Hit the Road With Your Pet

June 24, 2006 — -- Christian Bryan didn't want to check his dog into a kennel, so he found a place to stay where he could bring his bulldog Duce while he visited New York City on business -- the swanky W hotel.

"It makes work feel less like work and more like fun," Bryan said.

In the past three years, nearly 30 million Americans have opted to take their pets with them instead of keeping their animals in a kennel while they traveled. AAA says the number of lodgings that accept pets has increased by 28 percent since 2003.

"We realized that traveling is an isolating moment," said Ross Klein, president of W Hotels Worldwide. "We realized that we have a lot of guests that are single, and their family structure is their pet. We have a pet therapist, a pet physical therapist, a pet psychologist."

The Queen Mary 2 now allows pets along for the ride. Pets can collect their own frequent flier miles on Continental and United Airlines.

"This is not a trend," said Wendy Diamond, the editorial director of Animal Fair Magazine. "Pets are going to be with us forever, and they are going to travel with us more and more."

Dogs are the most common traveling companion -- making up 78 percent of the pets that travel. Cats make up 15 percent of traveling pets, followed by birds, which make up two percent, and rabbits, ferrets and fish, which combined make up three percent of pets who travel with their owners.

With the increase in pet travel, some companies are making more luxurious carriers. The Canine Ranch in New York City sells more than 20 designs of dog carriers, including a take-off on a Chanel bag. It also doubles as a purse."A few years ago, they were looking just for functioanble," said Debbie Levine, the co-owner of the Canine Ranch. "Now they're looking for fashion. They're looking for colors that, you know, show their dog, you know, make their dogs look, um, better."

Dr. Peter Kross, a veterinarian, shared some tips about how to travel with pets on"Good Morning America Weekend Edition."