Pet owners feel guilty when they travel and some have even gone as far as to sneak their furry friend into a hotel, a new surveys shows.
According to the first State of U.S. Pet Travel study conducted by DogVacay.com, 72 percent of pet owners feel guilty and worry about their pets that they left behind at least for some of the time and 24 percent worry about the pets throughout most of the trip. Half of pet owners even admitted to feeling bad about asking a friend of family member to host their dog or cat, USA Today reports.
Some of those that feel guilty have tried to take their pets with them. About 15 percent of pet owners confessed to sneaking their pet into a hotel that doesn't allow pets or even onto airplanes.
The survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive, included the responses from 2,341 people, 1,423 of which are pet owners. They were asked about their pet travel challenges. Of the respondents, 75 percent said they don't trust airlines to take care of their animals safely while the pet flies in the plane's hold, either as checked luggage or as cargo. In order to avoid this, 21 percent of pet lovers have said that it is difficult to seek out pet-friendly lodgings or pet-friendly airlines.
Owning a pet is such a big part of people's lives that 48 percent admitted to traveling less since they got a cat or dog.
DogVacay.com, which provides user reviews of pet-friendly locations, launched in March 2012.
DogVacay was founded to create an alternative for traveling dog parents to board their pet in a loving home. We hope this survey will inspire more innovation in pet travel so that next year's survey results will show even more improvement in options available to those traveling both with and without their pets," co-developer Aaron Hirschhorn said.
