Summer's Here! Let the vacations begin!

[Tricia, Shiloh, Fenway & Tessie]

So we only have one more week of school (i know it is more in some places) But it is that time of the year....the kids want to know what fun adventures are in store for the all important SUMMER VACATION! Will your doodle get to come along? Tell us where you are headed.....by what means....where you have found to stay that is dog-friendly. We want pictures!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We travel in our RV and take the dogs. I am concerned about having three now because I don't know if campgrounds have limits. I have only been admitting to two dogs when I make reservations but hate telling fibs. We mostly stay coastal in California, but we are planning a trip to Tucson and I am very concerned about the heat. I don't want to leave the dogs unattended in the RV at all because I am afraid the campground might have a power outage. So, I am not sure if we will bring them or leave them home.

[Tricia, Shiloh, Fenway & Tessie]

I'm thinking about taking them to the beach this summer...anyone have any thoughts....tips...anything about sand and beaches...is it awful to get the sand off of them?

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I will be interested in this information in regard to doodles. Our other dogs are a lab mix - no problems at all; he never gets dirty. And, a Springer who does get dirty but who dries off and the dirt also falls off.

[BetteB]

We've taken Agnes to the beach twice. She has curly, fleecy hair, and it picks up a fair amount of sand. It doesn't help that she loves to dig and roll around in it! :) We just give her a bath, or a quick hose-off and everything is fine. The hotel we've stayed at had an outdoor hose for this purpose (pretty dog friendly), and it worked great. The biggest tip I can think of it to bring a shade umbrella and plenty of fresh water b/c the dogs get hot quickly. Good luck and have fun!

[Susan, Zeke. Lily & Jasper]

We recently took a short trip to Jekyll Island, Ga, a little over 400 miles from where we live outside Chattanooga, TN. Zeke is a great traveler but Lily used to get car sick on trips lasting over 30 minutes so I gave her a dose of Dramamine before heading out. She did great! I forgot to give it to her on the return trip, turns out she may have outgrown the need for it. Yeah!
Jekyll Island is a very pet friendly place with several hotels accepting pets, the beach is open to pets at all times but must be leashed and there is a resturant with outdoor seating that allows pets. At all the beach access points and at our hotel there are poop bag stations. Everwhere we went people were glad to see the dogs and were very accepting of their presence. We booked a handicapped room on the ground floor with a walk in shower so clean-up from the beach would be easier. There are numerous walking trails and several beaches to exercise the dogs and we had a blast. The only negative was the mosquitos were monsters! p.s. We did sneak and let the dogs off leash very early one morning and boy did they have fun!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

My husband and I are celebrating our 1st anniversary in early August. We have an 11-week old mini GD pup and a chihuahua and are figuring out where to go. A coworker recently recommended some pet friendly cabins in the mountains of North Georgia (Blue Ridge). They are called: http://www.mountainpawscabinrentals.com/
They don't charge pet fees and give you bowls for your doggies, some of the cabins even have fenced-in yards ! They are located by hiking trails, rivers and lakes, most of which are pet-friendly areas. I will keep you all posted, but we had these cabins recommended to us by avid dog lovers. Don't know if you are near the Southeast, but thought you might be interested!