Kelly E. Carter - The Dog Lovers Guide to Travel: Best Destinations, Hotels, Events, and Advice to Please Your Pet-and You

Published by the National Geographic Society
1145 17th Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036

Copyright 2014 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission from the publisher is prohibited.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Carter, Kelly E.
The dog lovers guide to travel : best destinations, hotels, events, and advice to please your pet- and you / Kelly E. Carter.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-4262-1277-2
1. Travel with dogsNorth AmericaGuidebooks. 2. North AmericaGuidebooks. I. Title.
SF427.4574.N75C37 2014
636.70887dc23

2013036635

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Interior design: Elisa Gibson

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Who Let the Dogs Out?

M ake no bones about it: You pamper your pet. Bailey sleeps with you or in a comfy bed near yours, accompanies you when you run errands around town, eats organic and natural foods, may wear canine couture, has scheduled play dates with other coddled canines, socializes at doggie day care, and sniffs new pals at your local Yappy Hour. Instead of calling yourself a dog owner, youre a pet parent, or guardian, to your furry friend, which goes on family vacations, girlfriend getaways, mancations, and business trips.

The travel industry, realizing that you consider Fifi a full-fledged family member, has changed with the times. Hotels that dont accept hounds are pass, and many upscale hotels have taken dog friendly to new heights. Plush beds for pampered pooches, elegant food and water dishes for distinguished dogs, massages to relax frazzled Fifi, doggie room-service menus to relieve puppy jet lag, canine concierges, gourmet treats, and turndown service are among the amenities lavished on four-legged guests. Perks for pawsengers include frequent-flier miles for Fido and airports with pet lounges and spruced-up animal relief areas with cute names.

Traveling with a dog isnt the hindrance it once was, either. A proliferation of off-leash areas at parks and beaches for Rover to romp, pet-friendly attractions such as boat cruises, gardens, and museums, and an increasing number of pooch-friendly pawtios at restaurants (some of which even offer a doggie dining menu) mean Fido can have a stimulating holiday, and you dont have to relegate yourself to the fast-food drive-thru. The latest trend of combining bars or beer gardens with dog parks gives new meaning to wine-and-wag events. Open-paw policies at many stores and businesses make it easy to tote your tyke. Even some sports teams have jumped on the puppy wagon. Many Major League Baseball teams host at least one dog-friendly game a season, usually calling them Bark in the Park or Dog Days of Summer, to benefit a local shelter or rescue organization.

According to the latest figures available from the American Pet Products Association, petsas American as baseball and apple pielive in 68 percent of U.S. households, or 82.5 million homes. Maybe you didnt buy the it designer handbag of the season or a new set of golf clubs, but mans best friend probably didnt suffer during the recession. Spending on pets has continued to climb significantly every year. What was a $17-billion-a-year industry in 1994 has more than tripled. And of the $53.5 billion shelled out on pets in 2012, $78 million went toward travel.

Pets arent allowed on Amtrak trains, Greyhound buses, or cruise lines (with the exception of Cunards Queen Mary 2), but plenty of regional trains, buses, and boat lines welcome pawsengers.

With a little planning, traveling with a dog has never been easier or more enjoyable. Whether youre a new pet parent eager to take your fur baby on the road, a dog-travel sage who remembers when pups had to be smuggled into swank hotels to avoid roadside motels, or you just want to know whats going on in your local pet community, youll find the latest pet-ssential travel information on the following pages, to help you create a tail-waggin petcation worth barking about.

The information in this book pertains to pets, not service animals, which the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the persons disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

Service animals are exempt from airline and hotel fees and can accompany their handler most anywhere, including restaurants and buildings where pets are prohibited. Emotional support animals are not subject to airline pet fees on U.S. carriers either, but they are not permitted inside restaurants and buildings where pets arent allowed. Therapy dogs, meaning those animals trained to provide comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, and such are considered pets and do not travel for free.

T he first thing you need to determine is whether your pet should travel. If your dog barks incessantly, whines, begs, bites, jumps on people, or exhibits other off-putting behavior, an obedience course is a must before taking your pet on the road. It takes just a few encounters with ill-behaved dogs for hotels, restaurants, or stores to change their pet policy and ban bowwows. Being a responsible pet parent goes far beyond picking up poop. Raising a well-behaved pet is just as important.

In addition to temperament, Fifis health and age also dictate whether shell earn her wings. If your pooch is very young or very old, in poor physical condition, or pregnant, traveling isnt recommended. Also, if youve tried a few times and your favorite canine companion isnt fond of traveling, dont force it. Not every biped enjoys traveling, and mans best friend is no different. Considering how luxe dog-boarding facilities flaunt well-appointed suites these days, you wont be banished to the doghouse if you leave your posh pup behind. Just remember to bring Fifi a nice gift when you return home.