07/15/2026
Marin to SF to Carmel in 24 hours was a challenging first road trip for a deaf dog, with no sound cues to make sense of any of it. New town, new bed, and for a rescue who has bounced around homes a few times, I understand his defensiveness. He growled, he sulked.
Deaf or anxious dog melting down at events? Try this:
1) Let them have their minute. When your dog growls in a new place, that's overwhelm. Sit with them. I had to stop unpacking and let him observe his new environment from the sitting in the van.
2) Cut some events. Your dog doesn't need the full itinerary. Skip the overwhelming stuff and let them decompress. The fireworks was a sad no go for me but it was the kind thing to cut out for him.
3) Quiet walk first. Same way you need to acclimate to altitude before a steep hike, give them a slow lap of the new neighborhood to adjust to the place on their own terms.
4) Early night, early start. A rested dog handles novelty better. Bed at 8PM that night.
5) Rehearse the scary stuff. Unfamiliar = fear, so lower the surprise. Expose them to the car/plane/crowd before the big day so it's familiar, not a shock. We went to the sidecar location in SF at Mishka’s and I lifted Bandit into the car twice, so at the Carmel tour location, the setup was not a dramatic reveal.
6) Make it rain treats! Constant encouragement to remind that brave pooch that new isn’t dangerous.
Travel is exposure, and exposure is how a deaf rescue grows, as long as you go at their pace, not the itinerary’s.
