Category Archives: Dog friendly travel

South Carolina’s beautiful Lowcountry

Leave a reply

Spoiler alert: There is nothing we didn’t like about the Lowcountry just outside Beaufort called the Sea Islands, a collection of small islands huddled together, separated by tidal creeks and connected by short bridges.

lowcountrypics5

The definite highlight was our stay at beautiful Hunting Island State Park – we loved it so much that we extended our visit for an additional five days. We’d set our alarm to a pre-sunrise hour, walk five minutes to the beach and be there for the sunrise over the Atlantic. In the distance there were shrimp boats (no doubt harvesting our dinner that evening). Rigby was fascinated by the small fiddler crabs scuttling along the sand (South Carolina beaches are on-leash dog friendly). The beach is long and luxurious, anchored by a lighthouse at one end and a sweeping curve of sand at the far reach. The early morning sun cast a warm glow on the palmetto palms that line the back of the dunes. It set up each day perfectly.

lowcountrypics2

In addition to the natural beauty of the Lowcountry, this region is steeped in history.

There is a long tradition of shrimping. We’d stop at Gay Fish Co. (just at the bridge from St. Helena Island to Hunting Island) to buy the freshest shrimp we’d ever tasted. Half-a-dozen shrimp boats were tied to the rickety docks. Inside, the woman weighing our daily ration told us their docks stood in for the Alabama coastline in the filming of the shrimping scenes in the hit movie, Forrest Gump. On the wall there’s a framed photo of Tom Hanks and Gary Sinise playing out a scene from the movie.

lowcountrypics10

We visited the Penn Center Historic District, preserving the Gullah community on St. Helena Island. The Gullah people – the descendants of enslaved Africans – are known for their unique culture and traditions imported from West Africa (including the weaving of beautiful sweetgrass baskets). Before bridges were built, these islands were isolated and the culture was protected and thrived. Gullah culture is all over the Sea Islands, but the Center is the only spot where the buildings remain intact and protected as a National Historic Site. When the program at the site opened it was the first school in the nation to provide formal education for freed African slaves; a path to liberation. Over time, the focus shifted to civil rights and social justice issues. Now, the Center is a part of the National Park Service’s Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, preserving this unique culture, traditions and heritage.

lowcountrypics8

One of our favourite meals was at the modest Gullah Grub Restaurant. Our lunch started with squares of rich cornbread, still warm from the oven, and glasses of “swamp water” (a mix of sweet tea and lemonade, called an Arnold Palmer on the mainland). Traditional Gullah dishes are based on whatever is seasonally available – rice, tomatoes, okra, fish. We ate local: a starter of she-crab soup, barbecue ribs and fried chicken with a side of collards doused with vinegar for some extra tang.

lowcountrypics1 lowcountrypics4 lowcountrypics7

We’ll be back . . . again and again and again.

Beaufort . . . is amazing

Leave a reply

It’s not hard to see why the beautiful South Carolina town of Beaufort is a mecca for film shoots.

beaufortblog4

This is a lovely little – and rather prosperous – 300-year-old city sparkling with real estate that makes natural settings for Hollywood films. The Big Chill was shot here. The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini and Forrest Gump were also shot in and around Beaufort. The town has a stunning natural setting looking out over the Port Royal Sound, enframed by small islands that conjure up a history rich in Antebellum and post-war prosperity and peace.

Named Best Small Southern Town by Southern Living, a Top 25 Small City Arts Destination by American Style, and a Top 50 Adventure Town by National Geographic Adventure, this second-oldest city in South Carolina, chartered in 1711, is a collection of well-cared for boutiques and small enterprises along a couple of nicely manicured downtown streets that converge onto the beautifully planned and executed Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park – almost worth visiting on its own.beaufortblog2

But the real value resides in walking the residential side streets and drinking in the luxurious architecture and laneways lined by Spanish-moss draped live oaks – some of which are so old and large that thick branches actually bend to the ground in places. It’s a fascinating sight.

beaufortblog1

We took a short drive from Beaufort to Parris Island, home to the east coast boot camp for the United States and the only boot Marine camp for women. We were headed to the museum, an expertly curated history of the Marines and a comprehensive overview of the history of Santa Elena, the Spanish colony that founded the island community back in the mid-1500s.

The town opens its doors for dog owners. We had lunch on the patio at Panini’s on the Waterfront and were introduced to an Arnold Palmer, a typical Southern drink made of half sweet tea and half lemonade (our new favourite). A bowl of water appeared tableside for Rigby. The restaurant also has a special menu for dogs. We kept to our shrimp-every-day creed and had delicious Shrimp Cheese Steak sandwiches piled high with local shrimp (did we mention the “Alabama” shrimp boat scenes from Forrest Gump were filmed just a few miles away?).

beaufortblog3

If anything, Beaufort is made for walking. We fantasized about renting a house here for the Canadian winter months, a place where we could write, where we could be assured of some sunshine, where the roadways were not choking with traffic (or slick with ice) and where the general level of prosperity ensured that we could feel safe and intellectually stimulated. In short, we loved it.

In fact, we stretched our stay in this area by several days, just to take in the Gullah history, lovely beaches and campground on the Sea Islands near Beaufort. More on that next time.

beaufortblog5

Charleston – a city of grace

Leave a reply

Charleston, South Carolina, evokes the very best of the South. It is a stunningly beautiful city – it was once the richest city in the United States (by a factor of eight) with the fourth largest population. It shows.

The city was a gift to several British lords from King Charles II; it grew to be the largest slave port in the Americas and one of only three walled cities on the continent (the others are St. Augustine and Quebec City). And this extraordinary wealth is still on display along street after street of vaulting mansions, the largest of which is 24,000 square feet of floor space and includes three Louis Tiffany chandeliers. The rich and the uber rich – slave traders, cotton brokers, ship owners, bankers, rice or indigo magnates – used this perfect port city as their summertime retreat from their inland operations where malaria and yellow fever wiped out thousands of people.

charlestonblog7

 

charlestonblog3

Like the wealthy class of every era, they travelled extensively across Europe bringing back with them the architectural styles and fashions of the very rich across Greece, Italy, France and Spain. And they combined these early modern and classic styles with adaptations from the Bahamas where living quarters were designed to maximize every breeze, dissipate the summer heat and capture the winter warmth.

We rode through the city in the back of a mule driven wagon with Matthew who works for the Palmetto Carriage Company. It’s a dog-friendly, one-hour carriage ride during which Matthew riffs on the many interesting historical aspects of this city’s neighbourhoods. The city only permits 20 carriages on the streets at any one time, so every different carriage driver has to queue at the bingo machine and await their route assignment. This lottery system turns out to be fair for everyone, limits the number of carriages slowing down ordinary traffic and gives Matthew his first opportunity to amuse and inform us of the idiosyncrasies of his work as a historic guide.

zoomer3pic6

So many interesting things to note. For example, many buildings feature what look like large bolts in their façade and exterior walls. These, Matthew tells us, were products of a massive 7.3 magnitude event that provoked home owners to pass massive steel rods through their houses to pull them upright and into alignment again after the earth’s rumblings. “No one knew they had earthquakes here until a whopper hit in August 1886.”

Being a port city, Charlestown has known more floods than it can count and being so close to the sea many parts of are actually several feet below sea level. The cobblestones – over which we rattle under the energy of our mules, Hit and Run – arrived to Charleston in the holds of ships as ballast for trans-Atlantic voyages. The Old Exchange and Customs building – a symbol of Britain’s oppressive imperial control over the colony – was the last building erected by the British in the Americas before the American Revolution. Over the years it has served multiple roles, including as dungeon during the era of piracy and the Civil War.

charlestonblog1

The Civil War left its mark in other ways too. Large parts of the city – particularly those within range of ship borne cannons– were reduced to burned out rubble before being re-built post-war. We stroll along the Battery, the point where Southerners in their finest clothes gathered with drinks of Planters Punch to watch the opening salvos of Confederate cannons on Fort Sumter – clearly visible from the old neighbourhood – that inaugurated the American Civil War on April 12, 1861. They thought this glorious little war could not last more than a few weeks, months at the most. No one foresaw four devastating years of war that pitted families and neighbours against each other.

charlestonblog8

Every seat on our wagon is taken. The ride is fascinating. Matthew is interesting and congenial. Even Rigby enjoyed it. She napped underneath our feet for the entire hour.

On the edge of town we stayed at the very dog-positive James Island County Park Campground with an enormous off leash area that included a dog beach and special events like Yappy Hour.

charlestonblog6

 

A stretch called Down East

3 Replies

Tearing ourselves away from the beauty of Ocracoke was no small task. It did, however, involve one of our favourite activities of this coastline trip: a ferry ride.

It’s a two-hour ($15 USD) ferry ride across the waters of the Pamlico Sound to Cedar Island on the mainland of North Carolina. The area is better known to locals as Down East – a collection of 13 different maritime communities holding dear to the traditions of the seafaring life. Their past is a colourful history of whaling, fishing, hunting, quilting and the craft of decoy carving.

It’s the decoys that drew us to the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center (right next to the ferry that crosses to the uninhabited shores of Cape Lookout National Seashore). Craig tried his hand at chopping away at a piece of juniper (a wood called white cedar in the north) under the tutelage of an amused Walter “Brother” Gaskill, one of the country’s best decoy carvers.

downeastblog2 downeastblog4

Brother instructed Craig to just chop away anything that “doesn’t look like a duck.” Afterwards Brother pulls out cutting knives and files to try to repair the damage, all the while smiling as he tells us – in a thick Down East brogue – about a local group of carvers who work with the museum to revive the art of carving decoys.

downeastblog8 downeastblog10

The second level of the museum – a building designed to resemble a cross between a large hunting lodge and a coastal life saving station – is like rummaging through your grandmother’s attic. Displays for each Down East community are filled with duck decoys, handmade quilts, black and white photos and household items.

From the top level there is a viewing platform with a great view of the Cape Lookout lighthouse, the only light station in North Carolina that stays lit night and day.

We found more maritime history (and, of course, more on Blackbeard) in the beautiful village of Beaufort (population: 4,000) at the North Carolina Maritime Museum. The region’s proud history of life saving stations, fishing, boatbuilding and piracy (okay, maybe proud is not the right word on that last one) is explained in detail.

But it was on two wheels that we really discovered the beauty of Beaufort (and it is very beautiful). We pedalled beach bikes from Hungry Town Bike Tours, a local bike tour company run by Betsy and David Cartier, two transplants from the northeast.

downeastblog9 downeastblog5

David gave us a snapshot of Beaufort: “OPALs. Older people, active lifestyle.”

Think a garden club with 160 active members. Wide, quiet streets that are perfect for biking or walking. Gorgeous homes that range from cottages to mansions. A stone’s throw across the harbour is the Rachel Carson Reserve and the historic Fort Macon, a well-preserved Civil War era fort. There are no chain stores in sight.

David has a theory on this. “Beaufort has stayed isolated, so it’s kept its charm. These houses were built by shipbuilders, so they can withstand the storms. You’ll see a lot of homes with two porches – one up and one down – it’s a West Indian style imported by the sailors.”

downeastblog1

Indeed, Beaufort is made for those with a curiosity about history, food and culture and enough zip to pedal around town (easy pedalling along a very flat landscape and very light traffic on the side streets).

And about that “food” part … After pedalling and sightseeing all day we were primed for finding another seafood meal and, as it turns out, we ate dockside at the Front Street Grill at Stillwater, enjoying meals that were among the best of our trip to date.

The amazing Shrimp & Grits were made with stone ground cheese grits (flavoured with heavy cream and a sharp Vermont cheddar), sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and tasso (a gravy made from a base of ham drippings). Craig opted for the same-day catch of yellowfin tuna (cooked rare) in soft wheat tortillas and served with sides of black beans, rice and fried plantains. The restaurant has indoor seating, outdoor seating on the deck (dog-friendly) and a great view of the sunset.

downeastblog7

It was a perfect way to end a perfect day!

Cape Hatteras National Seashore: Where land and sea meet

Leave a reply

It would have been a mistake to look at a map of the stretch of barrier islands to the south, turn around and head back north to the comforts of the Outer Banks’ “larger” communities, like Nags Head, Kitty Hawk and Manteo. As lovely as these villages are – and they are great places to visit – things got really interesting the further we drove south into the heart of Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

First, a little geography: Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a long, pencil-thin stretch of barrier islands (Bodie, Hatteras, Ocracoke) with the dunes of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the water of Pamlico Sound on the other. It’s largely land under the watch of the National Park Service, so gets a high level of environmental protection. There are several historic villages scattered along the way (not part of the NPS land) with large beachfront homes and all the amenities of a smaller town.

OBXsouth1

We’ve already written about the shifting sand and the close watch residents keep through hurricane season (June – November) but the real highlight is what’s not along long stretches of this pristine coast. The NPS has preserved wetlands for migratory birds (hike along a boardwalk at Pea island National Wildlife Refuge), historic lighthouses and miles of remote sand beach.

In the water, dolphins played. On the shoreline, a few fishermen planted their long rods to cast from the surf and the occasional walker doffed footwear and strolled barefoot along the sand. No shops. No go-carts or mini-golf. Not even a single vending machine. In the NPS campgrounds? No electrical hook-ups and cold water showers. Ink-black skies at night. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but it sure is ours.

The Outer Banks are infamous as the Graveyard of the Atlantic – a testament to the dangerous shoals that claimed many a passing ship (the estimate is the waters off the banks holds more than 600 shipwrecks dating back centuries).

Craig took the ranger-guided hike up the black and white striped Bodie Island Light Station. The view from the top was great over the long dunes and the salt marshes that are a perfect stopover point for birds migrating north-south along the Atlantic Flyway. Bodie Island Lighthouse was built in 1871, is 214 steps and on a clear day you can see 30 km (18 mi) from the top. Its flash pattern is 2.5 on, 2.5 off, 2.5 on, 22.5 off (just in case you were wondering) and it still uses an original Fresnel lens. The grounds of the lighthouse are dog friendly (but not a climb to the top).

OBXsouth3

A little further down the road we stopped at the candy-cane striped lighthouse that most people associate with the Outer Banks: Cape Hatteras Light Station. The National Historic Landmark is the continent’s tallest brick lighthouse (a climb up Hatteras is 248 steps, equivalent to a 12-storey building). The grounds of the lighthouse are dog friendly (but not a climb to the top).

The iconic lighthouse also made it to many a newspaper front page in 1999 when the National Park Service moved the entire brick structure 460 m (1,500 ft) back from an encroaching sea. The sands continue to shift but they say the move should keep the tall building safe for a good long time.

OBXsouth4

In Hatteras Village we ate dinner overlooking a dock filled with fishing boats and had a seafood meal that set the bar high for the remainder of our trip. The chef at the Breakwater Restaurant buys local: shrimp, scallops, grouper, flounder, tuna and it shows in the taste on the plate. We ate our fill of steamed shrimp the size of a toddler’s fist that were flavour-packed, meaty and didn’t suffer a bit from being dipped in melted butter. On a quest to embrace grits, Jo ate a delicious main of Shrimp & Grits (and yes, it did the trick – now a convert) and Craig had spicy, blackened chunks of yellowfin tuna (the catch of the day) wrapped in soft wheat tortillas and served with sides of black beans, rice and a pineapple chutney. Dessert was one slice/two forks of Peanut Butter Pie – a rich and creamy PB centre topped with dark, chocolate ganache.

Breakwater1

Like we said, the bar is set high.

They call it OBX: North Carolina’s Outer Banks

1 Reply

We’re looking for the places that smack of coastline life. The Outer Banks certainly fill that bill – from the northern tip at the beach at Corolla, to the secluded village of Ocracoke 190 km (118 mi) away. By secluded, here’s what we overheard: “Honey, if the world ended tomorrow, Ocracoke would find out about it next week.” We’ll be there in a few days and will report in.

OBX3

Look at a map of the Outer Banks and it seems like the long barrier islands could be blown away by a stiff hurricane. It turns out, they are slowly moving southwest – gale-force winds and the constant pounding of the ocean are shifting the tenuous landscape, one grain of sand at a time. Inch by inch, century by century, the sandbar moves closer to the mainland as wind and tempestuous storms re-arrange the dunes, reshaping the map. When hurricanes come roaring up the Atlantic seaboard, the Outer Banks are in the bull’s eye. But when the weather is lovely – like it has been this early October 2014 – it’s hard to imagine a more beautiful stretch of sand and sun. Kiteboarders, windsurfers, parasailors and sailors love the wind.

We started at the top: Corolla, home to the Colonial Spanish Mustangs, a herd of 100 that are direct descendants of horses shipwrecked centuries ago. Fast forward to the 21st century and these wild horses freely range the beaches, dunes and scrub brush of the narrow sandbar between the Atlantic Ocean and Currituck Sound, protected by the non-profit Corolla Wild Horse Fund.

OBX1OBX2

We loaded into the back of a 4WD truck, and setout with Corolla Outback Adventures to follow hoof prints in the sand. After driving between the dunes and into the maritime forest, we finally spotted one harem of six down by the ocean’s edge catching a little sea breeze to stay cool.

OBX – in particular, Kitty Hawk – is known for wind and for the “12 seconds that changed history.” This is where two bicycle-building brothers – Wilbur and Orville Wright – came to take advantage of the constant winds and the area’s seclusion to test their homemade flying machine. The year was 1903, and on a chilly December day they ran four successful flights – the shortest was 12 seconds and the longest 59 seconds. It was the first successful power-driven flight in world history and it cemented the Outer Banks as the Birthplace of Aviation. We saw it, walked it and soaked it up at the excellent Wright Brothers National Monument. Markers in the field show the exact start and stopping points of each flight, and indoor displays include reproductions of the brothers’ first wind tunnel machine and lightweight flying contraptions.

OBX8 OBX7 OBX5

Just a few miles down the road, Jockey’s Ridge State Park protects the tallest natural sand dune on the eastern seaboard (at 100 ft above sea level it’s not exactly nosebleed territory, but it is a very impressive sweep of sand). We took a long walk to the top of the dune for great views over the beachfront. We visited too late in the afternoon, but Wright-wannabes can sign up for hang gliding classes with the dune top as a take-off point.

OBX6

Part two of our OBX mission is to try as much fresh seafood as possible. Our favourite stop was an Outer Banks’ institution: Sam & Omie’s. Even in the off season, the place was hopping, packed with entrants in a women’s sportfishing tournament who knew where to find the best seafood meals. Sam & Omie’s began as an early breakfast hangout for local fisherman back in the late 1930s. These days, they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and are known for the shrimp burger (a delicious pile of shrimp on a coleslaw-lined bun that is impossibly messy to eat) and the catch of the day (always right off the boat). We shared a Broiled Seafood Combo of shrimp and scallops with steamed collards on the side (got to get our iron-rich veggies for the day).

SamOmies1

SamandOmies2

 

 

 

Dog-friendly destinations

Leave a reply

Rigby is an easy-travellin’ kind of dog, so we have it made. In fact, she opens doors and brings down barriers with everyone she meets. We’re often astounded at how many dog positive people we encounter – at campgrounds, along city sidewalks, in shops, museums and at parks. We’ve got some general tips of how to source out pet-friendly stays, a list of some of the exceptional dog-friendly destinations we’ve had the pleasure to visit and even a link to a unique dog service in Canada to help if you can’t take Rover with you.

FINDING DOG-FRIENDLY STAYS

Destination websites often are great resources about the where-and-how of visiting with your pet.

Many towns, cities and parks welcome dogs and almost certainly have leash laws (usually a 2m/6ft leash). Off-leash parks may be the exception and a quick Internet check lists those golden spots for romp ’n’ run (kennel cough vaccination is a must-do if using these spaces).

Recognizing the trend for families and snowbirds to travel with pets in tow, many destinations are marketing themselves as dog friendly. In Florida, Panama City Beach boasts two beaches where owners can splash in the waves with their leashed pets. A Pensacola dog park includes a fenced dog beach where off-leash pooches can swim and cool off in the water. In Knoxville, TN, dogs are allowed on dozens of restaurant patios as well as into the famous Blue Plate Special noontime concert series at the city’s visitor centre. The International UFO Museum in Roswell, NM and the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson open their doors to well-behaved dogs on leash.

Pima + dogs

When it comes to hotel and motel stays, it’s always best to call ahead: some hotels forbid pets, others allow well-behaved pets that are not left unaccompanied and additional charges vary (from outrageous amounts exceeding the base room rate to reasonable fees to cover cleaning). Set a good example: no dogs on the furniture, regular trips to use the outdoor facilities and definitely no barking.

Policies vary at campgrounds as well. While most accept pets (leash regulations apply) it’s best to check in advance. In Ontario, all 30 provincial parks have designated exercise areas and some keep things separate with pet-free campground loops. Check out the Ontario Parks blog posting that details stays with your dog. Each campground website should let you know the do’s and don’ts.

LOOKING FOR DOG CARE?

While we haven’t had to use this service, we’ve heard that in Canada and the U.S. you can find a pre-screened, insured dog sitter who provides a cage-free environment through DogVacay. Rates include pet insurance and a daily photo, so you can stay updated. Can’t vouch for the service but we’d love to hear from those who have!

OUR FAVOURITE “DOG-POSITIVE” STOPS

We are always on the hunt for attractions, parks, etc. where we can include Rigby in our explorations. We know we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s out there, but here are some of our favourites and a few photos to get you thinking of what’s possible:

McGee’s Atchafalaya Basin Swamp Tours, Louisiana
Why we love it: Getting out on a pontoon boat tour is the best way to really understand the Atchafalaya Basin, America’s largest freshwater swamp. The Basin flows between Lafayette and Baton Rouge and its nature-rich waters are largely inaccessible by car. So, boat is the way and McGee’s welcomed Rigby aboard. With gators in the water we were especially vigilant.
bayou

International UFO Museum, New Mexico
Why we love it: It can get pretty steamy in southern New Mexico and rather than have dogs left in overheated vehicles, the UFO Museum in quirky Roswell welcomes them into the facility. Rigby was oblivious to the displays of alien sightings and lifeforms but we thought it was pretty cool (even if improbable).

Pima Air & Space Museum, Arizona
Why we love it: One of the world’s largest aerospace museums is on the edge of urban Tucson. Dogs are welcome in both the indoor hangars and the acres and acres of hundreds of aircraft on display outdoors. Walking the grounds covers the entire history of flight from Kitty Hawk to supersonic across 80 acres of American aviation technology. From propeller-driven to jet engine fighters, cargo, reconnaissance, transport and bombers – if American aviation made it, it’s here. 

Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, Arizona
Why we love it: We have a soft spot for historic destinations and the ruins (and partial reconstruction) of the original presidio (fort) at Tubac fit the bill. Dogs aren’t allowed in the museum or the buildings but it’s a nice hour-long walk around the grounds. The presidio was built in 1752, establishing Tubac as the oldest European settlement in Arizona.
Tubac

Tubac Golf Resort, Arizona
Why we love it: To say that Rigby was welcomed here would be an understatement. The golf course and bar are familiar to Kevin Costner fans – parts of Tin Cup were filmed here. Complementing the luxurious surroundings, when we checked into our villa there was a doggie welcome package complete with swag for Rigby. Outside, a spiderweb of trails for an on-leash walk.

Saguaro National Park, Arizona
Why we love it: Twenty types of snakes, 17 species of bats and dozens of varieties of prickly cacti are good reasons to keep your dog on leash. While dogs are not allowed on trails, they are allowed on roadways and in picnic areas (while leashed “with a human attached at the other end”). But the view from a walk along the roadways is still spectacular – forests of cacti, including some of the densest stands of the giant Saguaro cacti, the sentinel of the West only found in the Sonoran Desert. There are approximately 1.6 million Saguaro found in this park near Tucson.

Saguaro

San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Arizona
Why we love it: Many prime birding sites don’t allow dogs, but San Pedro (just outside the snowbird haven of Sierra Vista) welcomes leashed dogs along the largely level trails that wind along a river lined with giant cottonwood groves. Oh yeah, there are birds too. And lots of them – the NCA is a designated Globally Important Bird Area, with more than 100 species of breeding birds and another 250 species of migrant and wintering birds. We shared the trail with binocular-toting birders from around the world who were also enthusiastic dog lovers.

A Taste of Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona
Why we love it: It’s a match made in heaven (consume the calories and then immediately burn them off while walking the dog on this downtown Scottsdale food tour). Most of the time Rigby needed to wait outside the eateries (although some with patios did welcome dogs) but moving from place-to-place was a great way to explore the Old Town district.
Scottsdale

Veterans Oasis Park and Gilbert Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, Arizona
Why we love it: The sprawling Phoenix metropolitan area is actually sprinkled with fantastic, natural parks tucked into urban settings. Our two favourites (dog friendly, on leash) were the Gilbert Riparian Preserve, the place for birding with more than 200 species and Chandler’s lake-spotted Veterans Oasis Park. Both have miles of trails for walking through wetlands, riparian and desert settings, and lakes for fishing.

Moab Area Hiking Trails, Utah
Why we love it: Dogs are not permitted on the trails within nearby Arches National Park, but there are pet-friendly trails on much of the public lands that surround the park. While a leash is only recommended in the backcountry, dogs do need to be under verbal restraint and not chase or harass wildlife. We hiked Mary Jane Canyon, soaked our feet in the red mud of the stream and generally just gobbled up the delicious red rock scenery.
Moab

Self-guided city walking tours
Why we love them: Most visitor centres have self-guided walking tours of the city core. We check it out every time and can recommend any one of these:
Old Town Albuquerque where paw prints painted on the sidewalks lead from one pet-friendly shop to the next; the old copper mine in Bisbee, Arizona may be long closed, but the downtown has seen a remake of the old Brewery Gulch neighbourhood and the hilly shop-lined streets; Silver City near the Gila National Forest is know for its arts community, colourful murals and brightly-painted storefronts; strolling along one of the Natchez Trails above the banks of the Mississippi River through Bluff Park in the Southern town of Natchez; the historic streets of tiny Lincoln, New Mexico have been preserved as the Lincoln Historic Site, forever associated with the history of Billy the Kid, the charming gunslinger who became the iconic character of a wild and untamed territory;  taking in the mural painted floodwalls in Paducah, Kentucky, a UNESCO Creative City and home to the National Quilt Museum; the whole easily-walkable town of blues-inspired Clarksdale, Mississippi is dog positive; Louisville, Kentucky is a large city with an extremely walkable downtown with a playful spirit. We checked out the enormous baseball bats outside the Louisville Slugger Museum, the giant golden David statue and the curvaceous exterior of the world-class Muhammad Ali Center.
SC mural

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travel health: Words of wisdom from the veterinarian

Leave a reply

Not saying that Rigby has her own personal physician, but there is a “doctor in the house” so to speak. A member of the family is a practicing veterinarian in Canada and we tap into her words of wisdom for keeping our dog healthy and safe.

  1. You can’t leave dogs unattended in vehicles – so plan your trip so you have provisions for an air conditioned place to take them if it’s warm.
    What we do: There are some national parks and attractions with kennels for your pooch to relax while you are hiking (in non-pet areas) or taking in the theme parks, etc. At Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in southern New Mexico, there are shaded kennels (free) at the base of the trails. The Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson treated Rigby like royalty in their free, climate controlled kennel. Major resorts like Walt Disney World often have onsite kennels for overnight or daytime stays. There are even some museums and attractions that are dog friendly – we found that they welcomed dogs, as well as aliens, into the International UFO Museum in Roswell, New Mexico.
  2. Watch for ticks – especially in the woods and long grass.
    What we do: Rigby gets checked every day, especially after a romp through the woods or the tall grass. If we find a tick, the tweezers come out and it gets pulled immediately. There’s tough to find when they’re small, so we make sure to do a tactile check every day. But, as they say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – we make sure she gets the proper dose of anti-tick meds through the season (we use a product like K9 Advantix).
  3. Heartworm disease is a problem, even in the south in the winter months.
    What we do: Heartworm is easy to prevent – through regular testing and regular preventative medication through our vet. The Ontario Veterinary Medical Association says: “the preventive program involves giving the dog a pill or applying a solution to the skin once a month during mosquito season . . . this medication destroys the immature heartworms transmitted by the mosquitoes and stops the cycle of the parasites.”
  4. If your pet suffers from anxiety, talk to your vet about medications or behaviour modification strategies. Be aware that medications may have stronger effects if you are at higher elevations.
    What we do: Rigby is just about as laid back as they come, so this hasn’t been a problem for us. Calming routines and the chance to exercise has been our ticket to keeping her a happy traveller. Off-leash parks are a dog owner’s nirvana. Ask around and check out the page on dog-friendly destinations.

Dog packing checklist

1 Reply

Rigby

MUST HAVE

  • leash & collar with ID tags
  • veterinarian certificate/immunization records – rabies, Lyme disease
  • medications – tick/flea meds, Heartgard, any prescription medications
  • dog food (in original packaging) and treats
  • food and water bowls
  • poop bags (what goes in, must come out . . .)
  • “poo finding flashlight” (for those nighttime runs)
  • paw towels
  • ball and thrower
  • brush
  • dog bed
  • favourite chew toy
  • photo of your pet, in case you (gasp!) get separated
  • finally . . . don’t forget the dog!

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

  • microchip number
  • collapsible water bowl for hikes
  • dog backpack
  • dog PFD/lifejacket
  • crate
  • harness/restraint for inside the RV
  • pet shampoo
  • with a vet’s approval – antihistamine for allergies, motion sickness medication, anti-diarrheal

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Pet Poison Hotline 24/7 (Canada and U.S.)  1-800-213-6680
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (Canada and U.S.)  1-888-426-4435

PRINT HERE: Dog packing checklist

Dogs: Border crossing 101

2 Replies

Up-to-date vaccinations are mandatory. In fact, you could easily be turned back if you don’t have the proper, up-to-date paperwork. In our travels, sometimes we get asked to produce vaccination certificates, sometimes we don’t. But we always have them on hand. In addition to border crossings, many campsites require a current certificate of rabies vaccination. It’s a good idea to scan and keep a copy on your laptop, just in case it gets misplaced, lost or, you know, the dog eats it.

HEADING FROM CANADA INTO THE U.S.

U.S. border crossing requires a valid rabies vaccination certificate for dogs and that both dogs and cats be free of disease communicable to humans. Note that pet foods containing lamb, sheep and goat products are not allowed into the U.S. (you may be asked to show labels). All the details are here.

HEADING FROM THE U.S. INTO CANADA

Generally, most dogs entering Canada “on holiday” with their owners must have a valid rabies certificate of immunization. The exact requirements vary depending on the age of the dog – see the government website for exact details.