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Incognito tote giveaway winner

This tote clearly grabbed your attention — 53 of you (the highest number ever for a Dog Jaunt giveaway!) entered to win it. Although only one person ends up with the tote, we all win, as they say, because your comments with your ideas of things to do in-town with your pup were terrific. Thank you so much — I’ll gather them into a post tomorrow, so they can easily be found again by later readers.

Photo by SturdiProducts

And who is that one person? The randomly-chosen winner is Alex, entrant #45, who lives in Benicia, CA (located just northeast of San Francisco, between Berkeley/Oakland and Napa Valley), and clearly loves it:

“If you ever find yourself in the area with your dog, you have endless opportunities for fun. I personally love walking through our local state park/wildlife preserve on warm spring mornings to catch glimpses of wild quail and pheasant and their young bustling about, while my pup and I take advantage of their endless and challenging hiking trails. My other favorite activity is to take a leisurely stroll down the historic main street in Benicia’s downtown area that is full of dog-friendly restaurants and boutiques. Perhaps the dog gems of Benicia are the two off-leash dog beaches at the end of the main street (First Street) where you can play fetch with your dog while watching boats sail by as you watch the sun set under the Carquinez Bridge.”

Congratulations, Alex and pup! Please e-mail me your shipping address, and I’ll get your new Incognito tote to you. Thank you again to everyone who posted a comment, and thanks and applause to SturdiProducts for sending me a tote to review and give away. Happy July 4th to all of you Dog Jaunters!

When in Rome: Gelato for dogs, and where to find it

In this week’s Chloe’s Clicks, I included a link to a Washington Post story and video about canine gelato (no eggs, milk or sugar) that’s being sold in Rome (currently experiencing temps in the low 90’s). Neither link — nor any other I could find — included the essential info: What stores are selling the doggie gelato cups? So I asked my friend Jessica Spiegel, a travel writer specializing in all things Italy (and Portland, too! she’s responsible for a great Dog Jaunt guest post on Portland’s food trucks), and here’s what she told me:

One of her Italian friends thought it might be sold in a pet store in Trastavere, a neighborhood in Rome (could it be L’Amico Fedele, at Via S. Francesco a Ripa 28?), but Jessica cut to the chase, watched the video, wrote down the name of the company making IceBau (“baubau,” she tells me, is Italian for “woof woof”), and found, on their website, a list of where to find canine gelato throughout Italy.

As she said, the bad news is that the whole site is in Italian. On the bright side, the “Lazio” link (which is the region where Rome is) is actually a Google map of locations (the rest are just normal addresses, listed by region). The Trastavere dog store isn’t listed as one of the shops selling IceBau, but keep it in your files as a Centro Storico dog resource.

Thanks so much, Jessica! Dog Jaunters, if you have any interest in visiting Italy (and who doesn’t?!), make a note of Jessica Spiegel’s name and website (she tweets at @andiamo).

Possible calming tip for your traveling dog: D.A.P. dog collar

Chloe does not like taking off or landing in a plane, and when she’s in a hotel room, she’ll bark if someone knocks on our door or a nearby door, or if she hears a dog barking. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not bad at all. It does, however, make morning room service rounds a tricky time for all of us, and I don’t like to feel her shiver during takeoff and landing (I reach down and pat her in her carrier during those parts of the plane ride).

Side note: I know exactly how Chloe’s problem with landing began, because I happened to be bent over close to her carrier on a flight — oh, a couple of years ago — when she was awakened by an unusually loud dropping of the wheels directly under her. It was loud enough that it surprised me, and it certainly surprised her. She hasn’t been the same dog since. I now make a point of sitting away from a plane’s wheels. Taking off? My best guess is that the engines hit a frequency that bothers her, because as soon as the plane stops climbing and settles into its normal flight speed, she settles into her normal flight slumber.

I’ve explored a variety of calming options, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, one of them was D.A.P., or “dog appeasing pheromone.” At that time, it came in a spray and in a more TSA-friendly wipe. I loved the theory behind the products (they contain a synthetic version of a calming hormone produced by nursing dog mothers), but they’re crazily expensive, and I didn’t observe them making a big difference in Chloe’s behavior. Recently, however, I noticed that a D.A.P. collar is now available, advertised as lasting for four weeks.

We were about to embark on a three-week trip that included numerous flights and hotel stays (also car drives, but Chloe is a champion car traveler, so no worries there). What the heck, I thought, and bought one. Unwrapped, it’s a length of dark gray nylon with a simple buckle (snip off any excess length with normal household scissors). I fastened it around Chloe’s neck, next to her own collar — and you know, I think it did help. She seemed to shiver less on takeoff and landing, and when my husband, flying back to Seattle with her, slept through a wheel drop on one of their landings, Chloe did too. She was also noticeably quieter in our hotel rooms. I liked what I saw enough to buy a replacement when we got home, and it’s waiting for our next trip. At $23, it’s not cheap, but you might consider giving it a try.

Amazon link: D.A.P. (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) Collar for Puppies and Small Dogs – 17.7″

Chloe’s Clicks: This week’s best dog travel links

The current Dog Jaunt giveaway (for a SturdiProducts Incognito tote) is still going strong, but it’s time to send some links your way. We start with a bouquet of articles about the business benefits of being pet-friendly: CBS Baltimore reports that downtown businesses in Frederick, MD have seen positive results from welcoming shoppers with dogs to their stores and restaurant patios (the title mentions “risks,” too, but no actual harm is cited); ditto for downtown L.A. (without any mention of “risks,” though with a plea, in a comment, for apartment dwellers with pets to clean up after them) from blogdowntown; and a note on Zillow‘s blog that making a rental property pet-friendly is “a good way to increase your profits and fill vacancies quickly.”

In the resources category, check out TripsWithPets‘ new search engine for pet-friendly beaches in the United States and Canada, and an article from the New York Times about Spotwag, another service that helps people tap their own social network for pet sitters (in a previous Chloe’s Clicks, I mentioned Stayhound, which seems to do much the same thing). Another great resource? This post from Gigi Griffis, who’s in Edinburgh, Scotland with Luna, her Yorkie, and provides a useful list of local info, including a recommended vet and some recommended walks.

What if you were in Rome instead, on a hot summer day? You’d find a store that sells gelato for dogs, that’s what you’d do (the canine version is safe for dogs because it contains “no milk, eggs or sugar”). [Here’s a video version of the same story.] I wasn’t able to find out the name of the store that offers the product — please leave a comment if you know it! [7/2/12 Italy expert Jessica Spiegel found out where it’s available.]

I’ll leave you with a fun post from OddityCentral about The Dog Café in Busan, South Korea — an answer to Japan’s cat cafés. According to the article, “Busan is a busy place, with tiny apartments where owning a dog can be considered a luxury, so a place like the Dog Café was just what the city needed.”

Giveaway: SturdiProducts’ Incognito pet tote ($65 value)

Last Friday, I posted a review of the Incognito tote from SturdiProducts. It’s a roomy tote — roomy enough, in fact, to hold your dog, her leash, and a small purse’s worth of your own gear — and it’s remarkably discreet. I bought one for myself, after posting the review.

Photo by SturdiProducts

SturdiProducts sent me the tote in maroon (“Bordeaux,” they call it). It costs $65, so I am obliged by my own rules to give it away. My thanks to SturdiProducts for their generosity in sharing their product with me, and in agreeing to let it be given away to a Dog Jaunt reader!

How To Enter

One lucky reader can win. If you would like a chance to win, leave a comment with your idea for a great in-town thing to do with your small dog before 11:59 PM PST on Monday, July 2, 2012. Please fill in the e-mail field of the comment form (your e-mail address isn’t shared with anyone, and I will not send you e-mail unless you win).

Announcing the winner

I will choose a winner randomly and announce the results here, on Dog Jaunt’s Facebook page, and in Dog Jaunt’s Twitter feed on Wednesday, July 4, 2012.

Rules

Please, only one comment per person per giveaway post. Duplicate comments and anonymous comments will be discarded. Please make sure that the e-mail address in your comment form is valid (e-mail addresses are never public). Winners must claim their prize within three business days after the date of notification of such prize. A sweepstakes winner’s failure to respond to the prize notification and provide a shipping address within the specified three business days will be considered such sweepstakes winner’s forfeiture of the prize and an alternate winner may be selected from the pool of eligible entries. If an entrant is found to be ineligible, an alternate winner may also be selected from the pool of eligible entries. To enter, you must be a U.S. resident, age 18 or older. Employees, partners and vendors of Dog Jaunt and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter. Entries that appear to be generated by scripts and other automated technology will be disqualified. When applicable, the winner may be required to execute and return within five business days an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability and Publicity Release to be eligible for the prize or an alternate winner will be selected. All prizes will be awarded. No substitutions including for cash are permitted, except that Dog Jaunt reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater monetary value for any prize. Winners shall be responsible and liable for all federal, state and local taxes on the value of their prize.

P.S. If you like this giveaway, and want to share it with your friends, please use one (or more!) of the buttons below.

Product review: SturdiProducts’ Incognito Pet Carrier

I was asked about this carrier — which I hadn’t seen — by a reader who has a larger small dog, like Chloe, and was looking for an around-town tote. Large totes are hard to find (I use Wagwear’s canvas tote or an OllyDog Olly Tote for the times when Chloe can be visible, and PetEgo’s messenger bag for the times when she can’t), so I was eager to see this new bag, made by the same company that makes Chloe’s beloved SturdiBag, in person. SturdiProducts kindly sent me a sample to review. I have not been paid for this review, and I did not promise (and SturdiProducts did not request) that it would be positive. The Incognito tote costs more than $50, so I will be giving it away to one lucky Dog Jaunt reader (total value: $65). I’ll provide the giveaway details in a separate post on Monday, June 25, 2012.

SturdiProducts makes no bones about the purpose of this carrier: The product tag says “Designed for discrete pet travel” (that should be “discreet,” but you get the idea) and “Because forgiveness is easier to get than permission!” They’ve achieved their goal. Aside from a subtle tag on the side bearing the URL “www.PetCarrier.com,” there is no way to tell that this bag — once all the mesh ventilation is concealed behind privacy panels — contains a pet.

The carrier is 14″ tall, 16.5″ long, and 8.5″ deep (at its deepest — narrowing to 6″ deep at the top of the bag). These are not the dimensions that SturdiProducts provides, but I rechecked with my tape measure, and that’s what’s in front of me. It comes in black (which I requested), maroon (which I got), and several cheerful patterns (including a very tempting cheetah print).

You can see the little label on the side, which can be turned towards your body instead. The long black strap is still attached in this picture, and the top mesh panel is flopped back over one of the ends. Chloe has her head out, but it's a stretch for her, even though she's a relatively tall small dog (picture taken before I realized that one of the ends has a hatch your dog can poke her head through).

One end opens completely with a double zipper, and the other opens halfway. Two metal clasps are provided that you can use to clip the zipper ends together. The top half of each end has a mesh ventilation panel with an optional privacy panel; when they’re not needed, the privacy panels can be tucked down into the large pockets on each end.

The carrier is generously provided with pockets — aside from the two on the ends, there are a couple of really enormous ones on each long side.  This is a bag that will easily hold both your dog, her leash and poop bags and your wallet, car keys, phone, etc. That’s rare, let me tell you.

There is one more big mesh ventilation panel across the top of the bag, which can also be opened completely with a double zipper. It too has a privacy panel, which either covers the top of the bag (held in place with a couple of Velcro strips), or folds away (a little awkwardly) into a slot above one of the padded handles. There are two of those, and they’re fairly comfortable. Alternatively, the carrier comes with a long nylon strap — long enough to carry the bag cross-body if you prefer — with a good-quality shoulder pad. The nylon strap detaches, so you can tuck it away and use just the padded handles (which look more purse-like).

A thick and comfortable pad is provided for the bottom of the carrier, and there is a loop at the bottom of the bag to which a lanyard with clips on both ends (provided) can be attached, to keep your pet from leaping out. There is a luggage slot on one of the long sides, through which you can also pass a seat belt, to secure the carrier in a car. [This would not be a great choice for an in-cabin airplane carrier. It could be done, I suppose, but the bag would have to lie on its side (you’d move the pad so that it was available to your pet in the bag’s new orientation), giving your pet only 8″ — narrowing to 6″ — of headroom. The SturdiBag is a much better size and shape.]

The carrier is very well made. The zippers are of good quality, and move easily. A lot of thought, clearly, has gone into the design, and as you can see from this picture, once all the privacy panels are closed, you simply can’t tell there’s a pet inside.

Label turned to the inside. Using handles, not strap. All privacy panels closed. Luggage slot just under my elbow. Fierce clashing between maroon bag and fuchsia shirt.

What don’t I like? There’s no designated place for the top mesh panel to go, if you’ve decided not to zip it closed. You can let it drop into the body of the bag (I wish there were a Velcro tab that would hold it in place against the inside wall) or you can let it flop outside the bag, which is unsightly.

My main concern, though, would be the effect on Chloe of using this tote in the heat of summer with all the privacy panels closed. They are loose enough that in cool weather, or in an air-conditioned building, she would be comfortable and supplied with sufficient air. She fills the carrier, however, and since I would buy it in black, it would be a heat sink. If you buy this tote (I will, for sure, especially since it’s on sale at the moment), keep part of your mind focused on your pet’s state of being and minimize the time she’s in the sun, or in the heat, in full stealth mode.

Disaster, evacuation orders, and your pet: A 72-hour emergency kit, and an evacuation backpack

A new Dog Jaunt reader wrote to me last week and thanked me for the big packing list I’ve assembled (hover over the “Guides” tab, above, and you’ll find it too), saying it helped her and her family gather the gear they needed when they were told to stand by to evacuate — they live in New Mexico, and were near enough to the Little Bear Fire to be watching its progress closely. I was very glad to hear they didn’t have to evacuate, after all, and I was glad that the list helped. It’s not ideal for the purpose, however — I’ve included in it every pet care convenience I’ve ever used or wanted when traveling for pleasure — so here are two lists that really focus on emergencies.

72-hour emergency kit

Earthquakes, not forest fires, are Seattle’s natural disaster, and since I moved to the West Coast I’ve had an earthquake kit stashed in the house (there’s one in each car, too, leaving very little room for luggage and groceries). Ours is now very elaborate indeed, and I’ll spare you the human part of it, but here’s what we have stored in our garage for our pets (currently, Chloe and 3 cats):

Crates and crate equivalents (to allow our cats some room for exercise, while keeping them from wandering; Chloe could also use one of the crates):

Cat run
PetEgo Pet Tube, with comfort pillows
2 Creature Leisure collapsible pet crates

Ground anchors (sometimes called a “tie out stake”) and 3 flexible “leash” attachments, 3 cat harnesses

Dog harness and leash

Small stainless steel food and water bowls (5)

Disposable litter boxes

Poop bags (2 rolls)

Scoop

Litter

Cat food: 10 large cans

Dog food: 3 lb. bag of kibble

Pet treats (dehydrated chicken bits, so equally appealing for cats and dogs)

Water: 2 gallons

First aid kit and pet first aid handbook

I haven’t included them here, but next to the perishable items (water, food and treats), I keep a note of expiration dates, so I can update the kit in good time.

If your pet takes medication, you will want to keep a 7-10 day supply of his medications in your emergency kit (and update the supply regularly).

I keep copies of our pets’ current rabies certificates and shot records on my phone, using the Evernote app — which would also work even if your pet has a more complicated medical history, or you might prefer to store their info on a thumb drive in the kit (but remember to keep it current).

All of our pets are microchipped, and they all wear collars with our phone numbers woven into them (Chloe also has an ID tag, but the cats won’t tolerate tags).

Evacuation kit

But what if circumstances force you to leave your house altogether? Our 72-hour kit is quite bulky, and isn’t packaged for a quick getaway. If you live in an area that’s prone to serious natural events like fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, or earthquakes, consider readying a couple of emergency backpacks (one for you, and the other for your pet) that you can toss in the car, or over your shoulders, if you have to leave your home in a hurry. Here’s what an emergency evacuation kit for a small dog should include:

Sturdy travel carrier with comfortable pillow base (can double as a crate, in a pinch) — confirm that your pet’s carrier has a good way of being secured by a car’s seat belt

Extra dog harness and leash*

2 bowls for food, water (to save weight, choose folding bowls)*

Poop bags (2 rolls)*

Dog food: 3 lb. bag of kibble*

Large bottle of water, or WaterBites packets*

Medications*

All of the items I’ve marked with a [*] I suggest putting in a small light backpack, like this one from REI, and storing them inside your dog’s regular travel carrier (for us, it’d be the large SturdiBag, or, perhaps, Chloe’s Creature Leisure Carry Den XT). That way, in an emergency, you can either dash out the door with your dog on her regular leash and the carrier and contents over your shoulder OR you can put your dog in the carrier, pulling the small backpack out and carrying it over your shoulder.

Well before an emergency evacuation happens, find out if the emergency shelter you’d be sent to allows pets to accompany evacuees. If you’d be likely to be able to drive yourself to safety, make a list of pet-friendly hotels in a day’s drive radius. Ask friends who live within a day’s drive if they would be willing to let you and your pup sleep on their couch in an emergency. In short, think through the logistics of an evacuation, ask questions of your local emergency management office, and make a plan that includes both you and your pet.

I am always — always — open to good ideas. If your emergency kit includes items mine doesn’t, please let me and other Dog Jaunt readers know about them!

Chloe’s Clicks: This week’s best dog travel links

Just a few links for you this week, but they’re all worth a click — starting with a SmartMoney article about how pet travel is a big business, and growing (fair enough, and I enjoyed the details about the author’s trip to Portland, OR with Minnie, a Border Collie/Papillon mix, but have any of you ever encountered “horrified looks from fellow [plane] passengers”? Anyone? I get either oblivious, mildly curious, or besottedly enthusiastic). The last paragraphs of the SmartMoney article segue nicely into a post from Something Wagging This Way Comes, a list of rules for making dining with your dog a happy experience for you, your dog, and other diners.

Speaking of business, India is an important growth market for pet care services, according to an article from The Economic Times. It’s early days yet — the author reports, for example, that while many hotels and resorts allow pets to join their owners, many are unwilling to advertise the fact. If you do plan to travel in India with your dog, check out petvacations.in, a resource mentioned in the article (and in previous Chloe’s Clicks). Other destinations highlighted in this week’s links are Minneapolis-St. Paul (CityPages lists 5 dog-friendly patios for summertime meals), California’s Monterey Peninsula (per an article from the San Francisco Chronicle), and Boston (the Take Paws team covered nearly all the bases — except the Back Bay — in their “Boston Sports Plenty of Pet Friendly Options” post).

Keep in mind that this Friday, June 22, is Take Your Dog to Work Day — here’s a cheerful article from The Seattle Times about dogs at work to get you in the mood. And if you’re traveling to work by car, remember to buckle up — yourself and your dog. Sleepypod, makers of the Sleepypod Air carrier I’ve reviewed (and given away), commissioned a series of crash tests to see how the Air (and the Mini and Atom, two other Sleepypod carriers) would perform in an accident; here’s their video of an unrestrained 12 lb. dog. in a 30 mph crash — and here’s the car safety solution I’m using for Chloe.

Pet relief area at New York’s Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) — Terminal A

Like the website for LaGuardia Airport, the website for Newark merely states that pet relief areas are available. It’s up to you to “[f]ollow the signs in the baggage claim areas or ask a Customer Care Representative for information.”

When I arrived at the baggage claim level of Terminal A, I couldn’t find a single sign. Later, when I had returned from the pet relief area and was looking instead for the bus into Manhattan, I did see this one lone sign over Door 1:

On the right side of the sign, you can see EWR's icon for a pet relief area -- a person holding a poop bag at arm's length, his terrier, beside him, already thinking of something else

Follow it outside — or, as I did, exit the baggage claim level by any door and peer left and right — and you’ll see a narrow, dark stairway leading down to a lower level, with this sign above it:

When you reach the bottom of the stairs, you’ll see this sign, urging you to go left:

And as you emerge into the open air again, you’ll find this fenced area on the left:

Poop bags are provided, and there are trashcans in the parking garage you just walked through. I cannot explain the rectangle of small boulders in the middle of the pet relief area, but I’m willing to overlook them (with a bewildered shake of the head), given that the area is fully fenced, clean, large and grassy. It would be nice to see a bench, a trash can and a water source, but after the dreadful pet relief area at LaGuardia’s Terminal D, this one seemed heavenly.

If you’d prefer not to negotiate the steep staircase with your luggage as well as your pet, there is a workable alternative on the main arrivals level. Instead of descending to the lower level, simply turn left as you exit the baggage claim area and walk to the end of the sidewalk. Ahead of you is “Courtyard A,” a big parking lot with lanes for buses to pull into and out of (the Newark Airport Express bus leaves from lanes 1-4).

You've exited Terminal A at the baggage claim level and turned left; across a secondary roadway, you'll find this ahead of you -- slots for parking buses to the left, a useful patch of grass to the right

Cross the little roadway and walk towards the buses — across from the extended shelter under which you can wait for them is a long patch of grass. Be sure to bring poop bags, and clean up after your pup.

This post is part of an ongoing series of reviews of airport pet relief areas we’ve visited. To see others, visit Dog Jaunt’s handy guide to airport pet relief areas.

Pet relief area at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) — Terminal D (Delta Terminal)

The website for New York’s LaGuardia Airport refers to the airport’s pet relief areas, but doesn’t provide any details about how to find them: “All passenger terminals at the Port Authority’s airports provide these areas to conform with the federal Air Carrier Access Act, which mandates such areas for service animals who travel with air passengers. Signs featuring the international symbol for pet relief designate the areas.”

We recently flew out of LaGuardia on Delta, so this post is about the pet relief area at the Delta terminal (Terminal D). If future trips take us (or you!) through other LaGuardia terminals (A, B, C), I’ll update this post.

LaGuardia Terminal D

As you approach the exit doors in the baggage claim area, you’ll see these signs, telling you the pet relief area is near the taxi stand:

The taxi stand is well-signed — you’ll find it to the right, at the end of the sidewalk. The pet relief area is just beyond it, across a small roadway and accessed by a painted crosswalk:

The pet relief area is in the distance, between (and beyond) the man in the blue jacket and the woman in the blue t-shirt

Tragically, what you find when you reach it is a tiny, squalid area marked off — but not enclosed — by a three-sided blue fence. There are no poop bags, no trash can, and certainly none of the features of the best pet relief areas (like a complete fence, a bench, or a water source).

"Please clean up after your pet," the sign says -- but with what? No poop bags, no trash can. This is a nearly useless pet relief area.

The only thing sadder than this wretched pet relief area is the area just to the north of it that some of the taxi drivers have set up for their prayers — prayer rugs neatly laid out in a line on the dirt, screened (with a strong effort of the imagination) by a low row of miscellaneous plastic crates. Surely the Port Authority could provide a location for prayer with some degree of beauty, if not peace?

You’ll pass by the prayer nook on the way to your best pet relief alternative: Leave the official pet relief area behind you on your left and walk down the sidewalk away from Terminal D and alongside a parking lot that, in this picture from Google Maps, is full of taxis (in the Google Maps shot, the official pet relief area is directly under the junction of the two overpasses that meet in the lower right corner). At the end of the sidewalk, you’ll find a useful wedge of grass. Bring your own poop bags, of course (you’d have to anyway, given that the pet relief area is bare of all amenities).

In this view, Terminal D is behind me, and the big parking lot (sometimes full of taxis) is on my right. Please note the extremely convenient trash can.

The building in the (not very far) distance is Terminal C, so this patch of grass would be a workable alternative for that terminal as well (exit the baggage claim area and turn left to find it).

This post is part of an ongoing series of reviews of airport pet relief areas we’ve visited. To see others, visit Dog Jaunt’s handy guide to airport pet relief areas.