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Photo Friday: Chloe at the office

I’m traveling without Chloe for the first time in two years (I figured she’d rather stay home with my husband than sit in a crate for hours at a stretch while I watch the entire Sarasota Opera season in one weekend), so I was thrilled to death to see this picture of her yesterday. Here she is, keeping my husband company at his workplace. One of the many convenient things about having a small dog is that her leash can be secured, in the absence of a table leg, with a heavy computer.

My husband tells me that Chloe later moved inside her PetEgo Pet Dome, next to her in this picture

I’d love to see your pup, and hear what you’ve been up to together this week — please post your photos on Dog Jaunt’s Facebook page so we can all enjoy them!

Pet relief areas at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX has five [now four, per reader Kate’s report (see below)] pet relief areas, and when we visited sunny SoCal last week I spent an afternoon visiting them all. Here’s what I’ve learned — and here’s a map of LAX to consult.

Between Terminals 1 and 2

Walking counter-clockwise around LAX’s arrivals level, the first pet relief area you encounter is located between Terminals 1 and 2. If you arrive at Terminal 1, exit the baggage claim area and turn right; if you arrive at Terminal 2, exit the baggage claim area and turn left. Against the wall, you’ll find a small fenced patch of Astroturf, containing a fake fire hydrant, a spigot and a water bowl. It turns out that four of the five LAX pet relief areas look just like this one (the bowl was missing from one, but they were otherwise identical, down to the odd bone-shaped patch of concrete).

The pet relief area between LAX terminals 1 and 2

Chloe and the concrete bone

The area is small but clean. Poop bags are provided. Chloe approved enough to pee in it, but if your dog is opposed to Astroturf, your best alternative is to cross the airport roadway and walk past the Bob Hope Hollywood USO to the futuristic Theme Building beyond (currently the home of the Encounter restaurant and bar). There are some lovely patches of lawn underneath it — be sure to keep them lovely by bringing your own poop bags with you.

Between Terminal 3 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal

If you arrive at Terminal 3, exit the baggage claim area and turn right. If you arrive at the International Terminal, exit the baggage claim area and turn left — the pet relief area will be just beyond the chain metal fencing backed with green cloth (it’s easier to find from Terminal 3, since the chain metal structure isn’t in the way).

The pet relief area between Terminal 3 and the International Terminal, seen approaching from Terminal 3

The best alternative to Pet Relief Area #2 is across the roadway — there are several attractive bits of lawn in front of the parking garages.

Between the International Terminal and Terminal 4

As you can see from this picture, this pet relief area is just about identical to the ones you’ve already seen. To find it, either exit the International Terminal baggage claim area and turn right, or exit the baggage claim area in Terminal 4 and turn left.

Pet relief area #3, seen approaching from the International Terminal

Here too, the best alternative are the small patches of lawn across the airport roadway, in front of the parking structures. Here’s what those patches look like from the official pet relief areas:

Across from Terminal 5

This pet relief area is sometimes described as between Terminals 5 and 6 — in fact, however, it’s across from Terminal 5. If you arrive at Terminal 6, exit the baggage claim area and turn left. Look in the windows of Terminal 5 and locate Baggage Carousel #1 — using the crosswalk directly outside Baggage Carousel #1, cross the airport roadway and turn left. The pet relief area is located between the two parking structures, in a stand of palms. It looks so much like the three you’ve already seen that I didn’t bother to take a picture.

Your best alternative to this pet relief area (again, assuming your dog dislikes Astroturf — otherwise, there’s no reason not to use the official pet relief area) is the small patch of grass that surrounds it.

At the end of Terminal 7

[3/29/13 Reader Kate reported today on Dog Jaunt’s Facebook page that this pet relief area is now closed. It cried out for closure, I told her, and she agreed — but she misses the poop bags. If you are flying into/out of LAX on United or United Express (the airlines using Terminal 7), be sure to equip yourself with your own poop bags, and look for the alternative grassy area I mention below.]

This pet relief area is sometimes described as between Terminals 7 and 8, but for the life of me, I couldn’t see a Terminal 8. You’ll find the official area at the end of Terminal 7 (exit the baggage claim area and turn right). As you can see from the picture, it looks very different from the other four pet relief areas, and it turns out to be the original, lone LAX pet relief area. Frankly, it’s nasty. There are poop bags, and there is a water spigot and bowl, but once you’ve grabbed a poop bag and given your dog a drink, I’d go across the roadway to the grassy area under the curve in the overpass (you can see it in this picture, just behind the yellow arrow sign).

The dog house should be charming, but it creeped me out. Also, the dirt? Not appealing.

I’m really glad that LAX added the four other pet relief areas I’ve described, because they’re all a vast improvement over this one — as I mentioned above, they’re pleasant enough that the only reason I can see for you to try the alternatives I’ve suggested is if your dog just will not pee or poop on Astroturf. I’m grateful, too, that LAX now has pet relief areas sprinkled around the arrivals level, because it’s a long walk to the end of Terminal 7. Now we have to hope that the airport’s next step will be air-side, indoor pet relief areas, like the ones at Dulles.

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.

Rosie’s Dog Beach: Off-leash in Long Beach, CA

I’ve been reluctant to add video to Dog Jaunt, because I just don’t like video clips. When we visited Rosie’s Dog Beach, however, I changed my tune. There are times, I now realize, when video does such a good job of showing what a place is like that it would be silly not to use it. So here you have Dog Jaunt’s first-ever video — please let me know what you think!

Thank you to my excellent, wonderful husband for the filming, the editing, and in fact almost everything you’re about to see and hear. Yes, honey, you can go buy a better video camera.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cqSLq4T83A

Rosie’s Dog Beach
between Roycroft and Argonne Avenues
Long Beach, CA 90803
Open daily 6 am to 8 pm

Photo Friday: Holy matching capes, Batgirl!

In the course of finding last week’s photo from Venice’s Carnevale, I also found this week’s photo — it’s from the 2009 Mystic Krewe of Barkus parade in New Orleans (the theme was “Battmut: The Bark Knight”).

Photo by katedubya

This year’s Barkus parade happened on February 27 (the theme? “A Broadway Tail”). More info and pictures can be found at the Barkus website. Mardi Gras itself is next Tuesday, March 8.

I’d love to see your pup, and hear what you’ve been up to together this week — please post your photos on Dog Jaunt’s Facebook page so we can all enjoy them!

Reader’s report: Taking two in-cabin dogs from Canada to Sweden on Air Canada and DSB train

Reader Reinell wrote to me back in November 2010 about her upcoming trip from Canada to Sweden with Rocky and River, her two Yorkshire Terriers. Her plans were a bit complicated (a domestic flight to Toronto, an international flight to Copenhagen — both on Air Canada — and a train trip to Sweden), and she wondered, too, about sedating her dogs en route. She kindly agreed to send a report when all the dust settled, and here it is:

The security went fine. We took them through and they scanned their bags and people in security liked them a lot. Kind of an ice breaker (much nicer experience than what usually happens through security) with the dogs there. The first plane trip to Toronto was about 3 hours. The second to Copenhagen was about 8 hours. We didn’t have any problems with Rocky the whole trip — not a peep and he didn’t even want to leave his bag and go potty in the family bathroom. Neither of them went to the bathroom the whole trip (this was amazing!). River cried a little on the flights but not very loud and not very long.

Danish Customs scanned them for microchips and didn’t look at any papers. There were no Customs people on the train to Sweden so when we got to Sweden my husband dialled a number and they asked for the certificate numbers on their papers and that was it.

At this point, I piped up and asked Reinell what telephone number her husband had called in Sweden, and how they had known to do that. She told me that she had started with the page on the Swedish Customs site dealing with “Pet dogs and cats“.

I wrote them an e-mail before coming over letting them know the flight numbers and time of our arrival. I don’t think that is necessary, but in their response they gave me the number 040-66 13 220 which goes to the Malmö branch’s switchboard of the Swedish Customs, which I should call if there were no Customs staff on the train [from Denmark to Sweden]. As there were no Customs people on the train, we called the number and got the instructions of what we were to do (provide certificate information over the phone) and that was it! Very helpful. I think being overly-cautious helped us in this case as we were prepared for another situation than what may be the norm, that actually happened.

I think that this information would be helpful for people travelling to Sweden via another European country by train (possibly by car). There are Customs staff stationed at the Gothenburg (Göteborg) airport and Stockholm airport so in those cases the Customs clearance would take place automatically. I travelled to Copenhagen, Denmark (Kastrup airport) and took the train over the bridge between Denmark and Sweden to get to southern Sweden. I went through Danish Customs at the airport, but that was just a first step for clearing the Swedish Customs. The import rules to Sweden are very strict and must be repeated every time you enter Sweden with your pet.

Rocky at the airport in Denmark, waiting for the train to Malmö (and looking pretty impressed by his bag's reflective trim)

As I mentioned, Reinell felt her two Yorkies would need a mild sedative. I told her that I didn’t have any experience with sedatives, but I did know to be cautious and consult a veterinarian. Here’s what they ended up doing:

We started our travel with each dog taking half of an Acevet tablet. We have two dogs — our first dog is Rocky who is a Yorkshire Terrier, male and weighs 4.3 kg and he only needed half a pill for the whole trip. Our second dog River who is a Yorkshire Terrier, female and weighs 3.4 kg and she needed another half a pill (one total) when we arrived in Toronto.

[I pass on this info with some hesitation, because I don’t want anyone to start prescribing for their dogs. Even if you have a Yorkie that weighs just what River or Rocky weighs, be sure to consult a veterinarian before giving your dog a sedative! Every dog is different, and will react to tranquilizers differently. And weight doesn’t tell you the whole story — notice that in this case, the smaller dog required a half pill more than the larger dog.]

I always wonder what carrier people choose, and Reinell, bless her heart, included that information. She bought the PetEgo Jet Set Carrier, in black, in two different sizes — small for River, and medium for Rocky. Here’s a picture of Reinell on the train to Sweden, covered in carriers:

Reinell’s verdict? “It went so well I am thinking we may take them with us when we travel to Canada again, which is a nice feeling. We need our pets with us, they are family and we couldn’t be without them.”

Amazon links:
Pet Ego Jet Set Carrier (black), Small
Pet Ego Jet Set Carrier (black), Medium

Chloe’s digs: A consistent set-up for a small dog in a hotel room

It occurred to me this morning that I’ve told you in a number of posts how I pack for Chloe, but I’ve never shown you what the stuff we’ve packed looks like once we settle into a hotel room. Here are some photos from our current hotel (I’ll be writing more about it later, after I’ve had a chance to explore thoroughly).

Please note how Chloe is not currently lounging in her crate

What you see is a 24″ long Midwest crate, with a cover, three comfy pads, a fleece throw and a water dish. On top is Chloe’s tote (this particular tote is L.L. Bean’s Adventure Tote, in a size Large) and her yellow food kit. Usually, I put her food and water next to her crate, but our room in this hotel is trapezoidal — so her meal station is on a different wall:

The patterns of the carpet and our oilcloth spill mat have been fighting all day

No, Chloe’s not in her crate — instead, she’s sacked out on the bed, occupying most of the throw blanket:

If this post had an audio track, you'd hear her snoring

The grey sheet is ours — we put it on the bed as soon as we arrive in a hotel room, to protect the sheets. All of this gear fits into Chloe’s suitcase, if we’re flying. If we’re driving, we heave her tote and crate, plus another tote to carry her soft furnishings, into the back of the car.

I think it’s important to have a consistent set-up in the hotel rooms we stay in with Chloe — it keeps me and my husband sane, for one thing, since we always know where to find her food, toys, treats, leash, water bottle, etc. I can’t verify this with Chloe, but I suspect it’s helpful to her too. I do know that she does a circuit of a new hotel room, once we’ve set it up, locating her crate, food station and door bells, and when we say “Crate!” to her, she knows instantly where to go.

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

This first link too should have been in last week’s Chloe’s Clicks, but it got lost in my in-box (“Hi, I’m Mary-Alice, and I have an in-box problem”). The inventor of three dog-powered pulled devices (a scooter, a trike and a skateboard) pointed me to his site — I don’t know what to make of it, and never will, since Chloe’s way too small for any of these devices, but I’m impressed by his ingenuity.

Also ingenious? A new album from Cloud 10 Music, called “Dog Country”: “So many really great songs have been floating around Nashville for many years that have never been given the chance to be heard. Our goal was to find as many of these wonderfully written tunes that honored Dogs and bring them together in one great collection.”

Back in December, I told you that eight Las Vegas casinos — all Caesars properties — are now pet-friendly; just this month, we learned that a Caesars property in Atlantic City had joined the PetStay program. The latest news, from TravelingNevada, is that Harrahs Laughlin (just over halfway from Las Vegas to Lake Havasu City) now allows dogs under 50 lbs. to stay at the casino hotel for a $25 per night fee. I like this trend.

In the Southeast, take a look at Take Paws’ post about the fabled dog area at Tampa’s Fort de Soto Park (with beach!) — I’ve heard good things about it for years, and they’re apparently all true. Check out, too, the review in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of Lucky’s Burger and Brew, named after the owner’s Golden Retriever and serving diners accompanied by dogs on its patio.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, don’t miss youdidwhatwithyourweiner‘s post about hiking the Spruce Railroad Trail in Olympic National Park. This post is particularly gripping not only because the pictures are killer (TWO Miniature Dachshunds, one going vertical) but also because the trail has only recently been opened to dogs.

If you happen to be in Paris and are looking for day care for your dog, you’ll find lots of links from this week about a new “luxury hotel for dogs” (here’s an example, from Reuters). It’s called Actuel Dogs and it’s located in the suburb of Vincennes. The practical features include a variety of classes and activities; the luxurious touches include rooms rather than cages (each equipped with a TV), a pool, massage and grooming options, and a tempting menu. There are more details, and an address and contact info, at Actuel Dogs’ home page.

My favorite link this week, though, has to be this marvelous post from The Art of Manliness (by “manly guest contributor” Darren Bush) about the logistics of canoeing with your dog. It’s practical, it’s sensible (bless him for, among other things, insisting that even born swimmers like his Labrador Retriever need a life jacket), and I wish it had been written for Dog Jaunt.

Photo Friday: Carnevale di Venezia

Venice’s Carnival begins tomorrow, February 26 — what better way to celebrate than this? Notice how the dog’s carrier is made from the same silver metallic fabric as the outfit it’s resting against.

Photo taken by Alaskan Dude on February 10, 2010

I’d love to see your pup, and hear what you’ve been up to together this week — please post your photos on Dog Jaunt’s Facebook page so we can all enjoy them!

PetEgo’s Pet Dome: A carry-on lounge for your in-cabin dog

In September 2009, I wrote a quick post about a PetEgo carrier that I yearned for but didn’t actually need: the Pet at Work Travel System, a backpack that holds a laptop and a small dog and a collapsible crate. And there it might have ended, but for reader Christie, who wrote to me and asked whether I thought it might work as an in-cabin carrier for their dog, traveling with them to Paris. As you’ll see in the comments, I said yes, if their dog is tiny (next thing I knew, Christie reported from Paris that the bag had worked beautifully for their 15 lb. dog — not a tiny dog at all!).

Photo by PetEgo

The point of this post, though, is not to highlight my mistakes, but rather to bring the Pet Dome to your attention. The Pet Dome is the collapsible crate that’s included in the Pet at Work Travel System. You can, however, buy it separately, and I did, because I wanted to think about using it as a carry-on lounge for Chloe on future long flights.

I like the carrier we use for her (the large SturdiBag I mention so often), but the Pet Dome provides even more space — unfolded, it’s about 32″ long, 14.5″ wide (at its widest), and 14″ tall (at its tallest). As you can see from the picture, it’s a domed oval, but it stays pretty spacious until just at its ends. I cannot get a good picture of Chloe in it to save my life, so you’ll just have to take my word for it that she fits with plenty of room, and seems perfectly content to snooze in there for hours. Our cats like it too.

Folded up, the Pet Dome becomes a U-shaped object 14.5″ wide across the top of the U, 14.5″ tall from the top of the U to the curved bottom, and 2″ thick. Why not pack the Pet Dome in your carry-on luggage, and then once you’re underway transfer your dog from her carrier to the Pet Dome for the bulk of the journey? The Pet Dome has a padded and moisture-proof bottom, heaps of ventilation, and it zips closed, so it meets all the requirements of an in-cabin carrier. It doesn’t fit under the seat, but during flight you can pull your dog’s carrier out from under your seat and into your leg room anyway (on most, though not all, airlines).

As you’ll have seen from Christie’s comments, that’s just what she and her husband did on their flight to Paris, and it worked well for them. She did mention “United’s cramped leg room,” and I have to hope that they were at least traveling in Economy Plus. I can’t imagine fitting my legs and the Pet Dome in the leg room you’re given in Economy. You’d also need to be traveling with a companion, as Christie was, because the Pet Dome is so long that it takes up the leg room of two seats. If you find yourself making plans for a flight with leg room and a companion, however, give the Pet Dome a thought — on a very long trip, it’ll make a huge difference in your dog’s comfort.

The Pet Dome itself is, like all of PetEgo’s products, well-designed and -constructed. The entrance flap can be rolled up and secured with Velcro. The three support ribs are sturdy. The zippers are of good quality. The mesh is not meant to contain a dog that really wants to be elsewhere — it’s not chintzy, but a motivated dog could be through it in short order. A pad is included, and it’s thin but adequate. My only gripe with the Pet Dome is that the pad tends to shift around too much. I may well sew some Velcro tabs along the bottom edges of the pad, and glue their mates to the floor of the Pet Dome, to solve that problem.

[6/16/14 In the years since I wrote this post, I added more Pet Domes to our collection (we now own six of them), and the large size that I review here became unavailable for a while — perhaps because, as we learned, the flexible rods that support its top became brittle and broke. We replaced them, first with similar carbon fiber rods from a hobby store, and then, more successfully, with thin, flat lengths of brass. Unfortunately, because the manufacturer hadn’t anticipated a need for the ribs to be replaced, the replacements tend to slip out of their sleeves. Happily, PetEgo recently began offering the large Pet Dome again; I’ve bought one from the new batch, and I’ll let you know if the ribs are sturdier now.]

Amazon link:
Pet Dome Soft Pet Crate

Off-leash areas, and dog-friendly accommodations, in Oregon state parks

Photo of McVay Rock park by OCVA

Here’s a link that should have been in yesterday’s Chloe’s Clicks: The Oregon Parks & Recreation Department’s post (“Let your dog sniff where lilies thrived“) about the new off-leash dog area at McVay Rock State Recreation Site, a park on the Oregon coast halfway between Brookings and the California border. I’m glad, now, that I forgot it, because it’s worth a post of its own. The OPRD makes it blessedly easy for dog owners to find out which of its parks have off-leash areas (please note that the list has been updated to include the McVay Rock park — that’s the kind of timeliness and attention to detail that makes me weep with happiness), and to learn what the rules are for visiting Oregon’s state parks with a dog.

While you’re looking at that second link (the “Pets in the Parks” brochure), please note that although “animals are not allowed in most park buildings or structures,” there are a few exceptions:

Exceptions include a yurt at South Beach State Park, a cabin at Stub Stewart State Park, and two cabins at LaPine State Park. On a trial basis, a limit of two pets (defined as dogs and cats) is allowed in each of those structures for an add-on fee of $10 per night. The trial period may end without notice. You must call 1-800-452-5687 to make reservations.

South Beach State Park is on the central coast, just south of Newport. Stub Stewart State Park is about 30 miles west of Portland. LaPine State Park is in the Cascades, about 30 miles southwest of Bend. The pages for these parks indicate that the pilot project making some accommodations pet-friendly is still active — if you and your dog stay at one of these parks, please write to me and tell me about your visit! [4/3/11 I should add that, as I mentioned in today’s Chloe’s Clicks, that I got an e-mail from Beth Wilson at Oregon Parks and Recreation telling me that Oregon has expanded the program considerably: Now, the roster of dog-friendly lodgings includes “13 cabins and 20 yurts in 21 Oregon state parks. Reservations open[ed] April 1, 2011 (no April Fools’ joke) for stays beginning Jan. 1, 2012.” The options I mentioned in this post are still available in the meantime.]