It's summer for sure in most parts of the country. We were up in Montana over the fourth and it was kind of hard to tell for sure. It was rainy and cool. We rode our bikes over Logan Pass in Glacier National Park and I haven't been that cold since last winter. I was shivering on the descent but, as always, the incredible scenery was well worth it.
I noticed lots of dogs in the park this year. Even though the Park Service discourages bringing pets into the park, many owners decided to bring them along anyway.
National Parks don't prohibit dogs but there is not much you can do with them in the park. They have to be on a leash at all times and they are not allowed on trails, even on a leash in most of the parks. In general, though, more and more pet lovers seem to be traveling with their furry family members and we saw plenty of evidence of this on our travels.
In that spirit I came across an interesting web site called
BringFido.com. If you are planning a dog friendly vacation this summer you should really visit this site. They have sections devoted to air travel, hotels, activities and special destinations all with pets in mind. They even have a section on dog events taking place in various parts of the country.
The best part of the site is probably the pet friendly hotel section. I know my friends Mike and Ellie are always looking for pet friendly hotels that will accept Cedar. Any hotel that welcomes a 250 pound English Mastiff is really pet friendly.
I did try the search engine on the site and I must admit I was a little disappointed. I tried to find a pet friendly campground in Moab Utah and the closest place the site came up with was 92 miles away. That's not very helpful. I know for a fact that there is a KOA in Moab that allows dogs. We stayed there.
I also searched for pet events in Albuquerque NM and came up with zilch for the year. That can't be right. My guess is that this site relies on recommendations from pet owners. Help them out if you can.
I did like the air travel tips. If you have to fly, this is useful information. For instance, they suggest that you
do not give your pet a tranquilizer prior to travel. According to this site, and the
AVMA, tranquilizers can interfere with respiration which can make dissipating heat via panting all that much more difficult. Good advice.
If you are planning a vacation that includes fido see if you can get some useful information here. Let me know if you find it useful and we'll spread the word.