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Backpack carrier for a small dog: Creature Leisure Carry Den XT

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Chloe in her Carry Den XT

In one of my first posts, I mentioned Creature Leisure’s Carry Den XT as an interesting crossover carrier for a small dog — it has handles and a shoulder strap, but it also has backpack straps that tuck away in its side pocket when they’re not in use. I just bought one, after spending a weekend morning holding Chloe in our arms while we tried to shop at a local farmer’s market (getting around the market’s prohibition against dogs underfoot or sniffing produce). So what do we think of it?

Creature Leisure makes good-quality products, and this is another one. It can be collapsed for storage (the two bars and padded liner tray that give it structure can be slipped out and the carrier folds down to about a 4″ tall package). The side pocket that holds the backpack straps can also hold the shoulder strap while it’s not in use, and a few slim objects like a leash and harness, poop bags and treats.

It comes in two sizes: Medium (12Hx17Lx10W, 3 lbs.) and Large (14Hx19Lx12W, 3.5 lbs.). The Medium is within shouting range of the airlines’ maximum sizes, but it’s too small for Chloe. We bought the Large, which fits her well, but is much too large to work as an in-cabin carrier, no matter what Creature Leisure says on its packaging.

As a backpack, it’s not perfect — a sturdy structural element crosses your back about halfway up, and promises to be bothersome after a while. In another post, I suggested that the Carry Den XT might be a way to handle carrying your small dog with you on a bicycle when you’re traveling, but I’m rethinking that. That crossbar might just be too much on your back, especially bent over a bike. For short-term use, though, it’s great — my farmer’s market problem is solved. If your dog fits into the Medium and you use the bag for air travel, it would also be very useful during layovers — carrying a dog in a shoulder bag out to a pet relief area and back is no joke, and the backpack straps will make your life much easier.

The carrier has lots of mesh ventilation panels, and several snaps that allow you to open a panel completely and snap it out of the way. It doesn’t have any privacy panels, however, so some dogs may feel too exposed. As a backpack, the carrier will position your dog behind you, where you can’t see what kind of interactions she’s having, so a privacy panel on the main door in particular would have been a good idea.

Seattle dog-friendly restaurant: Bing’s Bar & Grill

We’ve been going to Bing’s for a long time — it’s a comfortable place in Seattle’s Madison Park neighborhood, and we always have burgers and beer. This morning, though, we wanted brunch and we had Chloe with us, after a romp at the dog park. Bing’s was still the answer, it turns out, since they have five outdoor tables (with umbrellas, thank goodness — I need either an umbrella or a shade option when I sit outside in the summer). They greeted Chloe with quiet pleasure, and served us a good brunch — the menu includes straight-ahead waffles and pancakes and egg dishes, as well as some foolish pleasures like breakfast pizza, a breakfast burger, and the never-to-be-repeated Countess of Monte Cristo extravaganza. We’ll be back, and we’ll bring Chloe.

Bing’s Bar & Grill
4200 E. Madison
Seattle, WA 98112
T: 206-323-8623
Open Mon. to Fri. 11 am to 9:30 pm; Sat. 8:30 am to 9:30 pm; Sun. 8:30 am to 9 pm

Dog-friendly luxury: Châteaux & Hôtels Collection

In a couple of previous posts, I described Relais & Châteaux and Grandes Etapes Françaises, two sources of luxurious and dog-friendly accommodations and restaurants in France (and around the world, in the case of Relais & Châteaux). Another company you should know about when you’re making plans for a glorious French vacation is the Châteaux & Hôtels Collection, which offers over 500 restaurants and places to stay located throughout France, with additional properties in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Andorra. The properties are sorted into five categories: Orus (the most fabulous), Caractères (manor houses and châteaux with historic charm), Beaux Hôtels (high-end hotels), La Compagnie des Auberges (country inns) and Demeures Privées (bed & breakfasts).

The customer service representative I spoke with said that “many” of the properties are dog-friendly — querying the C&H site’s search engine for “Pets Welcome” properties (see below) yields 395 hits and a request that you further narrow your search.

One way to find out which properties allow dogs is to buy the C&H guide, which can be ordered on-line and costs about €10. Alternatively, go to the website and, in the “Find your hotel” box, click on “Advanced Search.” Click on “More search options.” One of the options, under “Services,” is “Pets Welcome.” Check that box , then check the other boxes you care about (level of luxuriousness, degree of restaurant perfection, etc.) to find a place to stay that suits you and your dog. (As always, let the hotel of your choice know that you have a dog when you make your reservation, and ask about the property’s rules for visiting dogs.)

English-speaking veterinarian in Paris

It’s not particularly surprising that France’s Ordre des Vétérinaires doesn’t allow sites like AngloInfo to publish lists of English-speaking vets. It’s France, after all, and they do things their own way. The Ordre does have a searchable database of French veterinarians, and that’s useful (click on “Trouvez un vétérinaire”), but its search engine does not give you a way to identify English-speaking vets.

Happily, I have one name to give you. A thread on AngloInfo lead me to someone in Paris who has an English-speaking vet to recommend, and he gets good reviews on Justacoté and Qype. His name is Pierre Métivet, and his office is on rue Monceau, in the Hoche-Friedland neighborhood (8ème). [3/15/12 I’m no longer completely confident about the telephone number I’ve provided. If you do a Google search for Dr. Métivet, you’ll see other phone numbers for him — if you do get hold of his office, would you let me know what the current telephone number is?]

Dr. Pierre Métivet
3 rue Monceau
75008 Paris
T: 01 45 63 41 39

Pepper in Paris: Paris dog resources, and the QM2 kennel

I missed the heyday of this blog, when Pepper the Schnauzer and his owner Nikki Moustaki were traveling to Europe on the Queen Mary 2 and visiting Hamburg, Amsterdam and, ultimately, Paris, but the old posts are still very fun to read. It’s also good to see pictures of the QM2 kennel, and hear about how Pepper was pampered by the kennel staff.

Nikki and Pepper also mention two really useful resources for people with pets in Paris. The first is a day care center for dogs, called CaniCrèche. The original space, on rue de Turbigo (in the 3ème arrondissement), was the first dog day care center in France when it opened in May 2005. It features a 70 sq. meter play area and areas for dogs to rest in, and can accommodate about 18 dogs at a time. A second space has just opened on rue Quinault, in the 15ème. CaniCrèche will even pick up your dog at your home and return her to you at the end of the day. The day care centers are open from Monday to Saturday, 8 am to 8 pm. [Oh, the passage of time — when we visited Paris in October 2013, CaniCrèche had closed.]

The other resource is Paris’s dog bakery, Mon Bon Chien, also in the 15ème and just around the corner from the new CaniCrèche. It too has a “first” to boast about, since it was the first gourmet dog bakery in Europe when it opened. [8/25/10 I just learned from a reader that this bakery closed in January 2010. Alas!]

CaniCrèche
32 rue de Turbigo
75003 Paris
T: o1-42-71-59-09

CaniCrèche
9 rue Quinault
75015 Paris
T: 01-43-06-64-34

Mon Bon Chien
12 rue Mademoiselle
75015 Paris
T: 01-48-28-40-12
Open Tues. to Sat. 11 am to 7 pm

Dog-friendly hotels on the Las Vegas Strip?

Photo by Bukowsky18

Photo by Bukowsky18

I’m thrilled to announce that this post is now out-of-date. Since I first wrote it, THEhotel and the Cosmopolitan opened their doors to pet dogs, and today (12/18/10) I learned that eight more hotel/casinos (seven of them on the Strip) have joined them.

This one surprised me, for some reason: There is only one hotel on the Strip that welcomes dogs, and that’s the Four Seasons. It’s located at the south end of the Strip; while it doesn’t have any casino facilities itself, it’s next to (and above) Mandalay Bay. A customer service representative told me that small dogs (under 25 lbs.) are welcome, for no additional fee. There may be up to two dogs in a room, but together the dogs may not weigh more than 25 lbs.

All the rest of the hotels on the Strip only allow service animals. The following hotels have published pet policies: The Venetian, New York New York, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo, Mirage, and Circus Circus. The rest told me about their pet policy in phone conversations: The Wynn, the Bellagio, Paris Las Vegas, Harrah’s Las Vegas, Ballys Las Vegas, Caesars Palace, the Rio, the Flamingo, the Imperial Palace, the MGM Grand, the Tropicana, the Luxor, and Planet Hollywood (which used to be the Aladdin).

How about hotels slightly off the Strip? The Las Vegas Hilton is not dog-friendly, but the new Westin Casuarina Las Vegas is. The Westin is right behind Ballys, on E. Flamingo Rd., and it welcomes dogs under 40 lbs. There is a one-time $35 cleaning fee, and a $150 refundable deposit. Marriott’s Grand Chateau does not allow dogs, a customer service representative told me, but the Marriott Residence Inn Las Vegas Hughes Center (two blocks east of Caesar’s Palace) and the Residence Inn Las Vegas Convention Center (a block east of the Encore at Wynn) are both dog-friendly. There’s no weight limit on the dogs that can stay, and you can have up to two dogs in your room; there is a $100 non-refundable fee.

In a different price range is the La Quinta Las Vegas Tropicana, located two blocks west of New York New York. Guests with dogs over 50 lbs., or more than one dog, will be charged a one-time $30 fee. If your dog is under 50 lbs., there’s no fee. Another, more attractive La Quinta (the La Quinta Inn & Suites Las Vegas Airport-Convention Center) is located about the same distance east of Ballys. Just east of the MGM Grand, on E. Tropicana, is the Motel 6 Las Vegas Tropicana — like all Motel 6 properties, it’s pet-friendly (and if you’re dog is AKC-registered, you get a 10% discount!).

Seattle dog-friendly restaurant: Norm’s Eatery & Ale House

How does Norm’s get away with it? I’d heard about the pub in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood that welcomes dogs, and today we went there for the first time. There are three or four outdoor tables, all occupied this afternoon by couples with dogs, but that was no surprise. What was surprising was walking inside and finding that nearly all the indoor tables had dogs sitting next to them too. They came in all sizes, ranging from a small fox terrier to a really massive German Shepherd stationed at the table by the front door. It was very odd, but very fun, to be eating a sandwich inside a restaurant with Chloe at our feet.

The German Shepherd touched noses politely with dogs entering and exiting the pub, and the fox terrier was a bit of a mooch, but the dogs were otherwise quiet and unobtrusive. The people at tables without dogs did not seem offended by the dogs at neighboring tables, and the pub in general was clean and smelled pleasantly of beer and burgers, nothing more.

We had been warned that the doggy decor was over the top, but it’s not. It’s really just a normal pub, with a few more dog statues on a shelf over the bar, and a few more photos of dogs on the walls, than you normally see. The beers were many and varied, and the food was good — not divine, but solidly good, and worth a repeat.

I don’t know how they get away with it, and I’m not going to try and find out. It’s a Never Never Land for dog owners, and I don’t want to sweep away the fairy dust.

Norm’s Eatery & Ale House
460 N. 36th Street
Seattle, WA 98103
T: 792-5572
Open everyday for lunch and dinner; breakfast on Sat. and Sun.

Dog gear I carry with me in my purse

A few days ago, I posted a list of the dog gear I normally keep in my car. Here’s what I always carry in my purse:

A collapsible water bowl
A bully stick — they’re the slimmest and least messy of the chews Chloe likes
A roll of poop bags, and some treats (both in a Walker “Arm Gusset”)

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been grateful to have each of these items. They’re all small — consider adding them to your purse or computer bag!

Breeze Bus from Portland to Bend with a small dog

The Central Oregon Breeze (or the “Breeze Bus,” as it’s known in my family) is a daily bus service between Bend and Portland, with scheduled stops in Redmond, Madras, and Gresham (and additional stops by arrangement). It’s a reasonably-priced way to get from beautiful Bend to the Portland airport or train station, and small pets in carriers are permitted on board: “Pets that are 15 lbs. and under are allowed to travel with an owner by reservation.” The Policy page has further details:

One small, lap-size pet (less than 15 lbs.) may be transported when accompanied by a passenger. The pet must have a kennel/pet-carrier that is small enough to fit on the floor at the passenger’s feet. The pet must stay outside of the passenger walk-ways and out of the way of the passenger sitting beside them. The Carrier assumes no liability for pet’s condition. Carrier reserves the right to refuse pets, at the Driver’s discretion at the time of boarding or thereafter. The pet will be removed if it is deemed dangerous, hazardous, disruptive, offensive (odiferous or otherwise), or unsafe. Carrier must be advised at the time of reservation if pet(s) are to be transported.

There are two scheduled 10-minute bathroom breaks, so you’ll have a couple of chances to let your dog stretch her legs and water a bush.

AirTrain Newark to NYC with a small dog

In an earlier post, I described AirTrain JFK, which connects a traveler arriving at JFK with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) or with New York’s subway or bus system. Newark Airport too has an AirTrain (AirTrain Newark), and like AirTrain JFK, AirTrain Newark allows “small domestic animals in secure carriers” onboard.

AirTrain Newark will either ferry you between terminals or take you to Newark Liberty International Airport Station, where you can connect with NJ Transit or with Amtrak. Amtrak trains will take you to New York or Philadelphia (and intermediate stops); NJ Transit trains will take you to New York’s Penn Station and Hoboken in one direction, and Trenton in another. NJ Transit trains will also take you one stop north to Newark’s Penn Station, where you can connect with PATH and its trains.

The price is unbeatable — $15 to New York’s Penn Station by NJ Transit, for example — and it might well be speedier than taking a cab or a town car. Keep in mind, though, that if you’re traveling with a dog, the Amtrak trains won’t do you any good. NJ Transit and PATH, however, both allow small dogs in carriers on board.

Here’s what you do: “If you are leaving the airport, take AirTrain Newark to the Airport Station. When you exit AirTrain, follow the signs to NJ TRANSIT trains. Purchase your NJ TRANSIT or Amtrak ticket to reach your destination. If you are arriving at the airport, disembark at the Airport Station and follow the signs to the AirTrain platform.”

For other posts about traveling with dogs on public transit, take a look at Dog Jaunt’s handy guide!