Dog Jaunt

Jun 14 2009

ShamWow! superabsorbent dog towel

On every trip we’ve taken with Chloe, she’s needed to have at least one bath. A puppy layette list we saw included a “superabsorbent” towel, but it’s taken us a while to find the one that works best. (It’s kinder to your hosts to bring your own dog towels, and a good dog towel will do a better job than a terry cloth towel anyway.)

My first effort was a Soggy Paws towel, which is adorable and has useful pockets at either end for your hands, but it’s bulky, no more absorbent than a good towel for humans, and takes as long as a regular towel to dry. My second effort was a PackTowl (size L) that I bought at REI, which is wafer-thin, truly superabsorbent, dries rapidly on its own, and will survive being dried in a dryer if you forget and shove it in there with your dryables. All good, but really expensive at $19.95 per towel (or towl).

My third and final effort was a package of ShamWow! towels that I got at Costco. They too are superabsorbent and dry rapidly on their own. They are less bulky than the Soggy Paws towel, but thicker than the PackTowl. The Costco price was very good ($27.99 for 8 large and 8 small towels), but their regular price is also reasonable ($19.95 for 4 large and 4 small towels). Their only real flaw is that you can’t dry them, but so far I haven’t. One other, tiny flaw is that they aren’t so easy to handle the first time out of the box — they’re stiff and not stunningly absorbent — but after that first use, they work well. I use the small ones for paw wipes and spot baths, and the big ones for serious baths (they’re a good size — sufficient coverage, but not as unwieldy as a full-size human towel).

Jun 13 2009

AirTrain JFK to NYC with a small dog

It’s easy but fairly pricey to take a taxi or limo in to NYC from JFK. If you want to save some money, AirTrain JFK will connect you with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) or with New York’s subway or bus system for a fraction of the cost ($5 or less, depending on which MetroCard you use). AirTrain JFK allows “small domestic animals in secure carriers” on board, as do the LIRR and NYC’s buses and subways.

AirTrain JFK will take you to Jamaica Station, where you can connect with the LIRR to Penn Station or with the E, J, and Z subway lines (as well as a number of bus lines); or to Howard Beach Station, where you can connect with the A subway line and the Q11 bus line. When road traffic is nasty, the AirTrain may even save you some time. What it will not do, however, is take you to or from Newark or La Guardia Airports — it serves JFK Airport only.

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

Jun 11 2009

Dog jaunt: Promontory Point (Chicago, IL)

Photo by Josh Jackson

It was a rainy, windy day today in Chicago, but Chloe needed a walk, so off we went to the park at Promontory Point — and had a great time. It’s easy to get to, has plenty of lawns and stunning lake views (city views too, just not today), and is well-equipped with trash cans and water fountains — including the charming 1939 David Wallach Memorial Fountain, topped with a resting bronze fawn and designed to provide drinking water for humans and animals, that greets you as you emerge from the pedestrian tunnel entrance at 55th and Lake Shore Drive.

It is, however, only a piece of Chicago’s 18-mile trail along Lake Michigan, so there’s plenty more for you and your dog to explore. The Chicago Park District has a map of the trail that you can download — click on the link, and scroll down to “Lakefront Map.”

Promontory Point Park
5491 S. South Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60615
Open 7 am to 9 pm

Jun 11 2009

Traveling by plane with an in-cabin dog: Simplify boarding

In an earlier post, I talked about boarding a plane with your dog: When you get to your seat, extract from your Small Personal Item the things you’re likely to need before the seat belt sign goes off (book, pillow, iPod, water, collapsible bowl, dog treats, etc.), and stow your dog under the seat in front of you.

In practice (and I’ve been practicing a lot recently), this is really time-consuming and awkward, especially if you’re traveling alone, or if your seat mates are right behind you, or if you’re in a rush to get your SPI into the overhead compartment before every scrap of space disappears. It’s important to do, though, because on some flights the seat belt sign hardly ever goes off; and even if it does, if you have your dog’s carrier on your lap it’s awkward to re-stow her and stand up to retrieve your stuff.

On the flight I took yesterday, I tried a different approach, and it worked pretty well. I borrowed the Filson Travel Vest I bought my husband a while ago, and loaded it up before I got on the plane with the stuff I wanted close at hand. It made boarding much easier — I just put my purse in the overhead compartment and (wearing the vest) scooted in to my seat and stowed Chloe — and when I deplaned, I didn’t have to worry about whether I’d left anything in the seat back pocket. (I’d also like to think it made me look like Lara Croft, but I suspect the Michelin Man would be more accurate.)

The Filson vest is well-made and awesome — entire pillows and bottles of water disappear into it with ease — but it’s expensive. If you’d like something less pricey, there are other vests out there that have lots of pockets and will do almost as well. TravelSmith has a Voyager Vest that’s very reasonable, for example, as is Ex Officio’s Tooly Vest. National Geographic’s Travel Vest looks both useful and lightweight. Orvis’s Zambezi Twill Travel Vest is nice, but costs nearly as much as the Filson vest. For a sleeker look, try Magellan’s Classic Travel Vest.

Jun 10 2009

Pet relief areas at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD)

Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) ~~doesn’t have any official pet relief areas~~ [please see 8/3/12 update about ORD’s pet relief areas], but it has two large and useful patches of grass that make up for it.

Whether you arrive at Terminal 1, 2 or 3, your best bet is to exit at the baggage claim level and find the lawn surrounding the airport Hilton. It’s directly across from Terminal 2; you’ll have to walk to the right a bit if you arrive at Terminal 1, or to the left a bit if you arrive at Terminal 3.

If you arrive at International Terminal 5, there’s a large expanse of lawn directly across from baggage claim.

No poop bags are provided, of course, so bring some with you!

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.

Jun 10 2009

Accidents happen: Keeping your pet’s carrier clean with DryFur inserts

You may balk at paying $6 for each of these inserts, but they do their job perfectly. The idea is that if your dog has an accident in her carrier, a pad will absorb the pee and you can whisk out the soiled pad and dispose of it. Previously, when traveling by plane, I’d put an unscented wee-wee pad under the padded insert at the bottom of Chloe’s carrier, and another on top. In went Chloe, and immediately the top wee-wee pad bunched up, sort of underneath her, but mostly towards the back of the carrier. I kept my fingers crossed, but without a lot of hope, that if she did have an accident, she’d have it where the wee-wee pad was.

Enter the DryFur insert, which is padded but stiff (so it can’t bunch up, but is still pleasant to lie on), has flanged edges that raise up to contain any pee that runs sideways before the absorbent pad can do its job, comes in a variety of sizes (one of which will be close enough to your carrier’s size), and is disposable. Assuming your dog doesn’t have an accident, the pads last for a very long time (unlike a wee wee pad, which bunches up and tears, and pretty much has to be replaced after each trip).

Yes, they’re expensive, but I’m a convert, especially after accidentally dumping a substantial quantity of ice and ice water into Chloe’s carrier on a recent trip. As promised, the DryFur insert soaked the spill up rapidly and completely, leaving the pad surface dry.

[8/16/11 I’m updating this because a reader sent me a good idea you should hear about: Put one DryFur insert on top of the padded “floor” of your dog’s carrier, and put another one underneath it, so that if the top one gets soiled, you can throw it out and move the stored insert into its place.]

Jun 9 2009

Waterbite portable water for dogs

Waterbites are packaged portions of a beef-flavored hydrating gel for dogs that can be stored at room temperature for up to 18 months. Water slops out of bowls, but this gel stays put — and it’s 95% water. It’s ideal for dogs traveling in crates in a plane’s cargo area, but it’s also a great idea for dogs accompanying hikers and bikers. Take some along on your next boat trip or car trip, as a back-up in case you run low on real water. Pack a bunch when you’re traveling to a place with iffy water quality. What’s not to love?

My only gripe, in fact, would be easy to solve. The gel currently comes in 8 oz. packets, which is over TSA’s 3-oz. limit for carry-on liquids and gels. If the gel came in 3-oz. packets, I’d buy them by the carload. It’s tricky to maneuver water into Chloe’s carrier during flight, and feeding her ice cubes in the palm of my hand is a lick-fest — it would be easy and effective to squeeze some of this gel into a shallow container (the former lid of a tub of coffee, for example) and drop it in to her. Are you listening, Waterbite?

Jun 8 2009

Dog jaunt: Civil War battlefield at Shiloh (TN)

Photo by Nathan Reed

We were staying in Pickwick Landing, TN this past weekend, which happens to be an easy drive away from the famous Shiloh battlefield. In April 1862, Union and Confederate forces fought a fierce two-day battle near Shiloh Church. At issue was the vital rail center of Corinth, MS, only a few miles away. Although Shiloh was officially a Union victory, both sides suffered terribly. The fighting was particularly hot in the Peach Orchard and the Hornet’s Nest. Men and horses sought relief, and died, in the Bloody Pond (so-called because by battle’s end it was dyed red with blood).

You can visit the Peach Orchard and the Hornet’s Nest and the Bloody Pond, and the rest of the vast, peaceful Shiloh battlefield park (now punctuated with memorials and helpful plaques showing troop movements during the battle). And you can bring your dog with you — leashed dogs are allowed in the park, though not in the interpretive center or bookstore, or in the national cemetery.

The interpretive center has a small but informative display, and runs a film whose main interest is its ancient charm. I went in with Chloe (in her messenger bag) to view the display, then scooted back outside. The cemetery, our Uncle Stretch reported, is lovely, but we didn’t go in. The battlefield is full of historical interest for humans, and rompable grass for dogs. Take the auto tour and hop out from time to time to explore sites of particular interest on foot. Be sure to set aside several hours for the whole experience — it’s a big place, and it takes time to clear your mind and try to put yourself back into those two wretched April days.

Shiloh National Military Park
1055 Pittsburg Landing Road
Shiloh, Tennessee 38376
T: 731-689-5696
Open every day except Christmas Day from dawn until dusk (park); daily 8 am to 5 pm (interpretive center and bookstore)

Jun 7 2009

Dog jaunt: Tennessee state parks with a dog

It’s time once again for the nearly-annual reunion of my husband’s family, and this year it is being held at Pickwick Landing State Park. Every Tennessee state park sets aside a limited number of inn rooms, and one cabin per park, where you may stay with a pet, and we reserved a room a couple of months ago (the park service suggests making your reservations “several weeks in advance”).

The Tennessee state park pet policy is set out in detail on the Tennessee State Parks Policies page, but the highlights are as follows: Your dog must be in a carrier or on a leash at all times, and may not go into park lodges (except for your pet-friendly room or cabin), restaurants or food stores. Designated pools, beaches and trails are off limits (we haven’t looked at the pool signs, but the trails and swimming area on the beach we visited do not have any no-dogs signs). There is a $15 per night pet fee, and pets may not be left alone in your room. Pets must be current on vaccinations.

Our room is on the ground floor overlooking the lake. Each room has a door to a tiny patio; since we’re on the ground floor, this also means that quick bathroom walks on the lawn beyond our patio are super convenient. The grounds are lovely, and full of interest for Chloe (foresty bits with squirrels! expanses of lawn! ducks! geese!! beaches! volleyball court! cemetery!).

Leashed dogs are also allowed in all Tennessee state park campgrounds, but we’re perfectly content to be in the inn. We can report that the Pickwick Landing inn’s public areas are very attractive, and the rooms are no-frills but clean and well-maintained (our bathroom is surprisingly large and nice). There is free wi-fi. The restaurant is serviceable, and has a gorgeous view of the lake. A row of rocking chairs on the balcony outside the restaurant allows you to contemplate the lake and boaters in shade and comfort.

We’re looking forward to returning next year — and next year we’ll set aside more time to visit the nearby Shiloh battlefield and sample some more BBQ (we can recommend the Rib Cage in Pickwick Dam, TN — turn left out of the state park, drive past Jon’s Pier, with a lighthouse in front, and find the Rib Cage on the right, next to the Freddy T’s).

Pickwick Landing State Park Inn
Park Road
Pickwick Dam, TN 38365-0015
T: 800-250-8615 or 731-689-3135

Jun 6 2009

Make a felted ball toy for your dog

Photo by electricnude

I’m watching Chloe play with the insanely expensive felted ball I just brought home for her. It’s her second one — the first is doing just fine, but this one is destined to go into her travel suitcase. They are perfect travel toys, because you can fling them around a room or house and they won’t do any damage to the walls, and they’re quiet (so you won’t wake up the person in the neighboring hotel room). Chloe is obsessed with hers — all other toys, except her felted bone, fade into insignificance when the felted ball comes out.

You can buy one too, either at your local high-end pet boutique or on-line. Purrfectplay.com sells them in different sizes, and they’re very reasonably priced (wish I’d known about purrfectplay.com this morning, before I went to my local high-end pet boutique!).

Alternatively, you can make them yourself — granted, this will only appeal to the crafty among you, but the process is a hoot and the results are unique. Check out Crunchy Parent’s great how-to videos!