Dog lovers and travel

[crazyme5kids]

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?

 

[jaminmd]

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?

We travel with our dog when we can. There is a lot of useful information on this site:

http://www.dogfriendly.com/

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

My dog first started traveling probably when she was about 2. I don't know if it may be different starting earlier, but honestly I find it kind of annoying to travel with a dog. She hates pottying at unfamiliar places - you'll stop at a rest area and she won't go and then an hour later in the middle of nowhere she suddenly decides she really has to go. Finding a hotel that accepts dogs can be challenging as well, especially when you're trying to find a hotel in a certain location. My dog has been to Disney twice - the first time on a weekend whim where the closest hotel that seemed decent was kind of near the Florida Mall.

I think the best way to travel with a dog is to stay in a house, especially since most hotels don't let you leave your dog unattended in the room. My dog has done Disney in a rental house and that worked well and she has also stayed at my sister's in DC. I think a beach vacation would be fun, maybe the Outer Banks.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Our dog came on our honeymoon with us to the mountains. We also take our dog here and there whenever we can. But we haven't taken her on vacation because where we usually go, she can't come. I think it would be fun, though, and I would love to have her there. Can't help much with your search, but good luck, and I'll be interested in the responses for future reference.

 

[Sgt Mickey]

I have read about some great obx dog friendly places but have not done any of them yet.

http://www.petswelcome.com/articles/dog-friendly-vacationing-in-the-outer-banks-north-carolina.html

http://www.dogfriendly.com/server/travel/uscities/guides/us/cities/usonlinecityNCOuter_Banks.shtml

http://www.outerbanks.org/outerbanks-pets-on-the-beach/

http://www.outerbanksnchotel.com/pet-friendly-outer-banks.htm

 

[Hrhpd]

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?

Universal! The onsite hotels are pet friendly, even to the point where they have their own welcome gift and page in the room service menu.

Our lab loves to go with us when we visit!

 

[crazyme5kids]

I have read about some great obx dog friendly places but have not done any of them yet.

http://www.petswelcome.com/articles/dog-friendly-vacationing-in-the-outer-banks-north-carolina.html

http://www.dogfriendly.com/server/travel/uscities/guides/us/cities/usonlinecityNCOuter_Banks.shtml

http://www.outerbanks.org/outerbanks-pets-on-the-beach/

http://www.outerbanksnchotel.com/pet-friendly-outer-banks.htm

I have dogfriendly.com book marked already, but I find it hard to use. Petswelcome.com looks like a really great resource! thanks for the links.

Hrhpd, I would love to get back to Universal! Might be an option once we get our pup accustomed to traveling and hotels.

 

[CynBeth]

We have taken our dog on vacations to Hershey, New York City, Boston/Cape Cod, Nashville, Memphis, Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, Myrtle Beach, Outer Banks, Cleveland, Canton, and Detroit. It seems like most cities these days have hotels that allow pets. Always double check when you call to make sure the hotel still allow dogs and verify the size restriction and fees.

 

[mumto3girls]

This is a great thread. I have always loved to travel and vacation and since we got a dog about a year ago I don't enjoy it as much as I hate to leave her and feel really bad about it--like she feels abandoned. Although we have DVC and won't be able to take her on those trips, I would really like to find other places that we could take her.

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

Colorado is one of the most dog-friendly states I've seen. We went to a restaurant once and asked if we could eat on the balcony. The lady said if you don't mind sitting next to three (I pause here, because I'm thinking she's going to say kids) DOGS. It was so cool sitting there with people eating with their well-behaved dogs at their feet.

We've also gone into a store and saw this:

A lot of the small business owners keep their pets in their stores with them too.

 

[disneyfans95]

We love to camp at KoA's in their cabins.

It has all you need for a family and almost all allow pets

So we found that we take 3, 3 day weekends during the summer and hit various KOA sites in the summer with our chocolate lab

It is me, wife and two kids (14, 13).. We love it and enjoy the shorter, but more often dates to camp.

There are pools, dog parks, events and of course chilling at the camp fire at night.. They have wi-fi, tv etc, but we sort of shut off the world for the 3 weekends and play board games and just chill..

 

[jaminmd]

We have taken our dog on vacations to Hershey, New York City, Boston/Cape Cod, Nashville, Memphis, Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, Myrtle Beach, Outer Banks, Cleveland, Canton, and Detroit. It seems like most cities these days have hotels that allow pets. Always double check when you call to make sure the hotel still allow dogs and verify the size restriction and fees.

Do you recall what dog friendly hotels you stayed at in Hershey? We are looking into that one now.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Bumping for more ideas.

 

[Lindaland]

We are on the opposite coast but we love taking our pups with us when we go to the beach! Also most search sites for hotels have a "pet friendly" option in their filters so you can look only for hotels that take pets. We love traveling with our pets but only places we can drive. I am not comfortable taking them on a plane just to be with me. At that point its better for them to be boarded.

 

[amyy]

I see this is an older thread but curious if anyone has any updates. We just got a dog and are interested in having her vacation with us. I am not a Universal fan but will keep in mind they allow dogs.

 

[Tiggeroo]

I have read about some great obx dog friendly places but have not done any of them yet.

http://www.petswelcome.com/articles/dog-friendly-vacationing-in-the-outer-banks-north-carolina.html

http://www.dogfriendly.com/server/travel/uscities/guides/us/cities/usonlinecityNCOuter_Banks.shtml

http://www.outerbanks.org/outerbanks-pets-on-the-beach/

http://www.outerbanksnchotel.com/pet-friendly-outer-banks.htm

This.
There are many pet friendly homes for rent and I believe dogs can be on most beaches. I know for sure they can in off season, just not sure about summer.

 

[luvavacation]

Since this was bumped up, thought I would post my thoughts!

I have 2 German Shepherds. Now that we are empty-nesters, we are looking forward to vacationing with our dogs, but it is really getting hard to find hotels that will take two dogs over 50 pounds! Especially ones where I can use my hotel points!

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!

Before we got our second Shepherd, we had taken our other dog from Northern IL to Florida. We spent a few days in a rental on Cape San Blas, FL, a very dog friendly place on the Panhandle. Here, your dog can run free, and play in the ocean with you, and go on fun explorations! We have not found this to be the case at many other beaches, as most do not allow dogs. People still take them, but it is at your own risk. I prefer places where I know my dog is welcome, not a place where people make snide remarks even if my dog is leashed and walking next to me. I highly recommend Cape San Blas!

We have also taken our dog to Disney, but kept her at the Disney kennel (Best Friends, I believe?). We would take time to visit with her during the day, and it was a nice break. I felt she was treated well while there, and I would not hesitate to use them again.

When we travel, I like having the cage in the car so the dog can stay in it, but I don't close it as there are only about 4 extra inches beyond it. This way, she can have a little space to stretch out more. With two dogs, we have not yet gone on long trips, but we have gone to Starved Rock and out to visit our DD in Indiana. We don't have room for the two cages, which bothers me, but we put the seats up in our SUV so if something happens, they have some sort of barrier.

Do keep in mind that most hotels will not accept you with your dog unless you have cages to keep them in when you are out of the room. Also, ask if they have a sign to put on the door so housekeeping does not come in unaware that you have a dog (especially a big dog that is super friendly and wants to give a good kiss, but all housekeeping sees is a big furry beast with huge paws and big teeth!).

One more thing, I do find that having my dog on a short lead attached to her collar in the car is good in case there is an accident and the dog gets out, but when we stop for walks, I put on the retractable leash as my dogs are used to going away from us to do their business. They don't pee on walks here at home, as we have a huge fenced in yard for them to relieve themselves, so it takes a few times to remind them it is ok to pee while on a leash, but it is so much easier if they have that 16' of lead for "privacy". At least, for my female Shepherd: my male lets it go whenever he feels like the spot is good, the more people to see the better, and if he can make the pee spray take over at least a 2 foot area, even better! He is really such a boy!

Have fun, it really is a pleasure to travel with the furry family members!

 

[lauradis]

Redroof inn are pet friendly without extra fee.

 

[Hrhpd]

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?

Universal is our favorite. Hotels are extremely pet friendly right down to their own room service menu.

 

[North of Mouse]

One big question?? What do you do with the dogs/cats in hot weather on the road and you want to stop and eat at a restaurant? Or, go into a store/attraction without pets?? It gets hot 'very' fast in a vehicle - cracked windows are no help at all.

Do you just fore go all stops in favor of having your pet travel with you?