It’s that time of year—for a vacation!
I asked pet owners and pet professionals about the best vacation they’ve ever had with a pet or pets.
Here are some of their vacation stories.
Debby McMullen (Pennsylvania) Several years ago, after Siri passed but before getting Mela, I went to Maine with Kenzo, then two-and-a-half years old, a Caucasian ovcharka, 175 pounds at the time, and Trent, at that time a nine-year-old pit bull mix, 63 pounds. It was a two-day drive each way, from Pittsburgh to Lubec, Maine. We stayed in motels in Connecticut each way. We spent eight days hiking twice a day on coastal trails, including a day jaunt into New Brunswick, Canada. We enjoyed the brisk cooler air, peace and quiet, the stunning scenery, kinder people than in my state, and it was very soul restoring. Trent passed this past November. We have also been going on a yearly basis to a friend’s remote log cabin on 65 private acres nearly three hours north of Pittsburgh, with no land phone or cell-phone service or TV. The forest there is so peaceful. For the last four years, we also have Mela, now five years old, a 42-pound chow chow. Our last trip there in April was our first time without Trent.
Donna Weidert (Washington) I took Jack almost everywhere I went. He loved the car, loved camping in our travel trailer with us. He was just the best dog. He would pee, on my cue, when we stopped at rest areas. He slept in bed with me, hiked with us, walked on the beach. He was the best dog ever. He was a 60-pound short-haired, blue-eyed border collie. We took bunches of classes at Diamonds in the Ruff—Training for Dogs & Their People, and he was the best-behaved dog! Everywhere we went, even places that didn’t really like dogs, he was welcomed after we went through a short demo of his “tricks.” People would stop us on trails and say, “Oh, this is Jack! We heard he whispers. Could you show us?” LOL!
Megan Cuilla (Washington) I took Violet and Roo with me back and forth to the Tri-Cities. The staff at the Red Lion loved them. They stayed in their travel cage overnight, but they loved playing on and exploring the hotel bed. They’re both “fancy rats” (which I think just means not wild rats). Roo was a dumbo rex fancy rat. Violet was a standard fancy rat. (Dumbo is an ear type, and rex is a fur type.) I shared Oreos with them in the hotel room. They loved it!
Shelly Keel (California) Carmel, California, hands down. So dog friendly—hotels, stores, restaurants—and the mile-long dog beach is such a blessing. Pristine. Owners keep it clean and picked up. First week we spent there together was a Christmas break; loved it so much we go back when ever we can. This is Dakota, my wonderful almost-14-year-old Labradoodle. She is smart, quirky, loves to tease, and she’s super-duper social. Best of all, she’s my buddy, my soul dog.
Photo by Shelly Keel
Kat Camplin (California) Wine tasting through Paso Robles with a nice side trip to Morro Bay. There are sites that list dog-friendly wineries, but most vineyard owners thanked me for asking first. This was in 2009, so only one’s left now—[the dogs were] Roxie, cattle dog, 4; Shira, Australian shepherd, 5; and Maggie, German shepherd, 16.
Ann Bemrose (Canada) We live in Vancouver, B.C. Our favorite vacation spot is on the west coast of Vancouver Island, in the towns of Tofino or Euclulet, at either end of Long Beach. The beach there is virtually endless. It’s a magnet for surfers year-round and storm-watchers from November through February. The beaches are wide. You never need be near the ocean unless you really want to be. The dogs can run and run and run, investigate things, dig in the sand, and carouse while we walk for miles. Standard poodles—Penny is nine now and Juno is six. We’ve been going to this part of the province for about four years.
Kathy Gallagher (Ohio) A cross-country drive with my service dog. My trip was through the Southwest to Phoenix up through the Northwest to Yellowstone and home. A new hotel and restaurant almost every night. [She was] such an angel. We were denied service at only one hotel. (I suffer from severe panic attacks and meds don’t work.) This was over ten years ago and the dog, Tasha, has passed. My blonde-haired, golden-eyed beautiful girl. We believe she was some kind of chow mix. Her failing as a service dog was the love of small children.
Kim Campbell (Canada) Driving down to Big Sur with my friend Annette and Susie, my first Bichon. We had a blast, camping almost the entire way. One night, we wimped out and got a really cheap and somewhat suspect hotel room as it was pouring rain and blowing like heck—but the rest was great.
Sheila Gomez (Washington) Ed and I took our 13.6-month-old black Lab, Mavrick, to Yellowstone with us. We saw many animals. His window was down, [he was] breathing in many strange and new scents. Went swimming in a lake where our cabin was. Fetched sticks, had a blast. A couple of different days, Mavrick got a ice cream cone—he loved that. It was his last trip. He passed away a year and a half later.
Julie Beeman Cfmg (Washington) We take our two little dogs with us on every RV trip. Dixie is a poodle/Jack Russell mix, seven years old. Serenade is a chihuahua mix and five years old. My favorite vacation with our dogs was a ten-day road trip to Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons. They enjoyed seeing buffalo cross the road in front of our car. They saw a red fox on the trail, walking-distance away. They travel very well and love road trips. I have had many dogs that hated going anywhere. But these two are the best travelers.
Wendy Acosta (Hawaii) Rented RV to drive to Disneyland from Washington State. Our dog had pancreatitis and was predicted to not last many more days. Decided to make her last days an adventure with a bed on the dash so she could bark at every airplane, bird, or loud noise while we administered her meds. We made it to Los Angeles and she was still with us. Poppa scrambled her an egg and she struggled to get up to eat. That tail started wagging. Her appetite came back. We had her for another decade, and always referred to her recovery as the traveling egg cure.
Natalie Bridger Watson (North Carolina) I compete in dog sports, so I travel a lot to play games with my dogs—Haven, a ten-year-old deaf and partially blind Australian shepherd; Panache, a ten-year-old Belgian tervuren; Indi, a five-year-old Shetland sheepdog; and Bright, a two-year-old German shepherd/Belgian malinois mix. Out of all of the places we’ve traveled, my all-time favorite trips are to play Barn Hunt in Knoxville, Tennessee, with Canines By Karen. Barn Hunt is a sport where dogs use their sense of smell to locate safely-contained pet rats hidden on a hay-bale obstacle course. The dogs love it! It lets the dogs use their hunting instincts and it teaches the humans how to work cooperatively alongside their canine partner. It’s the best entry-level dog sport. At these events, a whole bunch of dog-obsessed people travel from all around the country to congregate on my friend’s farm, show off how cool our dogs are, and win prizes—you can’t beat that! There are Barn Hunt trials all across the country, but I drive ten hours to go to Karen’s specifically (past several other venues) and her events are totally worth the trip. It gives me an excuse to tent-camp with my four dogs and spend time with a really excellent group of people and dogs.
What was the best vacation you’ve ever taken with a pet?
More stories about the best vacations with a pet next week!
