Transportation Can Be Too Darn Expensive.

I am sure commercial trucking folks can agree here. Don't you think so?

I took a round trip from central Iowa (Des Moines metro) to Richmond, Kentucky this early June to pick up a new German Shepherd puppy. It was about 1500 miles of driving in my automobile. I went through Illinois, Indiana, a corner of Ohio out of Cincinnati. I stuck to Interstate routes as much as possible. I had Garmin GPS navigation on board. The trip covered 4 calendar days. There were three overnight hotel stays. One hotel cost me $173 per night with my new puppy in his carrier. My reliable air-conditioned automatic 1995 Toyota Corolla DX sedan still gets about 31 MPG highway. Combined gasoline and lodging costs for this trip were close to $600. I had some stuff packed in my cooler and there were a few meals at Culver's ButterBurgers and Frozen Custard to boot.

I don't know what mode of transportation would have been more practical if not cheaper for this special puppy-transporting trip. Certainly not airlines, Greyhound or Amtrak. With my car, I could stop and potty my puppy and give him breaks along the way at rest stops and at my leisure. Getting a hotel room above roach-motel/flea bag quality these days can be killer on the wallet. Even renting a truck for DIY moves these days is deplorable for Interstate rent rates.

Depending upon where you move to and from, a stupid U-Haul or Penske large van can cost $5, $6 or $7K for the rental rates alone!! I moved from Oklahoma to Iowa (700 miles one way) two years ago and the Penske International 26' diesel truck was only about $1,400 with a car carrier trailer (one way, out of state) and my Vet's discount for just vehicle rent costs. It's still not too bad moving from one non-major flyover state to another as in the mid-west. The truck was lucky if it could top 13 MPG, but I digress.

Here is my new black Sheppie boy, Gustav, at 5 months now. Handsome devil!

Like a rash from that lot Lizzard Todd is back!

I understand. When we first moved to Oklahoma we pulled our 5th wheel down to see my dad in Louisiana. I was driving my 99 F250 with the 7.3 turbo diesel and belove I got 6 to 9 miles a gallon with OD being off. Want to say we spent $1k on fuel alone. Traveling can be excitement.

We bought a Jeep Wrangler about 8 months ago and took that to Texas to visit my daughter and grandson. About a 10 hour drive each way. I think we might have gotten 20 miles a gallon just taking it easy. Fuel wasn't too bad but lodging and food cost the most.

I have to say, as much as we love to travel both trips were totally worth it!

Enjoy your new pup!

I had the option of shipping Gustav from the lady in Kentucky who bred him. He is a registered purebred. Then he would have had to travel in a truck about 700 miles at 8 weeks. Poor little baby! It might have scared him to death. It might have been too hot and humid. No water? No food? No potty breaks? No heat and a/c? Has anybody here driving commercially ever shipped live animals deemed as "pets"? Stuff like puppies, dogs, cats, bunnies and caged birds? How is miserable is it for those poor animals to be shipped interstate in a commercial rig anyway? I don't even like when livestock are shipped under cruel conditions. I don't want to see cows and pigs in stock trailers on hot days ever.

I wanted to meet the breeder in person anyway. I never would buy a dog or a pup sight unseen. I was told by this lady that shipping would have been about $600 anyway. My baby pup was much more comfy in my a/c-equipped car. I'm holding him at just 8weeks in this picture.

That was supposed to say, traveling can be expensive. Not excitement lol I really need to prefer these comments before I post them.