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Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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The Mobile Living Room

October 22, 2013 4 Comments

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The Mobile Living Room - Hands Occupied

Keeping two dogs happy on a road trip is no easy feat!

Being from North Dakota, the most important car lesson I learned growing up is winter travel safety. A survival kit including food, water, jumper cables, snow pants, and more is essential. With both sides of my family living a 12+ hour car ride in opposite directions, my husband and I have developed our own survival kit of sorts for when we bring the dogs for the long haul. Our survival kit helps make our dogs feel at home in the back seat of our Kia Optima, our mobile living room.

The Mobile Living Room - Hands Occupied

A shot from last winter’s drive home to North Dakota for the holidays. Brr!

Our doggie car trip survival kit:

  • seat belt harnesses – Ours hook into the human seat belts in the car, and we can clip their leashes to the harnesses before unhooking the harness from the car. That way, there’s no risk of them jumping out of the car in a strange area.
  • leashes & poo bags – The potty break essentials.
  • an old sheet – To simplify car cleanup.
  • a foam dog bed – The better for them to sleep!
  • 1-2 favorite toys per dog – Help keep boredom at bay.
  • rags – Keep snow and dirt out of the car.
  • food & water bowls in the trunk – A dog’s gotta eat!
  • treats in the cab of the car – For 2/3 to 3/4 through the trip when the pups really need a bit of something good to power through to the end.
  • a paper cup in the cab of the car – It’s easy for dogs to get dehydrated on long road trips. My dogs will barely eat or drink among all the distractions at roadside gas stations. The paper cup in the car trick is a necessity in my humble opinion. Pro tip: If you stop for some human sustenance at a drive thru, save your cups. You can tear the top 80% off by hand and fill it with some water (or snow!). Your dogs might think it’s a fun treat and not just water.
  • doggie booties (optional) – If you’ve got a dog with particularly sensitive-to-cold paws like my bearded dog Storm, you’ll want to remember to toss in dog booties. Nothing’s worse than the guilt of hearing your dog shriek in pain when ice gets in the pads of their feet.

The Mobile Living Room - Hands Occupied

This post is sponsored by Kia.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Reviews & Sponsored Tagged With: cars, dogs, keep dogs happy on a road trip, kia, road trip, sponsored, the mobile living room

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is an artist, author and crafts designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame. In addition to running the Hands Occupied Blog and Pattern Shop, you can find her making videos & co-hosting the Very Serious Crafts podcast.

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Comments

  1. Lael

    October 26, 2013 at 10:53 am

    You’re not stoking up Storm on a latte–are you?

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 26, 2013 at 3:58 pm

      It’s just water, I swear! :)

      Reply
  2. Chrystal Johnson

    November 4, 2013 at 12:16 pm

    We also include a “Doggie First Aid ” kit . You never know when you may need one while traveling or even out for a day trip to the dog park or beach.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      November 4, 2013 at 4:08 pm

      Good call!

      Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

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Craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. / #latchhookbook out now!
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knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
There’s an update on the blog today, & it’s ab There’s an update on the blog today, & it’s about how I’m going to take the next 2 weeks off to rest & recharge. ☺️🧶 No new content for y’all means I can also take a moment to zoom out & plan what’s next. Link is in bio. 
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A note on Very Serious Crafts: In the post I discuss stepping away from the @seriouscrafts podcast to give myself more time to devote to some minor medical issues. Don’t you worry - my health will be fine, & @molliejohanson @redhandledscissors and I are still pals, and after a short break of their own, the podcast will be back! Just sans moi. 💁🏼‍♀️😆 
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See you in a couple weeks! ✌🏻#handsoccupied #knitdesign #craftdesign #sofadedsweater
Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it shoul Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it should be. ☺️🎄The past few days have been filled with a lot of catching up on festive zoom calls & raising toasts to the camera. 🥂 Connecting with people has been a welcome change of pace! Now I’m feeling ready to meet my inevitable end-of-year deadlines. 😆
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Warmest wishes for the season, my friends! ❤️💛💙
Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker beh Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker behind Hands Occupied! 👋🏻 I’ve been enjoying making Reels a lot lately, but I wanted to bop in to share a regular photo & say hello. 🤓 
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rather than giving you my bio right now, I have a question. I just got this new sweater & I can’t stop imaging how funny it would be to wear this to a knitting class ... is that bad? 🤣🤣🤣
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Pictured: a blond woman with glasses wearing a sweater that reads “all your sweaters are ugly” standing in front of a Christmas tree.
Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is o Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is one of the most common methods for finishing a knitting project and helping ensure its final size and shape. Learn basic blocking for absolute beginners in an easy-to-follow (non-Reel!) video tutorial! Catch the tutorial on YouTube or the Hands Occupied Blog, link is in bio. 🧶 #handsoccupied #stopswatchandblockit #KPAmbassadorsDec20 #sponsored
Had to share this perfect capture of one of my fav Had to share this perfect capture of one of my favorite weird homemade Christmas ornaments: a simple macramé Santa face with beads for the eyes and nose! My Great-Grandma made it too. 🎄
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Might have to try making a quickie Reel tutorial for this guy - I think it’s the perfect project for it, don’t you? 🎅🏼 #handsoccupied #macrame
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