How to travel safely in the car with your dog

The UK is home to endless opportunities for dogs and owners alike. Whether you’re heading for a staycation in Cornwall, a hike in the Lake District, or even a trip to the beach, this country has many hidden gems for all to explore and enjoy. 

And with more people than ever looking to travel with their dogs this year, searches for ‘driving with dogs’ have soared 200% in the last 12 months. With this in mind, we’ve uncovered everything drivers and dog owners need to know when adventuring around the UK in their cars. 

From the best road trips for dogs to the most dog-friendly service stations - we’ve uncovered it all so you don’t have to. 

While the UK has a hive of dog-friendly activities, owners must consider many factors to keep their pets safe while driving.

The UK is the perfect place to go on a summer road trip, with plenty of green spaces, dog-friendly Airbnbs, and dog-friendly pubs. Many routes cater to dogs very well, so we’ve ranked popular UK road trips based on four criteria to discover the most dog-friendly road trip routes. 

The number one spot is the Borders Historic Route in Scotland, with an index score of 70.8. This road trip boasts 830 dog-friendly Airbnbs on the route, 72 vets and 162 dog-friendly pubs. This road trip is just over two hours, perfect for dogs and dog owners alike, even if you’d rather not stop at any locations on the way. 
The Atlantic Highway from Newquay to Barnstaple is second, boasting 1,409 dog-friendly Airbnbs, 27 vets, and 42 dog-friendly pubs at stops on the route, giving the road trip an index score of 46.9. 

The Moray Firth Route from Inverness to Loch Fleet ranks in third place with a score of 46.2. This scenic route is beautiful and peaceful, which makes it a brilliant route for our four-legged friends. Being one of the shortest routes, this road trip allows for many stops and has 86 vets available in case of an emergency.

Many vets suggest that when travelling in the car with your dog, you should stop every 2-4 hours for 15-30 minutes to allow them to stretch their legs and have a toilet break. 

But what essentials should you take on the road with you? Here’s our checklist:

• Portable water bowl - While many service stations have water bowls outside or fountains, it’s super important to carry your own water for any stops and to ensure your pooch is always hydrated.
• Dog seat belt -To ensure your furry friend is correctly seated, use a good-quality harness to keep your dog safe and secure while the car is moving.
• Toys - Pack their favourite toys to help your dog relax in the car so they are comfortable throughout the journey.
• Leash - Many green spaces and service stations allow dogs off-lead in specific areas, but it’s worth packing a leash to ensure you’re prepared for any circumstance.
• Window shades - While not specifically designed for dogs, car window shades are a great way to ensure dogs remain cool while spending time in the car during summer. 

Even if your dog is well-behaved in the car, it’s super important for owners to be aware of the risks and dangers associated with certain actions: 

• Be left alone in the car - Keeping dogs in cars is a viral topic every summer and one that pet owners MUST obey. It is illegal to leave a dog alone in a hot car in a way that could cause unnecessary suffering. This could result in a £20,000 fine and a potential ban from owning animals in the future.
• Sticking their head out of the window - We’ve all seen a cute dog sticking its head out of the window and thought how adorable it looks. However, we recommend against this as it can, unfortunately, cause horrific accidents.
• Feeding your dog too much before travelling - Many dogs suffer from motion sickness, and eating just before travelling can cause an upset tummy, so be sure to feed well before setting off in the car.
• Allows dogs to roam free in the car - When the car is moving, dogs roaming freely can be very distracting to the driver. From jumping around the vehicle to trying to climb onto the driver's lap, there are many reasons why free roaming can cause accidents and even injure dogs. 

Service stations are a great place to allow our pooches to stretch their legs and take a break (as well as the driver), but it’s a fact that some service stations are better equipped for dog owners than others. 

Based on ten criteria, such as water bowls, Google reviews and dog accessibility, we’ve ranked the top 50 service stations in the UK to see how welcoming they are to our furry friends. 

It’s official: the best service station to visit with your pooch this summer is Tebay Westmorland on the M6. With an overall score of 88.3, Tebay Westmorland boasts 125 Google reviews containing ‘dog-friendly’. Dogs are also welcome inside in all foyers and toilets, just not in catering areas, and the service station also boasts green spaces and family-friendly and traffic-free walking routes. 

Annandale Water Roadchef comes in second place with a score of 81.2. This service station has 31 Google reviews, including ‘dog walks’. Dogs are also allowed inside in the toilets and foyers. A dog-friendly hotel is nearby, so dogs and owners can take a deserved rest if needed. 

Norton Canes Roadchef on the M6 is the third most dog-friendly service station, with a total score of 74.9. With green spaces and walking routes available, this station is a great option for dogs to stretch their legs before heading back on the road. 

Whether heading away on a UK staycation this summer or even a day-long road trip, keep yourself and your dog as safe as possible. If you want a new car to travel around, check out our car leasing deals or our blog post on the best dog-friendly cars. 

Dog-friendly Service Stations:

We used a series of metrics for each service station selected to identify which service station was the most dog-friendly. We had ten different metrics we looked at and ranked them equally at 10% out of 100%:

• Google reviews with 'dog-friendly' at the service station
• Google reviews with 'dog walk' at the service station
• Dog bowls: 1 - Advertised, 0 - Not advertised
• Green spaces: 2 - Green spaces advertised, 1 - Small amount, 0 - None advertised
• Dog section on the website
• Dog-friendly hotels
• Free dog biscuits in the hotel
• Google reviews for 'dog-friendly' at the hotel
• Dogs welcome inside: 2 - Allowed in foyers and toilet, but not in catering areas, 1 - Only assistance dogs allowed, 0 - No dogs allowed
• Local dog routes: 1 - Family friendly and traffic-free routes, 0 - None / not advertised

From this, we created an index to rank each service station for dog-friendliness.

Dog-friendly Road Trips:

For each road trip identified in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, we used a series of metrics to determine whether the road trip was dog-friendly. We used four metrics and ranked them equally at 25% out of 100%:

• Duration in minutes (the shorter the time, the better for animals)
• The number of vets close to each stop on the road trip
• The number of dog-friendly pubs at each location
• The number of pet-friendly Airbnbs at each location

Using these metrics, we created an index to rank each road trip according to dog-friendliness. We then ranked all road trips against each other to identify the best dog-friendly trips in the UK

• Dog-friendly Service Stations - Some service stations include both north/south and east/west in the results unless specifically specified.
• Dog-friendly Road Trips - The duration of road trips was calculated using Google Maps or identified on a government website.