Now that it’s officially summer, we will spend the next few weeks discussing summer travel tips, safety tips, activities and recipes that are perfect for spending time with the pets in your life!
Therefore, today we partnered with Petcurean to share with you some dog-friendly summer trips and activities!
In their post, “Summer Vacations Can Include the Family Pet”, Petcurean highlighted a few of their favorite summer activities.
Camping
Camping was the first activity to make the summer vacations list for Petcurean! This is what they had to say:
“There are thousands of campgrounds across the US and Canada and most of them welcome your well behaved leashed pet. Dogs love the adventure of investigating all the smells that abound in the natural world, but please be careful to respect the rules and don’t let your dog disturb sensitive areas like salmon spawning streams or delicate native vegetation.”
I would add that pet parents should take extra precautions when it comes to protecting their pets from wildlife. In California, we have to be vigilant about protecting our campgrounds from bears (I’ve seen one in person!) and mountain lions. Additionally, with small dogs, pet parents need to be aware of the large birds in the area that can pick up their dog. The best thing you can do on a camping trip is keep your dog on leash.
Road Trip Activities
Last year we took a dog-friendly Southwest road trip with Rooney and it was so much fun! Petcurean suggests looking up off-leash dog parks along your route, so that your dog has pre-planned locations to stretch their legs on a road trip. I totally agree. Sometimes its difficult even for me to sit in the car for long periods of time without feeling antsy, so planned breaks for dogs are super important. While we didn’t have any dog parks scheduled along our route for the Southwest road trip, we did designate stops for dog beaches along the way.
Hotels and Resorts
Just because your trip isn’t pet-focused, it doesn’t mean that your dog can’t be a part of the family vacation. This is what Petcurean had to say:
“More and more hotels and resorts are catering to pet owners. Some even offer extras like beds, blankets and treats. Be prepared to pay a nightly pet fee which will differ from place to place, and be careful to leave your room tidy and as hair-free as possible. If your pet is a bed dweller, bring along a clean old extra sheet or blanket and put it on top of the bed to protect it from excess hair and possible muddy or wet pawprints, (or drool!).”
Additionally, some hotels, like Red Roof Inn have a policy that pets stay for free!
Vacation Rentals & Airbnb
These days with Airbnb, pet parents are able to look for pet-friendly alternatives for their upcoming vacations and don’t have to settle for non-pet-friendly rentals. You can now rent chic pet-friendly homes for your next vacation!
As far as pet-friendly activities go, pet parents have a long list from which to choose from, including:
Hiking
Hiking is one of my favorite activities to do with Rooney. If you aren’t sure what to bring, check out our post where we talk about everything you need for a day on the hill with your dog.
Kayaking
I have been talking about this for 2 years and I think this is the summer we will go kayaking with Rooney!
SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard)
If you are a fitness enthusiast, you will really appreciate this activity. While I have SUP’d on my own, I have not had a chance to take Rooney with me. However, if you want to learn more about SUP-ing with your dog, I highly recommend checking out Leash Your Fitness.
Yappy Hours
I don’t know about you, but Yappy Hours with dogs are becoming increasing popular in this area, which is awesome! These activities are a great way to enjoy the cooler evening hours with your dog and a few friends. If your dog is high energy like Rooney, I highly recommend walking them to the location, or taking them to a dog park first so that they don’t feel too energized in the restaurant.
Winery and Brewery Visits
In addition to Yappy Hours, dog-friendly wineries and breweries are also becoming more popular. If you are on the west coast and looking for dog-friendly wineries or breweries, I highly recommend DogTrekker as a resource. Also, I know this might seem random because I live in California, but if you live in Minnesota, check out Sidewalk Dog! Sidewalk dog is a great local resource for dog-friendly locations and activities.
Pool Parties
Lots of doggie Meetup groups and communities organize pool parties in the summer to provide pets with an opportunity to swim and cool off. Rooney is a big fan of any activity involving swimming!
Linda Szymoniak
July 1, 2017 at 8:17 pmWith three Treeing Walker Coonhounds and three cats (all rescues), I don’t really take long trips. My oldest cat, too, has been having medical issues, and other family members just don’t know how to deal with them. So, I won’t be going very far from home. Even my two usual summer weekend trips are off for this year (hopefully we’ll do them again next year). However, I do want to go to several state/national parks here in Indiana and into Illinois, and want to take one or more of the three dogs with me on those trips. I figure if we do three trips, I might take one dog on each, so they each get to go. My Coonies are crazy, though, and I worry about any of them getting loose out in the woods. I see this also as a chance to really bond with each and perhaps work with them on some basic training, too.
GROOVY GOLDENDOODLES
July 4, 2017 at 8:58 amYou nailed them all. We’re spending a great deal of early mornings at the beach because they are so close and convenient. Enjoy your summer!
Beth
July 8, 2017 at 9:20 amThose all sound like great ways to spend the summer! I am hoping to take at least one of my dogs camping in September.
Jordan
August 6, 2017 at 11:06 amI just took my dog kayaking for the firs time, what a great experience! A little tricky at first, but after a little while he started to really love being on the water. Get a nice life jacket and you’ll be good to go.
Jordan recently posted…Automatic Ball Launchers For Dogs: Teach Them to Play Fetch
Graham
September 11, 2017 at 9:53 amThat is GREAT advice about making sure your dog is safe from other wildlife. When we see a bear, we’re smart enough to know that even if it’s a threat to us, the best way to respond is to get away from it. But when some dogs see bears, they just see a thing that Owner is scared of, and that thing needs to go away. There are a few good videos on YouTube of relatively tiny dogs chasing bears away from homes and people. But people only upload the successful ones. They aren’t as excited to show what happens if the bear realizes the dog isn’t a real threat, which DOES happen out in nature. On one hand, the blind loyalty can be EXTREMELY moving. But on the other hand, having a blindly loyal dog mauled by a bear just makes the experience that much more gut-wrenching.