Do road trips ever go perfectly? No, no travelling does. That’s a secret most travel writers (dog or otherwise) don’t always share. Of course, it doesn’t mean the entire trip is a bust.

After driving to Michigan curled up in our new Solvit Dog Car Cuddler (my dog Victor, not me), then attending The Rochester Writer’s Conference at Oakland University while Victor stayed at the All American Pet Resort, we were ready for day two of our Michigan weekend away.

Victor, my crazy black schnoodle, didn’t stay overnight at the All American Pet Resort – he didn’t have to because I booked two nights at Rochester Hills’ Red Roof Inn, pet-friendly at no extra charge. That way, we checkout together, ready to explore the greater Rochester area. (Pet-friendly accommodations are available at every Red Roof Inn. Book Now!)

[Earthbath sponsored this post in exchange for an honest review. Note dogtrotting.net only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Sponsors are not responsible for the content of this article.]

First Stop – An outdoor run at Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills, proudly home to the Velodrome cycling track, that’s apparently the only one of its kind in North American with a 200-metre oval, banking from 13 to 44 degrees. No cyclists were riding the day we arrived. In fact, few people were using the park, with a $5 admission charge. So we had the run of the place.

The park has picnic areas with charcoal grills, different kids play areas marked with a posted suggested age ranges, and even a cricket field for rent.

Bloomer Park also has several trails marked with coloured paint, no doubt for outdoor cyclist to follow through the surrounding forest, and that’s exactly where Victor headed: into the great outdoors. He does love himself a good smell.

Unfortunately, he loves a great smell, especially of the putrid kind. Today, he had a close, close encounter with one.

Yes, we did violate rules and ran leash-free through the woods, meeting almost no one on our journey. And yes, before I could grab him, Victor headed straight into the brush and rolled – not once, but twice – in fresh excrement. Likely raccoon. The most offensive of fresh excrement.

Wow. He was pleased with himself.

I wasn’t, especially because we were heading to Carson’s department store, my favourite in Michigan, at the dog-friendly Partridge Creek Mall next.

I was thankful for two things:

1. A public bathroom with running water (but no paper towels)
2. The Earthbath Tushy Wipes and Earthbath Facial Wipes I tossed in the car last minute. The company sent me an assorted pack of products to review after I met them at SuperZoo, and I thought, “these would be great to travel with.”

Turns out, I was right.

Let’s address the proverbial elephant here: yes, Earthbath makes Tushy Wipes for dogs, because sometimes you need that especially with furry mutts like mine. Earthbath Tushy Wipes are textured, soft and moist, like wet naps, and that’s exactly what I needed at this moment. Granted, I wasn’t wiping Victor’s butt, but I was wiping another animal’s poop from his fur, which is actually a bigger mess. Plus, there was a scent, especially on the facial wipes (which aren’t textured) and boy, did I need that at that.

Earthbath makes a line of totally natural pet care products, manufactured in California – tushy wipes, facial wipes, eye wipes, ear wipes and even gum and the teeth wipes – that I received. (The company also makes shampoo, conditioner and a waterless shampoo foam). The primary ingredients in the tushy wipes I used are purified water, saccharomyces, ferment filtrate and Aloe Vera.

I was glad to have the ear wipes because a groomer told me to watch Victor’s ears. The eye, ear and teeth wipes will remain at home. But from now on, I’m not travelling without the Tushy Wipes – especially after this experience. Today, I was glad we weren’t heading to another hotel room – but on the next trip, we might be.

Why Earthbath and not any other wipes?

Earthbath products are specifically for pets. Not all human products are safe for animals. Earthbath wipes are odor neutralizing thanks to baking soda and do not contain paraben, sulfate, alcohol or lanolin. The tushy wipes, according to the company, are the choice of groomers for anal gland expression (more on that in future post).

On our Michigan trip, it was Earthbath Tushy Wipes to the Rescue. I used about 20 – the mess was that bad. But we were able to jump back into the car, into our Solvit Car Cuddler, and head to the outdoor dog-friendly Mall at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township, Michigan.

I’ve written about this mall before (here on dogtrotting.net), but this time it was Victor I was weaving in and out of stores like L.L. Bean, Carson’s, Nordstrom and Three Dog Bakery where I bought him a dog brownie. (He didn’t eat it). Note, though, that restaurants at Mall at Partridge Creek did not let me sit on the patio with Victor, despite the passing of a state bill on September 6, 2016 that allows leashed dogs outside in Michigan restaurants.

Was Victor stinky when we got to the mall? Not enough for me to notice unless I was really close up. Did other dogs notice? Well, maybe because he made a lot of friends. “Dude, where’ve you been?” I could almost see them asking … a bit impressed. Nonetheless, Earthbath wipes are staying in the car.

Check out Traveling to Michigan Park 1 and Travelling to Michigan Part 2.