Moto Girl is off on a cross-county road trip making special appearances as America’s Top Dog Model 2019.

Travel season is here and families will be taking road trips to exciting destinations across the country. Dog friendly vacations make a fun time for the entire family, and traveling with pets is easier than ever. But bringing pets along for the ride, takes some advance planning and attention to detail while on the trip. Here are my top tips for an enjoyable road trip with your dog.

Make sure your dog is fully acclimated to and has a positive association with car travel and adventure. This can be accomplished by taking your dog on short car trips and errands around town. You may also want to take them to the park and other areas where they will be introduced to different environments as well as be around new dogs and people. End these trips with playtime, praise and a reward for good behavior in the car.

Prepare for the trip by making a folder with your packing lists, hotels, restaurants, activities and all the fun things you can do with your dog.

Pet’s Packing List

Food/treats

Medication

Water

Water and food bowls

Bedding and towels

Car seat cover

Vaccination records

Flea and tick prevention

Favorite toys

Car harness/carrier

Leash + extension

Pet first aid kit

Pick up bags

Medical

Is your pet healthy and able to travel? Visit your veterinarian for a check-up.

If all is well, get them up-to-date on vaccines.

Get copies of paperwork with proof of vaccines and medical care.

If your dog requires medication, bring enough for the trip plus a few days extra for the unexpected.

Identification

Make sure your dog is micro chipped and has a collar with identification attached.

Bring photos of your dog with contact information on the back, kept in your purse or wallet.

Car Trip

Map out pet friendly stops with the help of GoPetFriendly.com.

Add markers for possible restaurants, attractions, landmarks and shops. Also, research highly rated emergency veterinarian offices in or near cities you will be driving through.

Plan to make frequent short stops to exercise, provide water and give your dog appropriate bathroom breaks.

Learn your dog’s stress signals and make sure to take a break when needed.

Practice good etiquette while out and about.

Make sure your pet is restrained for safety via a booster seat, carrier or harness.

Do not leave your dog in the car at any time.

Lodging & Food

Make a list of pet friendly accommodations along your route.

Bringfido.com helps you search for dog-friendly lodging, and it’s available as a mobile app so you can easily find hotels.

Bring your dog’s own bedding.

Check hotels pet rules and places to walk pets for potty breaks and exercise.

Eat out at dog friendly restaurants.

Bring containers with your dog’s food.

Activities

Enjoy your time together in your new surroundings. After a long day on the road, your dog will likely want to be close to what’s familiar and, if you’re in a new location, the most familiar thing for them will be you. Be prepared to spend the majority of time outdoors. Here are some fun things to do:

Picnic at a dog park

Relax on a pet friendly beach

Take a dog friendly hike

Go kayaking

Attend an outdoor music concert

Visit a state park (Check state parks pet regulations).

Jo Jo Harder, is an author, stylist, producer, and pet lifestyle expert, as well as CEO and creator of America’s Top Dog Model contest. Jo Jo has been at the helm of America’s Top Dog Model ® brand since 2005, and her unique approach to discovering, developing and managing top dog models has gained international attention. America’s Top Dog Model’s new reality series “How to Get to the Top” will launch on YouTube in August. www.americastopdogmodel.com.

By Emily Rosen

ERosen424@aol.com

www.emilyrosen424.com

I can still recall those fanciful BSP days — Before Smart Phones – when the fun of taking a road trip – for me – was keeping the map on my lap and following it as the car wheels rotated. I’d “X” our departing point — and circle our destination – and study the names of all the towns and route numbers along the way. Blessings on AAA – and their tour books.

Excellent “navigator” that I was, I also became a historian and thespian, as I read aloud to my trusty driver from the great literary texts that related all the salient historical and recreational information about even the most obscure underpopulated hamlets along the byways.

That was “then.” But it is now 2014 –the age of “Siri” and any number of voices projected by the invisible ones. Thus, on a trip this past weekend through Central Florida with my very grown-up, No. 1 son, I had to endure his constant assurance that “The Droit will get us there.”

I hand-held his old, hidden-under-the-seat, humongous 2005 Walmart Road Map Book of the USA, flipping immediately to Florida. (MY handy accessible fold-up AAA map having been disposed of when I moved, assured by my progeny that maps were passé) I easily spotted the “Winter” town of our destination, (there’s Winter Park, Winter Haven, Winter Springs, Winter Garden) while HE was busy trying to get the Droit Talking Lady to direct us to our “spot.” Relying completely on his mantra: “The Droit will get us there,” I closed the map book and my eyes, and relaxed.

Alas, we went 25 miles out of our way before I woke up, looked around at the signs and realized that he had confused his “Winters.” (How would the Droit lady know THAT? – and I was asleep!) And so, with dogged persistence and time a-wastin,’ he managed to convey a new message to “The Voice,” as we turned back from Winter Haven towards Winter Garden, our Winter of choice. (More on that nice choice at another time.)

Some of you may love Siri and the Droit Lady. I, for one, harbor great antipathy for both. Siri doesn’t understand a word I say, despite my “elocution”– trained speech. I am sick to death with having to repeat myself to her – and then getting no response anyway. And the Droit Lady (this goes for all navigation voices, of course!) is one big nag, interrupting conversation as she engages in redundant directions and shutting up only when we need to know immediately — if we turn left or right. That’s when she takes her break!

Don’t get me wrong. I love living in the Internet age. I love what my computer can do – and even what my smartphone can do. But golly gee-whiz — I really miss my maps.

Have a happy July 4th — at home—or travelin’ SAFE.

By Gary Curreri

Noelle McGuire couldn’t have thought of a better way to spend her summer vacation than to be with her friends while making a little history along the way.

The 17-year-old Deerfield Beach teenager played a key role recently in helping her fast pitch travel softball team – the Sunrise Thunder – win the United States Specialty Sports Association 18-Under South Florida B State Championships with a 1-0 victory over the Palm Beach Pride Heat at Lake Lytal Park in West Palm Beach.

Sarah Maloney tossed five shutout innings, gave up one hit and struck out six for the Thunder in the championship game. Tiffany Thompson scored the winning run in the third inning when Heather Bramos was struck by a pitch with the bases-loaded. Bramos went 10 for 11 with seven RBI’s in the state championships.

“We’ve been through a lot,” said McGuire, who played second base for the Thunder and also plays for the Pompano Beach High School team where she is a senior. “We are competitive and we are good. We have a good bond.

“Winning a tournament like this is good for us because it gives us a good reputation,” added McGuire, whose team captured its firstever state championship together. “Winning this is great. This shows that hard work pays off and all of the hours we put into this was worth it.”

McGuire said the team would practice three days a week during the summertime for two hours a day. When her high school season starts, that amps up to five days a week.

The Thunder finished the tournament 6-0 and outscored the opposition, 47-6, in the tournament. Lenny Schlecker, who has coached the Thunder since 2007, said most of the team would continue playing softball in college. The team also went on to finish second in the South Florida A State Championships in Ft. Myers when it dropped a 5-4 decision to the Tampa Heatwave a week later.

McGuire has been on the team for two years and has played softball for 10 years.

“I like to come out on the weekends,” McGuire said. “I love the girls on my team and it makes it fun. I want to play college softball and I work hard every day. I work on my hitting at home. Our team is great and we are like a family. I would rather be in a softball uniform than anything else.”

The motorist organization forecasts a decline of 0.9% in overall travel compared to last year, with 34.8 million Americans making a journey of 50 miles or more.

AAA President Robert Darbelnet blamed the decline on “an up and down economy” and “the impact of the end of the payroll tax holiday on working families.”

A steep decline in projected air travel dragged down the overall forecast. AAA expects holiday air travel to decrease 8%, to 2.3 million travelers this year.

The group said that fliers are suffering from “fee fatigue,” fed up with paying extra for services that were once included in the price of a plane ticket, such as reservation changes, checked baggage, pet travel, food, nonalcoholic drinks, and so on.