Dog Jaunt

Dog Jaunt is for people who want to take their dog along with them, on trips of any length. Sometimes, of course, you absolutely can’t bring your dog with you: your workplace forbids dogs, or you’re traveling for work, or you happen to know that the Met searches visitors’ bags and all will be revealed once the zipper of your tote opens. I write about those other times, when you can bring your dog with you but you hesitate because of the trouble it will entail. You love your dog! She hates being left behind! You hate leaving her! Now you don’t have to, because I’ll tell you about great dog-friendly places I’ve found (and how to find more yourself), and I’ll share with you what I’ve learned about getting there and back safely and comfortably (even if “there” is just around town on an errand run).

Please note that this blog is directed primarily at owners of small dogs, meaning a dog small enough to fit in a carrier under the airplane seat in front of you. Our dog is that size, and that’s what I know most about. Some of the posts, though, will be useful and relevant to bigger dogs.

Please also note that I nearly always refer to a dog as “she” or “her.” I don’t mean to offend or exclude your male dog — it’s just that I have a female dog, so for me all dogs are female until proven otherwise.

About me

I live with my husband, four cats, two chickens and a dog in Seattle. Our dog, Chloe, is a young Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and we love her dearly. We added a dog to the menagerie because we also love our cats dearly, but they decline to travel with us. We travel often, in the U.S. and abroad, and we have a condo in the San Juan Islands — and on nearly every trip we found ourselves wishing that our feet-up time included a snoozing pet. I also spend a lot of time driving, and liked the idea of having a dog along for the ride. We chose a Cavalier because they are the right size (we wanted a dog small enough to fit in a carrier under an airline seat or in an over-the-shoulder tote) and the right temperament for us.

So there was the vision: a small, well-behaved dog snoring at our feet or sitting contentedly with us at an outdoor, preferably Parisian, café or (back in Seattle) enthusiastically hopping into the car with me for a batch of errands. To some extent, we were nuts (and when I say “we,” I mean “I” — my husband is a cat man, and sturdily resisted getting a dog until she came in the door and melted his cold, cold heart). Chloe is a puppy, and will keep on being a puppy for a long time. We are inexperienced (but earnest) dog owners. “Well-behaved,” therefore, is a goal we strive for, as is “sitting contentedly.”

On the other hand, I wasn’t completely nuts. We do indeed take Chloe with us on our big trips and she often snoozes, it is great to have her at the condo, and she does keep me company in the car. We were speedier and more efficient travelers before we added her to the mix, true, but the benefits of having her along far outweigh the difficulties. And with a bit of planning and clever shopping, a lot of those difficulties can be smoothed over.

Chloe as a reference point

I’ll try to take as many pictures as possible that show Chloe in a particular carrier or crate, so you can use her as a reference point. She’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and she weighs about 12.5 lbs. She’s about 12″ tall at the shoulders and about 15″ long from shoulders to rump. She’s about the size of a typical Jack Russell Terrier, a Pug, or a largish Boston Terrier. She’s a pretty big small dog, in fact — any larger, and she’d be a medium-sized dog, along with Shelties and Cocker Spaniels, for example.

Review policy

I want readers to value my opinion, so I am careful to recommend only products that I think are useful for people traveling with dogs. I will tell you when a product has been sent to me for use or review by its manufacturer. Otherwise, I’ve either bought the product or found it in a store or catalogue and think it’s interesting.

If you represent a company with a relevant product that you think is a good fit for Dog Jaunt, email me at m-a [at] dogjaunt [dot] com to have it considered for review. Accepting a product does not guarantee a review and coverage may or may not be positive. Reviews of any received products will disclose the source of the item, and products valued at over US$50 will be (a) returned to the manufacturer, (b) given away to readers, or (c) donated.

I earn a small commission whenever a visitor purchases an item at Amazon using one of my links.

Link policy

To date, I have only listed blogs and sites that are actual, personal favorites of mine. I’m not opposed to sponsored links, but I plan to let you know that they’re sponsored by putting them in a separate category in the sidebar called “Sponsored Links.” I also plan to limit Dog Jaunt’s sponsored links to sites that are relevant to traveling with a small dog and offer good-quality products or services. It’s a moot issue right now, but that’s the plan.

Advertising with Dog Jaunt

If you have a product or service that is related to traveling with a small dog and would like to place an ad promoting it on Dog Jaunt, please contact me at m-a [at] dogjaunt [dot] com. Dog Jaunt is a young blog, but it has a targeted online audience and a very respectable PageRank 3 in Google.

Rating system

Dog Jaunt’s reviews of dog-friendly hotels, restaurants and parks include a rating system indicating our opinion of their appeal for dogs (0 to 5 bones) and people (0 to 5 stars). All other reviews (books, pet stores and other dog facilities) just include a 0 to 5 bones rating.

5 = Terrific, loved it, no complaints
4 = Very good, no serious complaints
3 = Good, but some complaints
2 = Flawed, but acceptable
1 = Not good, complaints outweigh the positives
0 = Abysmal, avoid it

Your input

If you have travel tips, recommendations, or a personal travel story that you would like to contribute to Dog Jaunt, please send me email: m-a [at] dogjaunt [dot] com