Hey, I’m not late! It’s still the weekend here in Seattle…. It’s been a very miscellaneous week in dog travel links, so I’ll just dive in — starting, in fact, here in Seattle. The wonderful ohmidog! team of John and Ace visited Seattle and Portland recently, and gave “the hipster seal of approval” to the dog-friendly Ace Hotels (the other two are in New York and Palm Springs). The author sends up a plea to guides listing dog-friendly hotels, whether they’re books or web sites, to make a bigger effort to list small, independent hotels that welcome dogs.

Speaking of finding affordable, independent places to stay with your dog, check out this post from How to Travel with Pets, about finding pet-friendly hostels — and speaking of the Pacific Northwest, BeachcombersNW.com now has a list of dog-friendly vacation rentals on the Oregon coast to click through.

Take a look at a new (to me) blog called Journey to the Center — it caught my attention this week because author Bev Wigney (a naturalist, photographer and writer traveling by car around North America with Sabrina and Sage, her Collies) mentioned finding a pet-friendly hotel to shelter in on a recent cold Montana night, but it kept my attention with its beautiful pictures and contemplative writing. Make yourself a cup of tea and settle in with this one — it’s a keeper.

A couple of U.K. links for you to check out: Dugs ‘n’ Pubs (if you can get past the name, it’s a great blog about dog-friendly places in and around Edinburgh) found some dog-friendly rental cottages in the Cairngorms, and Yak & Natter are collecting resources for people who want to take long, scenic walks with their dogs that end at dog-friendly pubs.

And in Australia, trouble is brewing. A Queensland regulation forbids dogs from joining owners “in outdoor dining areas that are attached to licensed food premises,” but many dog owners — and food establishments — are breaking the rules. Why? Café owners need the business. A petition is now before the state government asking it to change the legislation so that café owners have the option of allowing patrons accompanied by dogs to eat on patios.