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

I don’t fly on Alaska or Horizon, so I was thrilled when a Dog Jaunt reader took the time to measure not only the spaces around her (she’d been upgraded to First Class) but also the under-seat spaces in Coach Class. She was traveling on an Alaska 737 (800 series) between Puerto Vallarta and San Francisco. Here’s what she reported:

In First Class, there is room for a pet carrier in the open space between the two seats (she spoke with a flight attendant, who told her that that space is available). The space under the seats is taken up, in large part, by hard plastic panels (protecting electronics, probably, or a life preserver). A carrier up to 11” H x 17-18” W x 18-20” L will fit in the area between the seats.

In Coach Class, the middle seat is the way to go for anyone with dog carrier. The aisle seat has the least width, and the window seat space is “okay, but you have trouble getting out.” She recommends a carrier that is up to 10-10.5” H (maybe 11 inches, she said “if really squishy top“) x 18” W x 18-20” L. There is less vertical room for a carrier in Coach Class because a life preserver is hanging in a soft container under the seat.

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: Dog travel links we liked this week

The first link I gathered this past week, courtesy of @pettravelcom, was an article from The Philadelphia Inquirer about how the author connected with Italians on a recent visit by photographing their dogs. It really speaks to me — we added Chloe to our lives because we wanted pet company on our travels, but I’ve since learned that traveling with her is a wonderful way to meet people, and to meet them at their unguarded best.

The links that followed were all good — let’s start, though, with food. Two Pitties in the City posted an excellent piece, with delightful pictures, about the handful of things they always carry with them so they can have an impromptu picnic at any moment with their pups. Ohmidog!, which is becoming a Chloe’s Clicks regular, knocked my socks off with a post about a Charlotte, NC bar (called The Dog Bar) that allows dogs inside — and heck, all over — simply by not serving food (you bring your own, from nearby take-out places) and using only beer cans and plastic glasses. Brilliant. Brilliantissimo! More places like this, please.

Fido Loves wrote a useful post about dog-friendly restaurants in Boston, kindly grouping their recommendations by neighborhood and offering some excellent advice re doggy restaurant etiquette. Tokyo: My Shiba Inu Life put up a quick post about Mayjane’s, the coffee shop in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter Hard Rock Hotel — the patio is dog-friendly. Bouncing back to the East Coast, a blog about Washington D.C.’s Capitol Hill published an article appreciating the dog-friendly places and services in the neighborhood, including a couple of restaurants.

And soon we’ll have reports from another community! A couple of Chloe’s Clicks ago, I mentioned that Vero Beach, FL was considering an ordinance that would allow pet-friendly dining in restaurants with outdoor patios. This week I learned that the ordinance passed — and of course I’m delighted.

Turning from food to adventure, the Take Paws team (definitely a Chloe’s Clicks regular) has been covering a lot of ground in the Western U.S. lately, by RV and on foot, and wrote a really sensible, useful post with tips for hiking with dogs. The author of Wilde About Dogs wrote a post about her anniversary trip (with husband and pup Sierra) to the Cienaga Creek Ranch (close to California’s Big Bear Lake) that has me itching to grab Walter and Chloe and go. On the more genteel side of dog travel, Solano Bride offers some useful advice, and tempting choices, for couples who want to bring their dog with them on their honeymoon.

I’ve written in the past about biking with a small dog, and guest poster Kim Garrison has talked about how she got her Japanese Chins (and her Lab mixes) started with a bike attachment, but my friend Karen Friesecke (of Doggie Stylish) found, as always, a creative twist on the topic — check out her link to instructions for making your own bike tether.

I’ll leave you with a link that makes me laugh (and cry a little too). We’ve got to do better, as a group, about picking up dog poop!!

Photo Friday: Motorcycle carrier, giveaway winner, and new giveaway!

I saw this man, accompanied by a friend, park his Harley just below The Doctor’s Office in Friday Harbor, WA (the source of excellent breakfast sandwiches, frothed OJ, pastries and ice cream). I looked away for a moment, and when I looked back, they were walking with a Yorkshire Terrier. Where, I thought, had the Yorkie come from? As we were heading home, we passed the motorcycle, and its owner showed me how he’d rigged up a carrier out of a sturdy hamster cage and a couple of stout bungie cords: His pup just fits through the door of the cage, which he then secures with a carabiner. The cage itself just fits inside the rails around the rear platform on his bike.

Such a clever set-up! He’s having a sturdier carrier custom-made for his motorcycle, however. It will have a locked opening only on top, and will also lock to his bike, so he can safely leave his pup behind if he needs to run into a store briefly. He told me that the extra effort and expense are absolutely worth it: His dog hates to be left behind, and he loves the company. The only fly in the ointment? He has goggles for his dog, but his pup refuses to keep them on!

Winner of last week’s giveaway

Last week’s prize was a new, unused PurrfectPlay.com felted ball suitable for a medium-sized dog (reviewed by Dog Jaunt earlier this year). Four of you posted pictures — thank you so much! I loved them! The randomly-selected winner was Emma (Photo #3). Jane, please email me your mailing address, and I’ll send you your prize. My address is at the bottom of Dog Jaunt’s “About” page.

The new giveaway

DogLock Locking Leash

Please send me your favorite dog travel photos! They’ll get listed below, for everyone to click on and view — and they’ll give you a chance to win a DogLock locking leash. This leash, the only one I’ve ever seen that locks your dog to a support but also locks around your dog’s neck, used to be offered by Ruff Wear but has been discontinued in the U.S. It’s apparently still available in Australia; originally costing $27 when Ruff Wear sold it, it now costs $62 (U.S.). The one I’m giving away is new and unused, but has been removed from its packaging (which I have, and will include) to try it out on Chloe. I learned that although this leash does its job well, it’s too heavy for a small dog. This is a prize for a dog 25 lbs. or over!

The rules remain the same, except that this week’s Photo Friday will close at midnight (Pacific) on Wednesday, August 25. The winner, chosen randomly by the Otto Method, will be announced in the next Photo Friday post, on August 27.

Here’s how it works:

  1. If you have a blog or a website, post a dog travel photo on your site on Friday and link back here to the current week’s “Photo Friday” post so that your readers can see other great dog travel photos. Please take a moment to make sure that you are linking directly to your photo post instead of your homepage.
  2. If you don’t have a blog or a website, simply post your photo to Flickr (or Facebook, Twitpic, etc.).
  3. Using the inlinkz button below, paste in the link to your photo or your blog post. That way, Dog Jaunt will link back to you. Please include a few words in the “Name” box describing where you took the photo (in this case, “Name” refers to the name of your photo, not your name!).
  4. Alternatively, heck, just e-mail me your picture ([email protected]) and I’ll post it for you!

Two more Seattle street trucks: Bring your dog!

Just over  week ago, I wrote a guest post for my friend Helen Fazio’s blog (Travels with My Dog) reviewing many of Seattle’s food trucks — they’re fun to track down, the food at each has been delicious, and they’re a great choice for people with dogs. As I mentioned in the post, though, I missed two trucks: Where Ya At, offering “Creole soul food” (including po boys, muffalettas, and beignets) and Street Treats, offering a variety of desserts (including dessert bars, cookie sandwiches, and custom-made ice cream sandwiches).

Rosy and the molasses/coffee ice cream sandwich

That bothered me, so I was happy to find both of them at the South Lake Union Block Party last Friday. My friend Rosy was visiting from Anchorage, so we grabbed Chloe and checked them out together (I need a taster for dessert trucks, since I’m deathly allergic to nuts). Neither truck had tables, so we took our loot across the street to the park.

Where Ya At: My nut allergy knocked out the muffalettas, since they include mortadella, and it was cruelly hot out, so we passed on the gumbo option. We focused on the po boys: I had the Creole pork (strongly recommended by the guy taking our orders) and Rosy had the shrimp. Both were made with the freshest of ingredients, which we appreciated; the shrimp po boy was good but bland, and the Creole pork was…just about perfect. Trust the Order-taking Guy. We passed up the beignets because (1) it was H-O-T, and (2) Rosy was my lone dessert tester, and she was honor-bound to try the Street Treats truck.

Street Treats: Rosy went for the custom-made ice cream sandwich. There’s a list of possible cookie choices (including, for example, oatmeal, chocolate chip, molasses, and peanut butter) and there’s another list of ice cream choices. You name an item from each list and are presented, in Rosy’s case, with Stumptown coffee ice cream sandwiched between two molasses cookies. Rosy raved. The cookies were soft and delicious, the ice cream was excellent, and the combination was inspired — she chose wisely. [8/19/10 I returned today with my brother- and sister-in-law, both of whom chose the peanut butter and salted caramel cookie around dark chocolate ice cream. They were happy, happy people. “Like a Reese’s cup,” said my brother-in-law.]

I’ve since learned that there’s yet another Seattle food truck I haven’t tried. Buns on Wheels reportedly offers gourmet burgers, but they’re a mysterious crew. They appear to have two websites (I’d ignore bunsseatle.com, since the calendar is blank), and their Twitter feed hasn’t been updated since August 15. When I track them down, I’ll let you know what I think.

Rome’s Bau Beach: Redefining “dog-friendly”

This post was handed to me out of the blue by a wonderful Dog Jaunt reader named Tara, living in Rome. She wrote a shorter version of it in a comment on a Chloe’s Clicks post, and I asked her if she’d mind if I turned her comment into a blog post. No problem, she said, and she gave me a few more details, and…hey presto! A fascinating blog post, with no effort from me. I love Dog Jaunt’s readers.

Photo by Amici del Baubeach

“There is a great beach in Rome, Italy near Fiumincino/DaVinci Airport. It’s called Bau Beach. [Editor’s note: “Bau” turns out to be short for “bau bau,” the Italian version of “bow wow.”] You need a car to get there but it’s a blast. You must bring vaccination papers and with the price of admission Fido gets his own water bowl, a snack and his own little umbrella. There’s a vet on-call. You can rent a big umbrella and chaise lounge. All dogs there are off-leash and for the little guys there is a little pond-type area that’s only about two feet deep. They sell sandwiches too.

It’s 10 euro for a one-year pass for the owner and then about 4 euro (5 on weekends) for the dog each time they visit and that includes all the stuff the dog gets. Then it’s 5 euro (6 on weekends) for the big umbrella and 6 euro (7 on weekends) for the chaise lounge, which since they are all free-range dogs is probably a necessity due to the bathroom habits of our furry friends…

Since it’s an activist association (the region has tried to shut them down before and they have successfully sued to stay open) everyone seems to get to know each other pretty well. If you were to go to Rome and not have a lift from the city there’s usually someone going from the city. Last week I just posted an SOS on their Facebook page and someone gave me a lift to and fro the next day. Check out the pictures on their Facebook page. It gives you a great idea of the place.

Their website is in Italian, but I’m sure if you posted on their Facebook page in English, someone could answer you. There’s an American from California who works (or volunteers?) at Bau Beach. I wish you could contact her for more info but I never caught her name… Anyway, even though I used mostly Italian when registering, there seems to be a fighting chance for people to communicate in English…

Oh, another thing about dog beaches I didn’t think of until it was too late. Dogs like to mark their territory. One dog did this on a friend’s backpack and then every male dog that walked by did the same. Though we all just laughed after awhile, it would be smart to bring a trash bag to put your stuff in… Lesson learned!”

And then, as a bonus, Tara added a paragraph about what it’s like living in Rome with a dog:

“I live in Rome and boy, is it a dog-friendly place. Many of the restaurants ignore the health codes and let you bring your dog inside. To have your dog outside at a table isn’t usually even a question. And everyone brings their dogs to the bar (bars there sell coffee and breakfast in the morning, alcohol during the day/night and also sometimes ice cream). There are really no leash laws (or if there are, no one cares) and everyone unleashes their dogs at parks (and there are parks everywhere). When the dogs get dirty they often just jump in the sculptured fountains in the park! The result is very, VERY few aggressive dogs. Instead they’re pretty well socialized and pretty well trained on voice commands.”

Doesn’t that sound just amazingly great? After reading Helen Fazio’s guest post about visiting Rome with her Shih Tzu, Raja, I was champing at the bit to return to Rome — now I’m kicking down the stable door. Thank you, Tara!!

Visiting Paris with a dog? Here’s a crucial French phrase

Dog and Dior (photo by pussnboots)

Almost a month ago, I wrote a post about having The Conversation in French — you know, the conversation you have with the other dog owners you meet during a walk (“What a great dog! What kind is she? How old is she?” and so on). Shortly after I posted it, I realized that I hadn’t asked Melanie, my Parisian friend (and a skilled linguist), for help with a phrase I suspect I’ll use even more often: Are dogs permitted inside?

Melanie discussed the issue with her sweetie, Paul, and they had different opinions. Paul believes the most Parisian thing to do would be to just walk in with the dog and don’t ask if they’re allowed (that’s for shops, bakeries, etc.), except for restaurants. For restaurants, he would ask permission with the phrase “Est-ce que les chiens sont autorisés ici?”

Melanie, by contrast, believes she would ask before entering shops and bakeries too, using the phrase “(Est-ce que) je peux entrer avec mon chien?” (The “Est-ce que” part of the phrase is grammatically correct, but often gets left off in real life.)

Chloe’s Clicks: Dog travel links we liked this week

This week led off with a bunch of lists. Huffington Post published a list of dog-friendly restaurants and hotels in Los Angeles; Sunset Magazine published a list of ten dog-friendly vacation ideas in the western United States (including Tucson, the San Juan Islands, Coronado Island, the Oregon coast, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Los Angeles, and a Walla Walla winery); and Yak & Natter reported on their visit to four of Britain’s ten best dog-friendly beaches.

In other news, Sign On San Diego published an article about the increasing demand for pet-friendly hotels across the United States. San Diego, a year-round destination and “‘a big drive market'” (bringing Fido along on a road trip often makes more economic sense than boarding him), keeps adding dog-friendly hotels to its roster.

Other destinations featured this week? BooIzzy.com wrote a great post, with pictures, about their road trip along Oregon’s coast with their dogs Izzy and Stevie. The Take Paws team reported from two destinations in the Black Hills of South Dakota: Custer State Park (the pictures of Ty, Lord of the Prairie, are a must-see) and attractions north of Rapid City. And Leila Coe, the blogger behind And A Small Dog, wrote a post from the Thalys high-speed train traveling between Amsterdam and Paris. Bodie is on his way to the City of Light!

And last but not least, here in the Pacific Northwest, Wallyhood.org posted a list of dog-friendly businesses in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood. I was particularly pleased to see that Wide World Books & Maps (Seattle’s best travel bookstore) is dog-friendly — Chloe and I can go and plan future trips together!

Photo Friday: Lazy days of summer

I took this week’s photo last Friday, as Chloe and I rode the ferry from Anacortes to San Juan Island’s Friday Harbor. Although dogs are allowed upstairs if they’re in a carrier, and the view from upstairs is really lovely, I typically stretch out in the car and snooze. Usually Chloe sleeps in my lap, but this time she curled up in the passenger seat.

As you know, I’m giving goodies away over the next several Photo Fridays! After the photo, I’ll reveal last week’s winner, and tell you about the new giveaway.

Last week’s prize was a copy of Wendy Diamond’s book It’s a Dog’s World — The Savvy Guide to Four-Legged Living (reviewed by Dog Jaunt earlier this year). Five of you posted pictures, and I’m so grateful you did — they’re wonderful. The randomly-selected winner was Ace (Photo #1). Erin, please email me your mailing address, and I’ll send you your prize! My address is at the bottom of Dog Jaunt’s “About” page.

The new giveaway

Please send me your favorite dog travel photos! They’ll get listed below, for everyone to click on and view — and they’ll give you a chance to win a PurrfectPlay.com felted ball. As I mentioned in the review I wrote earlier this year, the felted balls from PurrfectPlay.com are Chloe’s favorite toy. They’re also terrific for travel, since they aren’t noisy, nor do they mark hotel walls. The one I’m giving away is new, unused, and 2.5″ in diameter, suitable for a medium-sized dog (Chloe prefers a 2″ diameter ball).

The rules remain the same, except that this week’s Photo Friday will close at midnight (Pacific) on Wednesday, August 18. The winner, chosen randomly by the Otto Method, will be announced in the next Photo Friday post, on August 20.

Here’s how it works:

  1. If you have a blog or a website, post a dog travel photo on your site on Friday and link back here to the current week’s “Photo Friday” post so that your readers can see other great dog travel photos. Please take a moment to make sure that you are linking directly to your photo post instead of your homepage.
  2. If you don’t have a blog or a website, simply post your photo to Flickr (or Facebook, Twitpic, etc.).
  3. Using the inlinkz button below, paste in the link to your photo or your blog post. That way, Dog Jaunt will link back to you. Please include a few words in the “Name” box describing where you took the photo (in this case, “Name” refers to the name of your photo, not your name!).
  4. Alternatively, heck, just e-mail me your picture ([email protected]) and I’ll post it for you!

Dog-friendly park lodges of the West and Pacific Northwest

My mother-in-law just set off with a friend on a jaunt through Montana, stopping at Lake McDonald Lodge, Many Glacier Hotel, and Glacier Park Lodge; they’re also taking a side trip to the Prince of Wales Hotel in Alberta. I’m not normally a gal for the wide open spaces, so I had never heard of those places before.

All of that has changed in a hurry, since my mother-in-law left behind Christine Barnes’ Great Lodges of the West, which describes the history, architecture and setting of twelve of the most stunning buildings I’ve ever seen. I sucked it down in gulps, and now I’m desperate to see the lodges for myself (and, yes, their surroundings too). I have been to the Ahwanee (in Yosemite) and to El Tovar (at the Grand Canyon), and I knew from past research that neither welcomes dogs. I hoped that at least one of the other ten hotels highlighted in Barnes’ book would be pet-friendly — but no. I’ve sorrowfully updated Dog Jaunt’s “No Dogs Allowed” list, and I’ve looked for alternatives.

My goal? To find architecturally-significant park lodges, built at the beginning of the 20th century to cater to tourists discovering the natural beauty of the West, that are dog-friendly.

On the U.S. side of the border, you have an interesting option in Yellowstone. No, you can’t stay at the Old Faithful Inn, but the Old Faithful Lodge also has front row views of the geyser, and dogs are allowed in the Old Faithful Lodge cabins. The main Lodge building was built in the 1920’s, and has some of the Inn’s style and appeal (dogs are also allowed to stay in the Old Faithful Snow Lodge cabins, but the Snow Lodge is only about a decade old). The Lodge cabins look simple but very pleasant, and the location is amazing. If you are considering bringing your dog to Yellowstone, keep in mind that pets may not be on the trails or in “the backcountry,” and they must “not be more than 100 feet from established roads and parking areas.”

In the Pacific Northwest, both Mt. Rainier’s Paradise Inn and Mt. Hood’s Timberline Lodge are off-limits to dogs, but the Olympic National Forest, on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, has two early 20th-century lodges that welcome pet dogs. Lake Quinault Lodge, built in 1926, allows dogs to stay in its Boat House Rooms; Lake Crescent Lodge, built in 1916, opens its cottages to travelers with pets.

View of Emerald Lake from the lodge (photo by HandsLive)

On the Canadian side of the border, you have some really wonderful options. The Banff Springs Hotel and the Chateau Lake Louise, both in Alberta’s Banff National Park, are world-famous, and for good reason. Both are elegant creations of the early 20th century, and both are surrounded by spectacular scenery. And both hotels, like so many in the Fairmont hotel group, are pet-friendly. The Chateau Lake Louise, in fact, provides visiting dogs with a bundle of goodies and a special welcome from Sonny the yellow Lab, resident Director of Pet Relations.

The Jasper Park Lodge, another Fairmont property, has early roots (the original main building was built in 1922) but large pieces of it have been destroyed by fire and replaced. The current structures don’t have vintage charm (except for the carefully-restored Outlook Cabin, and some surviving original cabins), but the hotel’s setting on Lac Beauvert in Alberta’s Jasper National Park is stunning. The Lodge, like its sister properties, is dog-friendly.

The main building at the heart of Emerald Lake Lodge, located in British Columbia’s Yoho National Park, was built in 1902. The cabins are newer, but complement the historical lodge and suit their setting on the shores of Emerald Lake. Some of the rooms are pet-friendly. People rave about this place, saying it’s as beautiful as the Fairmont properties I’ve mentioned, but much less crowded.

Have I missed your favorite dog-friendly historic park lodge? Please let me know in a comment — I’d love to hear about it!