After spending 10 years in Chicago without a car, I've realized the importance of a good bag. Traveling via public transportation can take time, so I was always sure to pack a bag that could last from work to way into the night. And I developed quite the bag collection and 'packing' skills.
So when we adopted our dogs it became so much more important. I found when we go on long walk it's not always so easy to get back home easily to grab something we forgot or even pop into stores with our pooches.We also developed an organizational system, that not only
keeps our dog stuff in one place, but it allows us to grab an already packed bag without forgetting anything.
And of course, since our dogs
consider themselves Socialites and are always on the go, we have a lot of bags for different reasons. Here is what we carry:
Everyday Short-Walk Bag:
Even when just stepping out for our quick morning walk, I always make sure to bring our small bag. Though it's unlikely anything would ever happen mere blocks from our home, I did have
this fluke accident that landed me in the ER which taught me the importance of
carrying an ID and some cab fare at all times. I also bring extra poo bags, back-up treats for
on walk training and
citronella spray (and now bear spray as back-up) and my phone as we have heard of people being approached by off-leash aggressive dogs.
We had a hard time finding a small bag with a cross body strap (so it won't swing when I bend down to pick up poo) and the one I did manage to find broke beyond repair. On one of our walks we happened to stop by the Chrome store and pick up the
Mimimalist Utility Bag which happens to be the right small size. I also like that it's unisex so E can carry it on walks also.
Family Walk & Chicago Festivals Bag:
Our pooches love nothing more than exploring new neighborhoods and
meeting people at street festivals. We learned early on that we need to be prepared so we carry a bag filled with: water and a collapsible dog bowl, sunscreen, an extra bandana, our Diana F+ mini camera, treats, extra poo bags, hand sanitizer, and a sarong for impromptu picnics. Plus room for us to pick up anything we might get along the way. We
wrote more about it here.
Overnight/ Weekend Bag
The last thing we want to worry about when planning a trip is thinking about packing the pooches' stuff. So we keep a bag pre-packed for weekend trips. We have their bowls, extra toys,
cans of food, can opener, extra poo bags, treats, and polar fleece blankets for familiarity. This makes weekend trips less hectic and gives us a place to store our extra dog stuff.
What are some of your other 'must haves' you pack for your pooches?
12 comments:
Do the stuffies go in a bag, or does Mr. B always carry them? :)
You are always so prepared! I find that I always forget one thing or another on walks.
I wish I was this organized! Thank you for sharing this...I may just have to get that chrome bag... Love it.
Great ideas!
I always carry a small tube of salve, gauze and tape in case of a cut foot or bug bite.
This is great advice! Thanks for sharing- I have been looking and looking for a bag just like this for walking gear. I usually stuff my pockets with everything, but I am always forgetting things and if I am wearing pants without pockets I am stuck.
Great advice- I never really thought about what might happen if something happened on a walk or bike ride and I didn't have ID on me.
I do have go-bags for the dogs for flyball class, car trips, and for flyball tournament weekends. Mine always include the same basics you have in there, plus extra collars and leashes, tug toys, and my dog first aid kit, which rides in my car. Having a car makes it a bit easier, but it is still important to have all the right stuff packed.
Very good advice for sure. We microchip and tag our fur-babies so why would we not have one for ourselves. Local walks we just take poop bags. Longer walks in the park we take a bag with portable water bowl, water, poop bags and treats for a snack time and the camera. I just have a heard time carrying the bag, walking 3 hounds on retractable leashes and trying to take pictures. All goes well until that pesky "fuzzy butt rabbit" comes from out behind the tree. You will then see me flying behind 3 hounddogs running on retracable leashes. BOL Sniffs, The HoundDogs
P.S.. I still say I am sending Winston to you for some extensive training. BOL
Great post!
I always carry benadryl when I am out with Sophie. She has a had a few allergic reactions to bug bites and the benadryl has helped give us the time we need to get her to the vet.
Also carry a tennis ball.
***warning: this is totally gross, but perhaps it can help others avoid poop disasters***
I always include one or two individually wrapped hand wipes for those occasions when picking up poop is more like scraping up diarrhea from the sidewalk. There was that one time when one of my hands, um, didn't quite make a clean getaway and I had to resort to wiping it on the grass and cutting the walk short to get home to decontaminate. Never fun.
Great post!
We always try to have treats, water and poo bags but I'm starting to think we need get organized and pack a "Doggy Diaper Bag." What kind of nutty dog mom am I without one? Not nearly nutty enough!
We like the weekend grab and go bag idea
Benny & Lily
Wow, so prepared! These are all great ideas. May need to steal a few :)
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