Whenever you visit a dog park in San Diego or any other city, you’ll want to be sure to have the proper gear for your dog to ensure their safety and enjoyment during your adventure.
Many pets get hurt, sick, or simply go missing when they are taken outdoors, but there are simple precautions that you can take to completely prevent and avoid these common problems.
Beyond avoiding problems, there are also laws that need to be followed in these places. Leashes are highly recommended in all situations, for example, even when you plan on attending an off-leash area because it may not be off-leash from the parking lot to that area.
You are also responsible for immediately cleaning up after your dog on public property to ensure that these places stay beautiful and available to use in the future.
Getting to and from your destination can also present some unique problems for you and your canine friend. Safety should be your number one concern with car rides, but you should also be considering comfort and convenience for both of you. There are a number of simple and very affordable products that can make a major difference and ensure that nothing bad happens to your beloved pet.
There is a decent amount of important information to talk to you about in a number of different subjects relating to travel with your dog, so please read through each of the following pages before visiting a SD park or beach.
1. Dog GPS Tracking
There is nothing worse than losing your dog, especially when you take them to a public place away from your home because it can be very difficult if not impossible for them to find their way home. At every park in the city, you’ll find boards full of notices of missing dogs and many are even offering cash rewards.
Although this is a common situation, you can easily avoid this problem completely with the use of a GPS tracking collar that will allow you to find your dog in real-time using your smartphone!
Anyone that has a dog fears that they will run away or get lost. At any dog park in San Diego, you can find lost dog boards where owners will post pictures, information, phone numbers and even offers of cash rewards to get their beloved pooch back.
Unfortunately, too many people simply act too late with their pet. DO NOT wait until they are lost before trying to do something about it.
If you lost your dog, would you offer a cash reward to get them back? If so, how much? $200? $300 or even more? Wouldn’t it be easier to invest less than $100 upfront to ensure that they NEVER get lost?
With recent advances in modern technology, you can get a GPS tracker for dogs for a very reasonable price. These devices will clip onto the collar your pet already wears, and they can be used to let you know when your pet leaves your property.
The best part about GPS pet tracking is that you can use any smartphone to pull up a map to find their actual location in real-time. This completely eliminates the need for any kind of lost dog poster, rewards or any kind of frantic searching. You simply pull out your cell phone, find out where Fido ran off to, and go get him.
If every single pet owner would take the time to go out and do this as soon as they get a dog, there wouldn’t be any that go missing.
Identification Chips
One of the biggest mistakes when it comes to missing dogs is to assume that getting your veterinarian to insert an identification microchip under their skin will help you find your dog.
This will not do you any good in locating them unless someone happens to take your pet to a vet that scans their chip, which is really something that would be more likely to happen if a pet was stolen and not lost.
These chips DO NOT have GPS tracking in them, making it impossible to actually locate a missing dog with them. Unfortunately, most people simply assume that their vet can find their animal with this technology when it was simply not intended for that purpose. Do not make the same mistake with yours.
Where to Buy
There are a variety of different tracking products on the market for pets, but the best ones are going to be the type that clip onto the collar and allow for tracking in real-time. In fact, some of these devices will do much more than that. They have perimeter alert and even fitness tracking features.
Fitness tracking is great for those that are looking to get exercise for their dog and possibly even for those that have had a vet recommend for their animal to lose a bit of weight.
Amazon.com offers the best of these devices and at prices that are cheaper than you can find in retail stores (shipping is often free too, so that doesn’t inflate the cost).
2. Car Travel Accessories for Dog
Many pet owners will simply use carriers or crates for their dog when riding in a car, but this can actually be unsafe because most animals are much smaller than the carrier and can be thrown against the wall of it during an accident.
There are simple devices that essentially act as a seat belt for your dog that can keep them safely secured for travel. You can also get products that will make them more comfortable during the ride, help you keep their fur off your upholstery, and help them get up into tall vehicles without hurting your back lifting them.
3. Flea & Tick Prevention Medication
Avoid serious and even fatal diseases that can affect both you and your pets with simple over-the-counter medicine for your dog to control pests like ticks and fleas. If your animal never leaves the house, it can still be exposed to these parasites and become infected.
However, if you frequent local parks and beaches with your dog, you run an even higher risk if you ignore this problem.
One thing that every single pet owner should be concerned about is preventing pests like fleas and ticks on their dog. If you do not control them, both your pet and you can contract harmful and even deadly diseases as a result.
Growing up, you probably went to school and learned about something called the Black Plague. That was caused by fleas and still exists today. Lyme disease is extremely common in ticks in many areas and can often go without notice until major damage is caused.
These diseases and many others like typhus, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and more can all be avoided with simple prevention medicine for your pet.
Fortunately, the medication for this is available over-the-counter and is relatively affordable. Even if you think that you cannot afford the cost, it will be much more expensive to treat these pests and diseases later, so it is well worth the upfront price.
Another important aspect to prevention medication is to deliver the proper dosage at the correct intervals of time. Without the correct delivery, they will likely not be effective at controlling fleas, ticks and the resulting illnesses.
OTC Flea & Tick Control For Discount Prices
You can easily save money on these products by purchasing them online instead of from a local retail store. However, there are a couple of precautions that you should take to ensure that you receive the correct product.
First, make sure you are buying from a reputable dealer that is based in the same country as you. We recommend Amazon.com, but it is important to double-check to see exactly who you are buying the product from when you do so through Amazon. Make sure that they are the actual vendor of the product, like Frontline Plus or Advantix.
Once you receive the product, go to the official website of the makers of that product to find their pictures of it. Ensure that what you received matches exactly. Then, open the package and ensure the inside contents are exactly the same as is pictured on the official website.
If you notice anything different at all, contact the official company by phone to be absolutely sure that you have received the real thing and not a counterfeit product – they can confirm this with numbers printed on the packaging and other information about what you received.
Once you are 100% sure that you have the right product, you can use it and be confident that it is the exact same thing from a retail store but at a cheaper price.
Considering that you have to administer medication like this on a quarterly basis in most cases, it can be well worth the effort to buy online because it can save you a lot over the life of your dog.
4. Dog Waste Clean-Up Bags
Any public park or beach that you visit with your dog is going to require you to clean up after their fecal waste immediately or else you can be fined. This helps to keep these public properties clean and available as a dog-friendly destination and controls the spread of disease from contamination.
Most parks will provide some type of waste station to help you with this, but you should never depend on their presence. The easiest way to deal with this potential problem is to bring waste bags. Learn more about them here along with your other options.
Anytime you take your dog out and allow them to go “#2” on public property, you are likely going to be required by law to immediately clean up after them or else you can be fined. This is especially true if you are visiting any of the dog-friendly parks or beaches in and around the city of San Diego in California.
Some public parks do have waste stations specifically for this purpose that can contain pooper-scoopers and/or waste bags that are available for you to use. However, you should never completely depend on these facilities, even if you know the place will have them where you are going to visit.
For example, many of the stations that have bags can easily run out or have them stolen. This type of situation will not stop you from getting fined, so be sure to bring your own supply anytime you leave your house with your pet.
When it comes to cleaning up after your dog, there are two main options: the traditional scoop and more modern waste bags. We’ve discussed the pros and cons of each below in more detail to help you decide which will work best for you.
Scoops & Rakes
Pooper-scoopers and similar products still exist because a lot of people hate the idea of picking up waste with their hand through a bag, but the scoops are not very portable and practical for people that go out on frequent outings with their dogs.
Imagine taking them on a walk at a local beach or hiking trail and carrying the scoop with you the entire way. Since you can’t return to your car for it or risk getting fined, it is really only practical for use around your own home.
Despite the fact that this option is not practical when you are away from your home, it is great for a lot of pet owners. If you have a bad back and simply cannot bend over, you may not take a lot of trips away from home with your dog and would prefer a scooper. Simple dustpan and rake combinations designed for this purpose make for easy clean-up on any terrain.
Waste Bags
The most practical option for all-around usage is the waste bag. While you can go cheap with these and simply use old grocery bags, you should highly reconsider. Fecal contamination can cause a wide variety of serious diseases, so it really isn’t worth risking it. Heavy-duty bags are honestly not expensive, especially when purchased in bulk.
Over the life of a single dog, you may need 10s of thousands of bags if you go out on a daily basis with your dog. In retail stores, they are sold in lower quantity packages that have a lot of mark-ups, but you can get the same quality bags in bulk online for a fraction of the price per bag.
Amazon is a great place to find these to get a year’s supply or even more for a great deal.
How to Pick The Right Leash Length & Collar
All dog owners need to have three things: a collar, a harness and a leash. This is for your convenience, to follow the law, and for the safety of your pet. Anytime you take your dog away from your home, be sure to bring these with you.
Even if you plan to visit an off-leash park that is fenced-in, you are still required to leash your pet from the parking lot until you are inside of the gate to the off-leash area. Learn about our recommendations for these here and why they are essential for all owners.