Claire Ravenwood

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