Advice needed - long road trip with elderly pooch

[natura]

I'm moving from a Spanish island to Scotland this year with my 14-year old big hairy best friend.

To avoid putting him on a plane (he wouldn't do well), we're going to drive, which means several days in the car plus a 33-hour ferry and the Eurotunnel.

It's going to be a big event for him, I know, and of course we'll take lots of breaks along the way, but I'd love any advice on things I might not have thought of!

Anyone else done a big trip with a senior hound? He's in reasonable health, apart from some inevitable arthritis.

My dog, now 13, has done lots of travelling last year in the car and on ferries. I presume you have a dog friendly cabin on the ferry? Ferries - I have a "mop up wee" kit in my bag in case of little wees in places on the ship where they shouldn't wee! So walking from the cabin to the deck etc - may not be an issue for you but my dog is a marker so tries to get a quick wee in where deemed interesting! I wouldn't rush the car journey - I would make it into a bit of a holiday so you can get plenty of time out of the car too. Especially re the arthritis. I would stop at places the dog can have time off the lead - mine likes a bit of a run around but if not, a proper stretch of the legs is good (if your dog still likes a walk). You might need a muzzle on the ferry.

Thanks, @mrsrobin - yes, we've got a pet cabin booked.

Great to hear you'd suggest taking our time on the drive. I was torn between getting the trip over quickly to minimise the number of days he's travelling, or keeping it slower-paced, so it's helpful to hear your experience.

My fella's a bit past running around, but a long leisurely sniff off-leash is always welcomed and seems to tire him out nicely, so we'll make sure he gets plenty of those.

Have you had to look for dog-friendly places to stay overnight along the way at all? That's the next thing on my 'to figure out' list...

I've not done as long a journey as yours so this might not be helpful but I book the midnight ferry - my thinking is my dog sleeps at night anyway so is happy to lie down and sleep the whole journey. I'm happy to drive at night snd there is much less traffic so my journey time is a lot quicker.

Yes we have looked for dog friendly places - all over the place! We have stayed in lots on different places - I usually just find them online like on Booking.com - and I send them a message beforehand just to kind of say I am looking forward to staying soon WITH MY DOG! Never had an issue. We camp quite a lot so stay on sites too. If you are driving through France I have stayed in a few Auberges with a dog.