Dog Jaunt's new pet travel book is now out! Buy it, or learn more about it here. And please review it on Amazon!

Which seat works best with an in-cabin dog? [American 737 -800]

I hardly ever fly on American, so I was pleased to find myself flying from Seattle to Dallas and back recently on a couple of American’s 737 (-800 series) planes. I was in Economy class, but the under-seat spaces in First Class looked the same (keep in mind, though, that I only had brief chances to glance, from walking height, at the First Class spaces).

On both flights, the best choice was the middle seat, which had an under-seat space 20″ wide. The aisle seat space was only 14″ wide, but the window seat space was a respectable 18″ wide. The usable depth of the space (that is, measured from the bar behind the heels of the person in front of you to the plane of the seat pocket in front of you) is 17 inches. The height of the under-seat space varies from 11.75″ to 10. 25″ — the lower height is on the right sides of the spaces, and the obstruction that causes the change in height starts about 6 inches in (that makes a difference to me, since Chloe’s favorite carrier, the large SturdiBag, has a curved top — if an obstruction is deep under the seat, like this one is, it causes us less trouble).

This post is part of an ongoing series recording under-seat measurements of the various planes we fly on. Keep in mind that most domestic and international airlines have rules about the maximum size of in-cabin pet carriers they allow on board (see Dog Jaunt’s handy charts under the “Taking your pet on a plane” tab above).

Pet relief areas at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) — Terminal D

When I had a layover in Dallas last week, I dashed out to look for pet relief areas. According to the DFW website, there are pet relief areas at all five terminals (A through E). I arrived at Terminal D, and had just enough time to locate one of the two Terminal D pet relief areas. [I’m returning to this post in July 2014 to report that Dallas now also has a pet relief area in Terminal D on the air side of security — that is, you don’t have to exit the building and return through security to give your dog a bathroom break. The new(ish) airside pet relief area, according to DFW’s website, is “located inside security at gate D18.” If any of you visit it, please let me know what you think of it (and for bonus points, send a picture!).]

Here’s what you do. Get down to the baggage claim area and locate Baggage Carousel D-15. Exit the terminal through the nearest door, labelled LL-D15. Here’s what it looks like:

Straight ahead of you, in the middle of the roadway, you’ll see this HUGE sign urging you onwards:

It’s blurry, but I risked my life taking this picture.

You’ll find yourself in the parking garage, and you’ll see another sign just inside, telling you to turn right. So you do, and after all that, what you find is this:

I stood there in disbelief for about a minute. I have never seen a more ridiculous airport pet relief area, and I’ve seen a lot of them by now.

It’s tiny. I swear it’s smaller than a Smart Car. Be sure to bring your own poop bags, since I didn’t see any, and I join you in hoping that your dog thinks well of large, chunky wood chips.

When I spoke to the man at the information desk inside, he told me that the pet relief area at the other end of Terminal D (look for the exit door near Baggage Carousel 29 or 30) is just the same. I looked for alternatives, of course, but even the hotel in Terminal D (the Grand Hyatt) is surrounded by concrete. The airport website states that the pet relief areas for the other terminals are “grassy areas,” but I didn’t have the time to take the Skylink train to another terminal (I would likely have chosen Terminal B). When I do get to see the other DFW pet relief areas, I’ll update this post — if you find yourself in Terminals A, B, C or E and get out to the pet relief areas, please send me an e-mail and let me know what they’re like!

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.

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

Two weeks ago, the news was about Maryland’s Dining Out Growth Act of 2011, which would let Maryland restaurants welcome patrons accompanied by dogs to outdoor dining areas. It looks very much as though the Maryland General Assembly has approved the measure, clearing the way for Maryland restaurant owners to join their Florida, California and Minnesota colleagues. This week’s news, per krqe.com, is that New Mexico may add itself to the list. Which state will be next?

Here’s a dog-friendly restaurant with a twist — at Milo’s Café, in Orange County, CA’s Lake Forest, your dog can either sit with you at a patio table or play with other dogs in “fenced or walled-in play areas.” Although I love the spirit behind the playpens, I’d find it distracting to eat and, at the same time, watch over Chloe the way I do when she’s interacting with other dogs. Even if I can’t love that part of the idea, however, I’m happy to hear about another restaurant welcoming dog-owning diners to its patio.

Our friends Amy and Rod Burkert wrote a fun guest post for Will My Dog Hate Me? about the logistics of traveling with their two big dogs in an RV, now their full-time home. Speaking of dogs on wheels, check out this inspiring post from HillcrestPatch about the author’s part (“leg seven”) of a team effort to transport two rescue dogs, Molly and Bella, across several states.

On the vacation front, take a look at Westword‘s post about seven of the best dog-friendly Colorado hotels, “from the rustic to ultra-fancy,” and at the Burkerts’ post about what sounds like a glorious day in Santa Fe, NM. And here’s a handy round-up, for visitors to Portland, OR, of the area’s fenced dog parks.

I’ll leave you with a post from New York Magazine that warms my heart: The Yale Law School will let stressed-out law students borrow Monty, a border terrier mix, for 30-minute periods, during a three-day pilot period starting March 28, 2011. As you know from past Chloe’s Clicks, some colleges are now allowing students to bring their pets to school with them, on the grounds that pets are a stabilizing, calming influence. I love the idea, and I hope the pilot period is a smash success.

Photo Friday: Tampa airport’s pet store

Now here’s something I’ve never seen before — a pet store in an airport. It’s called Dog-E-works and it’s in Tampa’s airport, among that cluster of shops on the second floor that you see when you go up the escalators from ticketing, or come in on the airport trains from the concourses (there’s apparently another one in Orlando’s airport). And it’s a pretty good store, too — there are lots of tchotchkes and tee-shirts, but there are also good-quality treats, toys, and even a couple of carriers (there were Sleepypods in the window, which are very well made — keep in mind that only a Sleepypod Mini will fit under an airplane seat, but the larger Sleepypod works well as a car carrier).

Yet another blurry picture from my phone camera. I must have been quivering with excitement.

What have you and your dog been up to this week? If you have a photo, please post it on Dog Jaunt’s Facebook page so we can all enjoy it!

Long Beach, CA dog-friendly hotel: Hotel Maya

Another February, another TED conference in Long Beach, California, and this time we stayed at the Hotel Maya. I should mention that we paid our own way at the Hotel Maya — I’ll always let you know when something I’m reviewing has been paid for by someone else. Located across the water from the convention center, the hotel isn’t the best choice for TED attendees (there is public transportation — the Passport C bus stops right in front of the Hotel Maya, and it even allows pet dogs in carriers on board, but the route coming home from the convention center is a long and winding one).

It is, however, a fun place to stay. The hotel is right on the water, and the view of downtown Long Beach across the harbor (well, it looks like a harbor, but it’s actually the mouth of the Los Angeles River) is lovely. In the other direction, we had a view of the Queen Mary, and the ocean beyond, and that made me very happy indeed:

Yes, there's a pool. As usual, I forgot to bring a swimsuit.

You’ve actually seen bits of our room before, in my post on setting up a hotel room for a traveling dog. Here it is from the doorway:

The gray sheet is ours, meant to protect the bed from Chloe. The gray pebble headboard is the hotel's, and I have to say that pebbles are a poor choice for a headboard surface.

As you can see, it’s a mixed bag. It has the popcorn ceilings and imperfect construction of so many buildings of my youth, but the vivid green shutters and other room fixtures were great. There was a mini fridge, a Keurig coffee maker, and free wi-fi, all of which made a week-long stay workable. The bathroom wasn’t huge, but it was remodeled, clean and very pleasant. There were good toiletries, there were robes, there were soft towels, there was sufficient water pressure.

Outside the room, there were lawns and more lawns. There was a waterfront sidewalk leading all the way up to the Queen Mary and its surrounding structures in one direction, and under the Queens Way bridge and beyond in the other direction. Chloe was in heaven, and I was delighted to have such easy access to exercise for her.

In daylight, the Hotel Maya can look a bit shabby. At night, however, it’s magical. The public areas — the reception area, the restaurant, and the indoor and outdoor gathering places in the main building — are always attractive, but at night they’re lit beautifully, and torches and fire pits and a waterfall enhance their appeal. And at night the exterior walls of the guest room buildings are illuminated with spotlights that periodically change color — which sounds tacky, but totally isn’t. The restaurant (Mexican/South American) was perfectly respectable, as was room service.

The place has character, which for me is a good thing, and it was easy as pie to stay there with a dog. The pet policy was very generous: There are no weight limits on the pets you bring, and you can bring up to four pets. There is a $25 per night, per pet fee — but there’s a $50 cap. We’ll likely not return next year, because my husband would prefer a hotel close to the convention center, but if our travels take us back to Long Beach for some other reason than the TED conference, we’ll happily go back to the Hotel Maya. [3/15/12 Turns out the Hotel Maya was one of the TED hotels this year — meaning they run a shuttle to it — so we did return, and were just as happy, if not more so, because this time we had a bigger room on the first floor. This time, I brought a swim suit — and didn’t wear it once. Argh!]

Dog Jaunt on Animal Café: Podcast and live chat

Four terrific bloggers have started a new site called Animal Café, hosting interviews, podcasts and live chats about all aspects of animal welfare and well-being. One of them, Edie Jarolim, is focusing on pet travel issues, and she invited me to appear on the show. Edie is the blogger behind Will My Dog Hate Me? and the author of Am I Boring My Dog, which I’ve praised to the skies on Dog Jaunt. I’m a devoted fan, so of course I said yes, and here is the resulting interview:

Dog Jaunt on Animal Cafe

The chat will happen this Wednesday, March 23, at 9:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Pacific). Please consider joining us — it should be a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to it. Animal Café’s site provides directions on how to join the chat. Thanks so much to Edie and Animal Café for giving me this opportunity to talk about traveling with a dog!

Pet relief areas at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)

I arrived at IAH last week on a Continental flight from Seattle, and landed at Terminal C. I wasn’t traveling with Chloe, for once, but I had enough layover time to check out a couple of pet relief areas. According to IAH’s web site, there are pet relief areas at all but one of the airport’s five terminals (Terminal E is the exception). In reality, however, there is no pet relief area for Terminal C, so ignore those directions — the folks at the Terminal C information desk agreed that the web site was misleading, but handed me an airport map with the pet relief areas marked on it, and sure enough, there was no icon for Terminal C.

I decided first to find the nearest official pet relief area, which is in Terminal D. If you’re arriving at Terminal C, exit to the Baggage Claim level, then follow the signs to the toy-sized Inter-Terminal Train and head to Terminal D. When you arrive, go upstairs. Follow the signs to Emirates airline. Exit the terminal directly across from the Emirates counters. This sign is above the door:

When you emerge, turn right and you’ll find one of Terminal D’s two pet relief areas. As you can see, it’s an unfenced patch of grass. Poop bags are provided.

I didn’t have time to visit the pet relief area at the other end of Terminal D, but I’d bet money that it looks much the same.

Between waiting for the Inter-Terminal Train and schlepping up and down the various levels of the airport, it took a good deal of time to reach Terminal D and return to Terminal C, where my flight to Tampa was departing from. I looked for alternatives. One would be taking the Inter-Terminal Train in the other direction, on a marginally shorter trip to the airport Marriott, which is rumored to have grass around it (aerial maps confirm the rumor).

However, the Marriott is really only about 200 yards closer than Terminal D to Terminal C. As I sadly approached Terminal C’s security point, I was thrilled to see (from the security area’s second-floor windows) a patch of grass outside Terminal C. I spun around and went back downstairs to investigate.

To reach the grass I saw, find baggage carousel 3, exit through the door closest to it, and cross the airport roadway. Though it’s impossible to see in this picture, there really is grass on the far side.

This is a terrible picture -- I promise you there's a strip of grass alongside that sunlit building. This is the view from inside IAH Terminal C baggage claim, next to baggage carousel 3.

Please note that you can’t get back in through the door by carousel 3, so you’ll need to walk a very short distance to a main door located near baggage carousel 12 (you might want to locate this door before you exit the terminal). You’ll also, of course, need to bring a poop bag with you.

Someday I hope to get to the pet relief areas at IAH’s Terminals A and B — when I do, I’ll update this post. If you get there before I do, send me an e-mail and let me know what they’re like!

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.

Sarasota, FL dog-friendly restaurant: O’Leary’s Tiki Bar & Grill

I spent the past weekend in Sarasota, Florida with my mother-in-law, who imports all of her opera-loving relatives (i.e., me and her daughter) for the Sarasota Opera season every spring. We see four operas in three days, and then return to Tampa to be resuscitated by my father-in-law.

While we’re in Sarasota, we pretty much only have time to eat between operas, and it’s a testament to my mother-in-law’s good nature that she agreed to have two of those meals at the dog-friendly O’Leary’s Tiki Bar & Grill. It turned out to be a superb choice, despite the name. There were tiki torches, sure, and there were grass huts, but I have a soft spot a mile wide for a tiki torch and a grass hut. Add in a central, waterfront location, very decent food, and a sincerely dog-friendly policy, and you have a fan for life — make that two, since my mother-in-law, not a dog owner, also loved it.

The restaurant is located on the marina (if you’re driving south on Tamiami Trail, look for it just south of the landmark Marina Jack restaurant). It’s within walking distance of downtown. At this time of year, we had no trouble finding parking in the lots right next to the marina, but in the summer season you might well want to walk from downtown.

Here's what you see when you approach O'Leary's from the marina entrance

It’s on the water, so you eat overlooking a little harbor of boats as well as a tiny beach belonging to the restaurant, which dogs can play on. The restaurant itself is a collection of spaces — there’s an indoor area; there’s a large grass hut sheltering tables and, on both of our visits, an acoustic guitar player; there’s another grass hut for the bar; and there are many tables with umbrellas on the restaurant’s beach.

A sun-blasted view of the dog-friendly bar

All of the outdoor spaces, including both grass huts, are dog-friendly. If you plan to eat at the bar, or at the tables next to it, order your meal at the bar (this would be my choice, since your dog can keep you company while you’re ordering). If you plan to eat in the big grass hut or at the beach tables near it, order your meal at the indoor counter (there’s a hook to tie up your dog while you’re ordering). I wouldn’t eat inside unless it was really dreadful weather — it’s harmless, but why would you?

On our first visit, I had a very respectable cheeseburger, but the second time we went I joined my mother-in-law in ordering the grilled fish bun — excellent fish, perfectly cooked, served with a lemon wedge, a tub of tartar sauce, and darned good curly fries. Both times we had Landshark beer (love that name!), and I have no plans to order anything else on future visits. The mid-20’s group next to us on our second trip were from Sarasota (“That canal right there? My parents live three houses up.”), and spoke highly of the shrimp, but we had already ordered when we heard them.

We visited without Chloe, but our neighbors at the outdoor bar tables were accompanied by their excellent dog Mullet (named after the fish, not the hairstyle, her owners assured me).

The lovely and friendly Mullet

There were water bowls sprinkled around the property, and when the bartender saw me studying the posted dog dining rules, she cheerfully summed them up as allowing dogs anywhere outside except on the tabletops. Chloe would have loved it, and she would have loved, too, leaving the restaurant and walking around the waterfront park it’s next to (in the absence of squirrels, she’s perfectly ready to be fascinated by gulls and pelicans).

O’Leary’s Tiki Bar & Grill
5 Bayfront Drive
Sarasota, FL 34236
T: 941-953-7505
Serving breakfast, lunch & dinner

Which seat works best with an in-cabin dog? [Continental 737-800/900]

I flew on two separate Continental 737s last week, both -800/900 series planes, and there were dramatic differences in their under-seat spaces. On both flights, I was in Economy class. I had purchased seats with extra leg room (which I always recommend when you’re traveling with an in-cabin dog, though I know it’s not always financially feasible), but the under-seat spaces for those seats are not any different from the regular Economy seats.

On my first flight, from Seattle to Houston, I honestly don’t know how I could have fit Chloe under any of the seats. The best choice was the middle seat, which had an under-seat space 16″ wide. The window seat space was 14″ wide, and the aisle seat space was 13″ wide. All three spaces were about 17″ deep (measured from the bar behind the heels of the person in front of me to about two inches out from the plane of the seat pocket in front of me). The under-seat space height was also grim: It started at 10.25″ tall, then quickly (within about 4 inches) lowered to 8.5 inches. Between the hard lifejacket cases at the top of the under-seat spaces, and the two big electronics boxes along the sides of the window and middle seat spaces, there just wasn’t a heck of a lot of room available.

On the second flight, from Houston to Tampa, things were strangely different (on the same model of plane!). The lifejacket boxes were oriented perpendicularly to the floor, and rested against the very back of the under-seat space (right behind the heels of the people in front of you), so the height of the under-seat space was a uniform (and lofty!) 11 inches but the depth was very shallow — only 14 inches. The middle seat was again the best choice: On this flight, the middle seat space was 16.5″ wide, the window seat space was 15″ wide, and the aisle space was 12.5″ wide.

On both planes, the First Class under-seat spaces looked similar, but I couldn’t get close enough to get any measurements for you.

This post is part of an ongoing series recording under-seat measurements of the various planes we fly on. Keep in mind that most domestic and international airlines have rules about the maximum size of in-cabin pet carriers they allow on board (see Dog Jaunt’s handy charts under the “Taking your pet on a plane” tab above).

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

The happiest news I saw this week was news of a bill currently before the Maryland General Assembly that would allow Maryland restaurants to serve food on outdoor patios to patrons with dogs. No word yet on the results of Tuesday’s hearing; if the bill succeeds, it would take effect in October 2011.

Another link that made me happy was Creative Loafing‘s report about a dog-friendly sunset cruise on the Shell Key Shuttle (departing from St. Pete Beach, FL and visiting “residential waterways and the pristine barrier islands south of Pass-a-Grille”). Dog-friendly cruises are rarer than hens’ teeth — the author just happened to arrive when a pre-arranged dog-friendly cruise was departing — but sure enough, the Shuttle’s site provides instructions for arranging your own sunset trip with your dog.

Now that I look more closely at my list, I realize that just about all of this week’s links are about the coasts. On the East Coast, take a look at offManhattan‘s suggestions for eight pet-friendly destination hotels that are also eco-friendly (I just love how offManhattan‘s lists like this include info about pet-friendly ways to get to the recommended hotels — and this time, the recommendations are also eco-friendly). The options range from Maine to Washington, D.C., and they all sound great.

On the left coast, take a look at Have Dog Blog Will Travel‘s guide to dog-friendly Half Moon Bay, a beautiful little coastal community just southwest of San Francisco. Take a look, too, at the same author’s suggestions for dog-friendly spring breaks on both coasts. I know that spring break is happening right now on the East Coast, but you West Coast folks are still making plans — and lots of these ideas work year-round.

Will My Dog Hate Me? posted a terrific list of tips “on homestay petiquette,” for those of you who are planning a visit with your dog to friends and family. Be sure to read through the comments, too — lots of good additional tips there. Speaking of useful tips, Fido Friendly’s blog is starting a series about dog parks, and the first post has some sensible ideas for making your dog park visit safe.

The last two links I have for you stand alone: Ashely Warner, guest-posting on Take Paws, argues that dogs have been traveling with their humans “for aeons,” and the multi-talented Raja (the canine half of the Travels with My Dog team) is writing a cookbook. Helen Fazio, Raja’s colleague, reports that “he’s taking the best doggy friendly elements from cuisines around the world and creating tasty, healthy, well-balanced cook-at-home-meals.” Check out the sneak preview, a recipe for “Almost Minestrone.”