Great Dog vacations/travel destinations? (training, walk, ears, test)

[dace3868]

We have two dogs and love to take them traveling with us. But only if we're going somewhere that has activities for them (swimming, hiking, etc.). There is a great place in Treasure Island, FL that caters to dogs, but we've since moved to Kentucky and are out of ideas! Any suggestions? I know there have got to be great destinations out there!

[gardener34]

Just a tip: state parks in PA do not allow dogs at all, anywhere from what I am told.

[surfingatwork]

Twice now dh and i brought our two furbabies to boothbay harbor, maine. We stay at this little place in boothbay (not the harbor but just down the street) in a cabin. THEY LOVE IT! It may not be fancy (just basic cottages with little kitchenettes) but the town itself is very dog friendly and so are the people. We brought our two with us to the parks, nature preserves, beach, etc. i highly recommend it.

[trentonw]

A great winter trip would be the Phoenix, AZ area. While the rest of the country is cold, we are sunny in the 70's & 80's. The area is very dog-friendly, having many dog parks like
Chaparral Dog Park in Scottsdale, Papago Dog Park in Tempe, and Cosmo Dog Park in Gilbert. Those are just a few, there are many more.

If you visit in February, there is a good chance you will move here.

[mikenbacismama]

When living in Vegas, we used to spend a week or two each summer in Sonoma County, CA. Granted, we stayed at a campground (KOA in Petaluma...it was very nice, but we haven't been there in a few years), so I don't know if the hotels there are very dog friendly. However, we loved taking our Labbie Dillon Beach and Stinson Beach. Petaluma was a nice leisurely town to walk around with the dog as well.

Another fun thing to do is try to hit the SF Giants Dog Days of Summer which usually takes place in the beginning of August. One Saturday, the bleachers are reserved for pet owners who wish to bring their dogs. You can even walk the field with them! Funny to watch the silly dogs wading in the kiddie pools of water that are out for the dogs to drink out of! To get tickets for this event, it is necessary to contact the team directly as you would not be able to purchase them through Ticketmaster or the like.

[Catherinelady]

If you and your pooch love the beach, Texas is a real dog friendly state. Port Aransas has several hotels and cottages that caters to you and your dog.

[brightdoglover]

Have you considered Camp Gone to the Dogs? It's summer camp for people and their dogs, in Vermont, either Putney or Marlboro. Lovely college campus, many many activities- some serious (sheep herding, swimming, field coursing, agility training) and less serious (bathing suit contest, hot dog fetch).
When I went, there were some 200 dogs there. A tip- if you take multiple dogs, it's good to take multiple people! I had a little trouble with some activities managing two dogs on my own.
I'm sure they have a website.

[dc53]

We used to live in Phoenix Arizona. We went several times to Pinetop- about 2-3 hours away. There is a nice, small town (maybe it isn't so small anymore)- lots of cabins to rent on the lake that would let us stay with our Rotti and GSD. Lots of places to hike- it is beautiful, and when it was 105 degrees in Phoenix, it would be in the 70's in Pinetop.

[ssg II]

I found a GREAT book at Barnes & Noble: The Dog Lover's Companion to Florida, written by Sally Deneen & Robert McClure. Don't know if you're planning another Florida trip, but this book has state-wide reviews on hotels, campgrounds, dog parks, beaches, off-leash areas, even restaurants where dogs are welcome. One to four paw ratings. They have written books about other areas: check out DOGLOVERSCOMPANION.COM

[SunnyKayak]

Im not a big fan of people taking their dogs to the beach.

Blowing sand is not good for their eyes.
Too Hot
Salty air.

However I found the Outer banks NC very pet friendly.