Dog lovers and travel

[auntmeme7577]

We have 2 good sized dogs and have taken them to the Smokies. We rented a cabin and drove all over. The Dogs were allowed many places.
We also took them up to Mackinaw, not the island, but the lower penninsula side. They were allowed into the Fort and even into the movie portion of the tour.
I travel for work so I especially enjoy being able to spend time with them when Im on a short vacation.

 

[MrsDuck]

I hear Seattle is a very pet friendly city!

We've never travelled with our furbaby and given how fussy he can be, I'm not sure if I want to!

 

[HeatherC]

We also bring our dog when we travel. We have found that Freeport, Maine...home of LLBean is a very pet friendly town. A lot of the shops will let you bring your dog in the stores and outdoor restaurants and have water bowls and treats for them.

We also travel to Hilton Head, SC a lot and rent pet friendly villas. In fact we will be heading there over April break and can't wait.

I also use bringfido.com when looking for places to stay. Red Roof Inns are pet friendly with no fee as well as a lot of the Best Westerns.

 

[HeatherC]

For the poster who asked about traveling in hot weather. It has happened to us twice when we had the dog and wanted to go into a restaurant. We actually left the car running with the emergency brake on, windows cracked open a smidge and AC blasting. We also parked directly in front of the window and asked for a table where we could see the car at all times. It was easier than I thought and the dog just napped on the front seat.

 

[luvwinnie]

We only vacation with our bulldog...we've been vacationing with dogs for many years. We used to have an RV, but not spend most of our vacations in Maine. There are SO many dog friendly places now, including outdoor restaurants (well mannered dogs of course). One thing I always do: print a list of emergency vets in the area..unfortunately we have had to use those lists. We don't leave our dog in the car or room unattended...that's just us.

 

[JillyBean1899]

... well, the OP's topic, anyway

Also, finding a vehicle that will comfortably hold 2 cages for GSDs is not easy. I thought I would go down to a smaller vehicle once my children grew up and there were no more car pools for tuba players and such, but no, now I need even more room. The $68,000, fully loaded Toyota Sequoia looks good, but the fact that it costs almost what our first house did is giving us pause!

If you're still looking for a vehicle (or anyone else with a furkid that wants/needs to replace a vehicle), may I suggest a Honda Element? I love mine, it's not as big and hulking as a Sequoia (and costs decidedly less ... mine was $12k used). If it's just the two of you and your dogs, you could take out the back seats entirely and have more than enough space for 2 full size crates plus luggage. I've seen pictures over on the Element Owner's board of an Ellie with multiple full grown giant breed dogs (like Newfies, Irish Wolfhounds, and St Bernards) in it ... oh, and another pic with a mini horse . No carpet to vacuum dog hair out of or track muddy pawprints onto, you literally clean out the car with a leaf blower/broom and a mop.

I'd love to have the money to get the camper top built on my E so I can just stay at campsites with my 4 legged monster, but unfortunately being a college student = poor.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Thanks for this thread!


I was just on bringfido.com looking for camping cabins in CT or MA or NH for my famil this summer...now I know to look at KOAs!

 

[jsmith]

We don't take our dog on vacation-that's our vacation and he stays with his Grandma or my kids come and stay at the house-however we do travel with him to shows, trails and draft tests. First-make sure your dog is not prone to car sickness. Traveling with a dog that gets car sick is torture, for you and the dog. Helps to start with them young and teach them to go potty on command ( easy to do when housetraining a puppy). Ours travels crated for his safety and ours. A dog loose in a vehicle becomes a missile in a collision and being crated also can keep them from either escaping and getting lost or interfering with 1st responders. Also ours is large and likes to try and sit in the drivers lap and hes comfy with a crate. The drawback is that the size crate he requires limits the vehicle we can travel in.
Since I don't look for dog friendly destinations but am going to one by definition I can not be much help there-but-Embassy Suites are generally pet friendly and the rate includes a full cook to order breakfast-so are Comfort suites and super 8s. Don't try to drive too many hours-fido needs exercise other than potty stops.
Colorado would be a great place to vacation with your dog-we regularly take ouirs shopping,strolling, hiking and out to lunch here.

 

[My2Girls66]

Here in NH we hike/camp with our lab. All of the national forest campgrounds allow dogs, only a few of the state parks do. We tend to go where our dog is allowed. She doesn't like staying home. There are some hotels in the Conway area and lakes region that also allow dogs. The Lazy Dog Inn, Spruce Moose Lodge and Cottages.

http://www.sprucemooselodge.com/rates.html
http://www.lazydoginn.com/

http://www.dogfriendlynewengland.com/

 

[Poohforyou]

We took our dog on vacation to cape cod last summer. We rented a pet friendly condo so it was pretty easy. He did well on the car ride. I'd take him again on a beach vacation like that but I also like getting a few breaks from him during the year. He's technically dd's dog but it's me he wants. If needing breaks makes me a bad dog owner so be it. I also need breaks from dh and dd as well.

 

[luvwinnie]

Here's a place we love in Ogunquit, ME...
http://www.captainogt.com/

 

[BadgerGirl84]

We love our dogs dearly but I would never want to take them on vacation. One of them just was never potty trained that well (I blame the humane society where we got her as an older puppy!) so we don't like for her to go more than six hours without taking her outside. Our other dog is okay with 8 hours.

On a trip, I just wouldn't want to be tied down to having to be back to the room to let them out to the bathroom. We like to sightsee, dine, and do whatever without having to worry about getting back in time to let the dog out.

It also helps that we have a friend we trust who watches them, and they are not in a kennel.

 

[Surfinpiratee]

Hey dog lovers, do you travel/vacation with your dog? I am looking for ideas for dog friendly vacations and two/three day getaways that we can include taking our dog on. Right now he is about 6 months old, so I'd like to start getting him use to traveling with us.

Please tell me where you've gone, where you've stayed. Did you like it? Would you go again? Towns, restaurants, cities, parks and activities? Local short term boarding (daily to a couple of hours)?

Toss any suggestions out there for me. We really want to be able to bring our dog with us. Also, what did you bring along with you? I know a dog crate and bed, food and toys, but was there anything else you found useful?

Any suggestions for a good foldable crate for a large dog?

The only vacation I take my dog on is camping. He loves it!!! Hes a basenji/lab mix. The farthest we've gone is about 4 hours, he loves car rides, hiking, sleeping in tents. Now I want to go camping! Loll

 

[Happiest mommy]

I know this thread is old but just wanted to chime in too, we too love to travel with our fur babies, I have taken them to Puerto Rico, VA, Fishkill NY, Chicago and now planning our first driving trip to Florida in Sept, this trip we are debating weather to take them or not but just in case I have booked a pet friendly hotel. My dogs travel very well and are great at the hotels as well looking into Maine but have no idea which area to visit
Great thread.

 

[rottiemom]

I have travelled with my dogs for years and always love having a chance to do it. But remember, having the dog along will mean that you will have dog related things to do which may intrude on your vacation time . It also depends on the vacation. For something like a trip to WDW that involves air travel paired with us being out all day it's a no brainer, my girl gets boarded at the vet.

We recently spent the weekend in Boston, stayed in the financial district near the Harbor & Aquarium. I got up early to walk our girl, nice long walks so that she was tired and emptied . We would break during the day to come back and walk her again and evenings were more of the same. It was a great trip for all of us...our rottie Bunny had the best time of all .

Things that I do:

The dog has their own doggie seatbelt & is kept leashed while in the car. I won't take a chance on their making a break for it at a rest stop.

We also bring a travel crate & keep the dog crated when we're not in the room. We decline housekeeping, put the "do not disturb" on the door but it's safer for the dog in the crate. We also bring a kong for crate time...packets of peanut butter make a great treat for Kong stuffins.

We check the room out thoroughly before letting the dog off of the leash in the room...that means under the beds, behind the bureaus, etc with a flashlight. I've found pills that have been left on the floor, things drop and your dog will find them.

Food and water dishes go in the bathroom. Easier to clean up any spills.

Microchip your pet. Just in case they get loose.

I enjoy doing obedience training with my dogs and use trips as training exercises. Sitting in the elevator, heeling while I walk with my bag, etc.

Some Hiltons take pets but by far my favorite pet friendly hotels are the Kimptons. These are gorgeous hotels that are not just pet friendly but pet welcoming. There's a bed and bowls waiting for your dog in your room as well as treats at check in. Kimptons do a nightly complimentary wine and light cocktail hour at each of their locations and I would use that as yet another training exercise. Bunny & I would sit in an out of the way spot and I would keep an cheese stick in my pocket, breaking bits off to reward her for her long down stays. We received SO many compliments on how well behaved she was (if people only knew how NAUGHTY this girl was when we got her as a two year old, un-housebroken rescue) and many people hadn't even realized that there was a dog in the reception room. Plus it's so lovely to have a dog that will sit patiently while you drink you wine in peace .

Remember, too, that a change in environment and water may result in a change in bathroom habits and...er...consistency. On our first trip Bunny didn't poop for two days . So be prepared. Also be prepared to stop along the way and keep giving your dog water.

Oh one last thing. No matter how pet friendly the hotel not every guest will be pet friendly as well. Just be aware, keep your dog leashed and everybody should be fine.

And have fun!

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I did a dog camping weekend once with coworkers in the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia. I think there were 9 people and 16 dogs in the group. Some people stayed in tents, some rented cabins. We took the dogs hiking, swimming, campfires, etc. One of the more useful items I brought was a collapsible water bowl that attached to the dog's leash so I could give her water at anytime without having to carry around a bowl myself. In fact, I made my dog carry all of her own supplies. The whole trip was planned around the dogs and it was fun, but I think bringing my dogs along on a "regular" vacation would be more hassle than it's worth in most cases.