I don’t have dogs, but I was speaking with a travel nurse friend of mine the other day and remembered that she does have dogs. I asked her what she did with them during assignments - leave them with a friend, put them in a puppy motel, etc.

Turns out she brings the dogs with her on every assignment and has been for years. What she does is ask her travel nurse staffing agency for housing that allows pets. If the owner needs a deposit, the agency pays that up front and the deducts it from my friend’s first few paychecks. It’s a small price to pay to be able to keep your four-legged loved ones with you when you travel. Often, my friend finds she needs to take housing that’s slightly farther from work - especially in urban areas where housing usually means a cramped apartment - but she says it’s worth it to be able to have her pups with her during her time on the road as a travel nurse. If you’re new to travel nursing and are wondering what to do about pets when you’re on the road, ask your agency and see if they can arrange for pet-friendly housing.