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Anniversary weekend has arrived. If you’re going on a road trip, you don’t have to leave Fido.
Bringing a dog into the car may seem like an additional challenge, but according to Will and Christine Watson, it’s all worth it.
Watsons has been traveling on a refurbished bus since April 2019 with his 3-year-old daughter Rohm and 10-year-old Pitbull Rush.
“I don’t want to do this without a rush,” Christine told Fox News Digital. “Some people don’t bring their dogs because they don’t think they can have a dog, but give it a try before giving it a chance.”
“Most dogs want to be with their owners as much as possible, so they adapt,” Christine added. “And they are the perfect companions to go on this kind of trip.”
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When the family gets on the bus Three years ago, Christine said Rush took some time to adapt to lifestyle changes, but he was a little worried early on.
“I think he made a really good transition,” Christine said. “One of the first things he did a lot was that while we were driving, he ran in front of the bus, then back, then forward, then back.”
“When we were driving on the road, he had a hard time protecting us,” he explains.
Watsons is now giving Rush a CBD for dogs before the dog goes out on the road.
“It really, really calmed him down and helped us cool down while we were driving,” Christine said. “He’s old, so it’s also very helpful on the hips. Getting on and off the bus, he can do it much better since we started giving it to him.”
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Watsons doesn’t create a rush on the bus, but he has two places to spend most of his time.
According to Outside magazine, giving your dog a spot in the car or bus can make your pet feel calm and at home while on the go.
On Watsons buses, Rush spends time in front with Will while driving, or spends time behind in bed.
“He just loves sticking his head out of the back window and smelling new scents,” Will said.
Watsons also leaves all the necessities for the rush, so they can access them while on the go.
“He has a free-range diet and everything, so he has access to food and water, and toys are always available,” Christine said.
Watsons also tries to walk the rush every time he stops. This is done every few hours to stretch out and take a break in the bathroom.
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Two of the biggest benefits of putting a rush on the street with Watsons are security and dating.
“If Will has to leave me and roaming to go on a business trip, I have my dog, so I feel very safe,” Christine said. “He’s one of those dogs. He’ll only bark if someone is sniffing around the bus, so he’s an alarm system.”
“He’s very friendly, but when you come around the bus he sounds like biting your head,” Christine added.
In addition, Rush loves to go on adventures.
“He loves to go to different places all the time because he smells new and pees different things,” Will said.
“If you want to go out and walk the trails or do something, obviously the rush always comes and he loves it,” he added.
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One of the biggest challenges of taking a rush to a family vacation is that some areas aren’t pet-friendly, Christine said.
“When you go to a national park, most of the trails in the national park aren’t dog-friendly,” Christine explained. “So if you leave your dog or animal behind in the summer, you need to be careful about the weather, as you have to do something early in the morning or on cool nights.”
Watsons has a pet monitor that measures temperature and humidity levels in the bath and sends an alert to your cell phone if the AC is cut off.
They also have a security system for the bus so they can see and talk to the rush while they are away.
An additional challenge for Watsons is that some campgrounds are not allowed due to the pitbull rush.
“Unfortunately, they consider him an aggressive breed,” Will said.
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Watsons said he relies on a website called BringFido to help him find dog-friendly restaurants, activities and accommodation while traveling.
Christine added that public land is also some of the best places to take your dog.
“They are the places with the least amount of rules,” she said. “There is a beautiful large open space for dogs to run around and stuff, so we always look for public land.”
Despite some challenges, Watsons does not regret taking Rush on a trip.
“Bring a dog,” Christine said. “Don’t leave the dog behind.”
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