Spring Road Trip With Dog: Ella's First Drive of the Year
The first spring road trip with dog each year follows the same route for us: our own freeze-dried treats in the pouch, Ella in the back seat of the Camaro, the windows cracked, and a stop by the lake before we turn around. This year we are packing Rabbit Ears Dog Chews too, since they arrive for the season right when the drives start again.
The first drive of the year
There is always one drive that marks the start of the season for us, and it is usually the lake road. The woods are still bare in places, the light is good, and Ella spends most of the ride with her head out the window. It is the same drive every year, just with new treats in the pouch.
Winter driving with a dog around here means shorter trips and a lot more time spent indoors between them. The first spring road trip with dog and Camaro both out for a real stretch feels like the season actually starting, more than any date on a calendar does. We tend to pick a familiar route for that first drive rather than something new, mostly so nothing about the day is a surprise except the weather.
The Camaro spends a good part of the colder months parked more than driven, so the first real drive of spring is as much about the car as it is about Ella. Windows down, a full tank, and a route we already know well enough to enjoy instead of navigate. That combination is most of what makes the day feel different from a normal errand run with a dog in the back seat, even when the destination itself is nothing more than the same lake we visit most weekends.
What to bring
We keep the pouch simple: our own treats first, then whatever gear makes the drive easier. None of it takes much room, which matters in a car that was not exactly built with cargo space in mind. Everything fits in one bag by the seat, and nothing on the list needs to be packed the night before, which keeps the first drive of the year from turning into more of a project than it needs to be.
- Rabbit Ears Dog Chews, arriving for spring
- Freeze-Dried Cheddar Cheese Dog Treats, single ingredient, freeze-dried in small batches
- Freeze-Dried Beef Heart Dog Treats, single ingredient, freeze-dried in small batches
- Tire Stack Poop Bag Holder
The poop bag holder clips onto a leash and stays there for the rest of the season once it goes on, so it is one of the few things in the pouch we do not have to remember to grab separately before we leave. Everything else lives in a single small bag that moves from the house to the car and back without much thought, which is really the whole goal of packing for a short trip like this one.
Planning the route
Our own trail and travel guide is where we keep notes on the roads and stops we like best, and our road trip essentials collection covers the gear that lives in the car all season. Between the two, most of the planning is already done before you leave the driveway. Neither page changes much week to week, so it is worth a look once at the start of the season rather than checking back constantly.
For a look at where other car people and their dogs are headed this season, our events board is the place we keep that list, and it gets updated as new stops come in from other people doing the same kind of drives we are, so it tends to grow through the season rather than sitting still.
From the shop
- Rabbit Ears Dog Chews, arriving for spring
- Freeze-dried dog treats
- Freeze-Dried Cheddar Cheese Dog Treats
- Tire Stack Poop Bag Holder
Questions
What is a good first spring drive to take with a dog?
Ours is a short lake road drive close to home. Anywhere with a place to park and a place to walk works for a first trip after winter, and there is no reason to plan something longer just because the season changed. Short and familiar is usually the better choice for the first one, with the longer routes saved for later once everyone is back into the habit of long drives.
What treats travel well in the car?
Our freeze-dried treats hold up in a pouch or the glovebox without needing anything special, even after sitting in a warm car for an afternoon. Rabbit Ears Dog Chews will join the lineup once they arrive for the season, and they are built to travel the same easy way, straight from the bag into her mouth without any prep on our end.
Where can I find more road trip ideas?
Our trail and travel guide and road trip essentials collection cover the routes and gear we use ourselves, updated as we find new stops worth adding. Both are a good place to start before planning a longer drive later in the season, once the first short trip has worked out the way it usually does.
Keep exploring with us at Explore.
