There are lots of vacation rental sites out there, so how do you choose among them? The local rental agencies I’ve used in Paris and Rome worked out fine, but didn’t make it easy to tell if a property is pet-friendly (on the other hand, the staff did respond rapidly to e-mail inquiries).… Read the rest
Volunteer Park is a 48-acre oasis in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The land was originally used as a cemetery, but in 1887 the graves were relocated a short distance northwards, to Lake View Cemetery. The park now includes the Seattle Asian Art Museum (housed in a magnificent 1933 Art Moderne building designed by Carl Gould), a lovely 1912 conservatory, a 1906 water tower (climb to the top for a fine view) overlooking a reservoir, and a children’s wading pool, all located in a setting created by the Olmstead Brothers between about 1904 and 1912.… Read the rest
Here’s a dog travel blog that you might not find easily because it’s located at Blogspot. It’s called Travelling Pets, and it’s written by a Canadian couple living in Europe. They’ve been traveling in Europe and North America for the past four years with their Miniature Schnauzer, and have started posting about their experiences finding pet-friendly hotels and activities.… Read the rest
At about this time of year, when Seattle becomes rainy and grey, a trip to Mexico starts sounding particularly good. We spent last Christmas in San Miguel de Allende, and enjoyed every warm moment of it. Chloe came into our life the week after we got back, but I would return with her in a heartbeat.… Read the rest
It’s bucketing down rain here in Seattle, so I have water-repellant dog jackets on my mind (Chloe’s a pretty sturdy little dog, but a jacket helps her stay out longer). The trick is to find a jacket that works with Chloe’s Easy Walk harness, which sounded gimmicky when I bought it but turns out to do a good job of keeping her from pulling.… Read the rest
The last time I stayed at Seattle’s Four Seasons Hotel, the brand was attached to the Olympic Hotel, a grande dame of a hotel built in 1924 and now a Fairmont property. The new Four Seasons opened last year, and is a modern building across the street from the Seattle Art Museum and about a block south of the Pike Place Market (it’s also next door to a beloved Seattle institution, the Lusty Lady peepshow and its irrepressible marquee).… Read the rest
I’m writing this because I’ve been reminded by yet another set of comments on a blog post about pet travel that there are a lot of people out there who really dislike dogs. I can hear you thinking “Why should I care what other people think?”… Read the rest
A lot of travel checklists for dogs include a first aid kit. Dog Jaunt’s travel checklist didn’t, until now, because the only first aid item I’ve ever used was a pair of tweezers. Any crisis Chloe faced that wasn’t small and thorn-like, I thought, would be best left in the hands of an expert — so I focused on identifying local vets and emergency clinics in the locations we visited, and crossed my fingers.… Read the rest
It costs an arm and a leg to bring your dog with you in an airplane cabin, but JetBlue sweetens the pill by adding 300 points to your TrueBlue frequent flyer account for each flight you take accompanied by your pet.… Read the rest
I just learned tonight that Midwest Airlines has quietly canceled its previous policy of allowing small pets to travel in-cabin. The reservations agent I spoke to told me that the change happened “recently.” Midwest’s current program allows pets to travel “below cabin” (with their owners on board) or as air cargo (owner not on board).… Read the rest
