The SPCA said people should carefully consider how to travel with their pets, including containing them with carry cages, crates, properly fitted dog harnesses, keeping windows up or just slightly open, putting them in the back seat rather than the front, and talking to vets about how to make journeys comfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf possible, try to get your pet used to being transported before any long trips to reduce stress. This can be done through gentle and patient training of the animal in the vehicle, making sure their experience is positive. Introduce them to short trips first. Build up to longer trips slowly and only when your pet is ready and coping well,\u201d it noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop frequently during longer trips to allow your dog to exercise and go to the toilet. When leaving the car with your dog, they should always have a collar, ID tag, registration and leash on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Short-term accommodation platforms like Airbnb and Bookabach provide listings for pet-friendly accommodation.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if a listing says pets are allowed, always contact the host to confirm, tell them about the pets you plan to bring, and find out if restrictions apply. For instance, pets may not be allowed on beds or sofas,\u201d Airbnb\u2019s website states.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you book a pet-friendly rental, look for outdoor space (whether that\u2019s a nearby park or a private yard), to give your pup their much-needed time in nature. What\u2019s available will vary according to destination and type of accommodation,\u201d Bookabach\u2019s website notes.<\/p>\n
People leaving pets with family or friends<\/p>\n
Almost one in five respondents \u2013 18.4% \u2013 will be leaving their pets with family or friends.<\/p>\n
The SPCA said it was important to remember a pet needs more than just food and water to meet their welfare needs, and arrangements need to be made in advance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your pets can\u2019t go with you, it\u2019s important to weigh up the pros and cons when deciding where they will stay, and with whom.\u201d<\/p>\n
People leaving pets with kennels, catteries, pet resorts and pet sitters<\/p>\n
About one in six respondents \u2013 16.6% \u2013 plan to leave their pets with kennels, catteries, pet resorts and pet sitters.<\/p>\n
The SPCA recommended people ask their vet for recommendations, and Consumer NZ advised facilities need to be clean, have adequate lighting and ventilation, and have separate areas for\u202fanimals\u202frequiring isolation because of health\u202for behavioural\u202fproblems.\u202f<\/p>\n
\u201cLike any business in New Zealand, catteries and kennels are required to comply with the Consumer Guarantees Act. This includes using reasonable care and skill in the provision of their services,\u201d a Consumer NZ spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCatteries and kennels must also meet other requirements set out in the Animal Welfare Act \u2013 basic things like providing adequate food and exercise, all the way through to ensuring trained staff on-site can assess animal health and behavioural issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
People opting not to travel<\/p>\n
More than a fifth of respondents \u2013 22.8% \u2013 are not travelling with their pet this summer.<\/p>\n
Almost one in 10 \u2013 9.5% \u2013 are not travelling specifically because of their pet.<\/p>\n
Stats NZ data suggests Kiwis are having fewer \u201cstaycations\u201d than they have in previous decades, with spending on domestic travel having risen steadily.<\/p>\n
People keeping their pet alone with someone feeding them and checking up on them<\/p>\n
About one in 14 respondents \u2013 7.1% \u2013 plan to leave their pet alone at home with someone feeding them and checking up on them.<\/p>\n
SPCA scientific officer Dr Alison Vaughan has previously said it is neither safe nor responsible to leave your pet on their own for an extended period as they can easily become distressed or anxious.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaking care of a pet isn\u2019t just about making sure they have the basic necessities of food, water and shelter, it\u2019s also vital that their mental welfare is met, and this simply cannot be done if they are left on their own all day and night.<\/p>\n
\u201cDogs and cats, in particular, can experience distress and anxiety if their families leave them alone for long periods of time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael Sergel is Newstalk ZB\u2019s business reporter, covering the daily life of business and the business of daily life. He\u2019s been covering business, politics, local government and consumer affairs for over a decade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The SPCA said people should carefully consider how to travel with their pets, including containing them with carry…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":195088,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[192,3088,6309,2109,189,5829,4754,117,111,43,139,69,90,2682,31252,660,29240,1321,14625,199,165,2846,1961,61,6923,6123,102,24750],"class_list":["post-195087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-are","tag-commercial","tag-do","tag-family","tag-holiday","tag-many","tag-members","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-on","tag-others","tag-pets","tag-planning","tag-relying","tag-services","tag-summer","tag-take","tag-their","tag-them","tag-this","tag-to","tag-what","tag-while","tag-with","tag-zealanders"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195087"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195087\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}