Another Road Trip and Family Drama

legion · 05-12-2009, 07:35 PM

I need to go back down to Florida to pick up my grandfather's coin collection. It's too large/valuable to ship. My sister and I are to split the collection. How remains to be seen.

The issue is my sister's dog. She doesn't want to pay to board it, so she has decided it is coming with us. I have decided that it is not coming with us.

The dog is 70 lbs. and hyper-active. My sister insists that it will sleep the whole time and will only need to stop when we stop. I usually make the 17 hour drive in four stops, or roughly once every 4½ hours. We are taking my truck, which is an extended cab. The back seat is the luggage area. There is no way the dog will fit with our luggage, let alone what we need to bring back. Even if I get a lock box for the bed, we will still need to use the whole back seat for the return trip.

My sister lives in Chicago and works as a waitress (and makes good money doing it) and is in graduate school (that she is paying for herself). I get her argument that she doesn't have the money to board the dog......except that she takes 3-4 vacations a year with her friends. She'll fly out to San Francisco for a week, or New York for a week. She usually stays with a friend, but she also usually rents a car and eats out for the week. The fact is she spends her money on what she wants to, and claims she is broke when she doesn't want to spend money. She frequently begs my mom for money for dental work or school text books, but she always takes her 3-4 vacations a year.

My issues are the following: The dog has never been on a long car trip. Despite what my sister says, she has no idea how it will behave. We don't really have the room for the dog. I fear that the dog's timing will be the deciding factor in our pace, possibly slowing our trip already long trip. I'm extremely anal about my vehicles, and don't feel like having the interior of my truck trashed by a big rowdy dog with sharp claws. I have no idea what the dog will decide to lick or chew on during the trip. And then there's the smell and the hair that will be embedded in my upholstery. On top of all this, I think it's pretty cruel to the dog to expect it to behave in such a small space for such extended times.

My mother has moved from Merritt Island to Atlanta for a new job since I was down there in March. We need to pick her up on the way. My sister's latest idea is to drop the dog off in Georgia with my mom's husband. That cuts the dog's time in the vehicle down 10 hours one way.

My mother has of course taken my sister's side in this issue. Because my sister claims the dog will be fine on a road trip (despite no evidence for or against this), I'm the bad guy for doubting my sister. Both my mother and sister see vehicles as appliances and don't understand my desire to keep my truck nice, so that argument doesn't get much traction with them. They don't seem to understand how much stuff we need to take back and how little the back seat in the truck really is. I hate it that it will be my fault for not accommodating my sister's choice to own a dog, and her lack of planning and unwillingness to take responsibility for her pet won't even enter into the picture.

bell · bell's Garage

pay for the boarding of the dog, then deduct it from her half of the coin collection.....put it in writing....

do not take the dog in your truck, get a rental if need be......

LakeCleElum · 05-12-2009, 08:33 PM

I'd be in the wind w/o sister......Let her get herself there or stay home.......Your vehicle, you make the rules.......

968rz · 968rz's Garage

If she is being that hard azz about the cost to board the dog, mention how much the porter will cost her to get the hair out of your seats once you get back home. Which is less?

I do agree with Bob

Quote:

Your vehicle, you make the rules

, my family knows not to even ask such a thing when my cars/truck are involved.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

is she hot?

somebody had to ask...

slodave · slodave's Garage

Put the dog on the roof...

Clark Griswold did it with grandma...

Turboo934 · 05-12-2009, 10:00 PM

I take it you don't like Dogs?

mattdavis11 · 05-13-2009, 12:04 AM

Am I missing something here? Throw the dog in the bed of the truck! Dogs love trucks!

Bill Douglas · 05-13-2009, 12:15 AM

If you take the dog you and sis will start arguing five minutes into the trip and the whole trip will be a disaster - all because of the dog.

I agree - your vehicle, your rules.

willtel · 05-13-2009, 02:45 AM

Give it a few Benadryl on the way and it will be like a 70lbs furry suitcase.

jyl · jyl's Garage

Quote:

Am I missing something here? Throw the dog in the bed of the truck! Dogs love trucks!

Yeah. Why isn't this the obvious answer?

I'm sure it will be fun dividing the coin collection with your sister. Look forward to the post. (suggestion: have a coin dealer liquidate it and split the proceeds.)

Shaun @ Tru6 · 03:28 AM

Seriously? Just pay for the dog to be boarded on the condition that your sister provides itemized receipts for everything the next time she takes a vacation. If you tied the dog to the rear bumper and dragged it all the way to FL, you'd b!tch about the loss in mileage.

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

What hotels are you saying at that will take the dog?

I love dogs. I love my dog. When we travel, the dog goes to the kennel, tail wagging in, tail wagging out.

javadog · 05-13-2009, 03:58 AM

I see no point in taking the sister, or the dog. Do what you want; you're the one in control here.

JR

cmccuist · 05-13-2009, 04:00 AM

Why does the sister have to come with on the trip? Is she helping with the driving? I would leave the sister in Chicago with the dog.

edit - JR beat me by two minutes on the obvious answer!!

svandamme · svandamme's Garage

is the dog a fast runner?
got some rope?

David · David's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by willtel

Give it a few Benadryl on the way and it will be like a 70lbs furry suitcase.

+1 That's what we do.

But, if you have cloth seats, you may never get the smell out.

legion · 05-13-2009, 05:06 AM

I like dogs. I grew up with a big dog.

I just happen to not have a dog now because I understand what it takes to care for one (3-4 walks a day, etc.) and I don't have the time to devote to it--and it wouldn't be fair to the dog to not care for it properly. Because I haven't had a dog in 11 years, I've gotten used to the lack of hair and the dog smell embedded in everything. I wouldn't mind it if it was my dog and my choice, but I have chosen not to have a dog right now.

As for the coin collection itself, I think the only way to split it is going to be to have it appraised. Then we can take what we want to keep for ourselves, and sell the rest, and ensure that each of us walks away with half.

My sister does not want the dog in the bed of the truck. It might get cold, or rain. I'm not entirely convinced the dog wouldn't just run off at a stop light either. (Freedom!) That and I'm not comfortable with the dog sliding around in the hills of eastern Tennessee.

The Gaijin · 05-13-2009, 05:16 AM

#1 Go fetch the collection yourself. Your not planning to sell the collection on short notice in Florida are you? Besides, I am sure she trusts you that much.

#2 Where does the dog stay while she goes on her vacations? Did I miss that? This is just another vacation, sort of.

onewhippedpuppy · 05-13-2009, 05:22 AM

Make her lazy ass drive.

Seriously, ever try to vacuum dog hair out of carpet or upholstery? You'll NEVER get it all. If you're lucky, eventually the smell will fade. My sister-in-law has tried to bring her dog in my car, no freaking way. I tell her to drive herself or leave the dog at home.