For those of you with multiple dogs.. when you go on outings.. do you take just one dog, all of them, or leave them all at home?

I prefer to leave the bigger dogs at home, but with the price of gas.. when I run errands, it's usually multiple stops.. so I leave the dogs at home, rather than leave them in the car.

We have a new dog park close by, I think I'll check it out, but only want to take one or two of dogs at a time - I also have 2 young boys.. don't want to spread myself too thin.

What do you do? 

Depends where we are going. Sunday we took them all (5) to the beach, for the day.

They have "jobs" . Mack and Jack do AAT work (Mack @ library, Jack @ schools). Lacey goes to Lowe's with her dad, and sometimes, to his karate school during day. Chloe does not enjoy strangers, so if I'm running to the drive thru @ bank, I would take her. Rudy is easy going and good to take on short errands.

Here in FL, I WOULD NEVER LEAVE THEM IN THE CAR - EVER.

Tina- you live in FL don't you?  I would hope you would NEVER leave them in the car, they would cook : )

We leave our in the truck if we are only running in for a minute, but never longer than that.  I don't go shopping or anything.  I LOVE to take all six places, I feel guilyt when we dont.  I know that Ripley doesn't enjoy strangers either so he stays home alot.  When we go out on the boat, we try to rotate who goes and make them take turns.  Truthfully I dont know how we would control all of them off leash if they weren't trained really well.  I hate leashed walks with all of them, usually I walk three and Ben walks three.  I can do 4 by myself, just not taking the boys. : )

It depends largely on what we're doing.  I'm on an active-dog meetup - when I go to one of those meetups, I generally take only two dogs - and with the price of gas, a new used car became necessary.  If its just me and Honey and we're going sailing, then its the truck (sailing gear growing permanently in the bed!).  But if its a local trip to the park (five dogs), everyone piles into the fullsize conversion van (with the rear seat relocated and the captains chairs removed to get four crates side-by-side in it).  I can pack more than five (have had six, five crated and Reiley) going to the park at the same time, but it gets messy controlling that many leashes.  Max capacity to date in the van has been 18 dogs (puppy mill closure transport). 

But generally, I usually take two with me when I know I'm going to be able to take them with me IN or around somewhere.  That's an easy number to cope with - have had up to three on leash in PetsMart a few times and it can get complicated quickly!  On weekends, we take shifts cruising the strip-malls but everyone rides and waits their turn - I'm the one getting all the walking!

dwain