gcv-border Posted July 24, 2010 Report Share Posted July 24, 2010 I just finished reading the "kennel woes" topic and can certainly sympathize. I find my dogs do OK at the current kennel I use (much, much better than the previous kennel). On the flip side, I have convinced hubby to bring the 2 dogs with us on a 6-7 day vacation this year. I am sure there are places that allow pets and have reasonable rules for bringing pets, but trying to find a place has been an education. We wanted to go to the NC coast. About 15 years ago, we went for a week with one dog and had no problem with renting. Now you almost have to sign away your first-born to afford the "pet friendly" rates. I understand that the owners of the vacation rentals most likely have had bad experiences with renters bringing dogs - which makes it so much harder for those of us who believe we are responsible dog owners (dogs do not destroy the house/furniture, crates are used, dogs do not sleep on furniture or beds (at least not in someone else's house), we pick up dog poop, dogs are leashed outside, etc.) Like I said, it has been an education. "Pet-friendly" rentals should be renamed "Pets allowed" since they are not really pet-friendly. Here are some of the restrictions: Only one pet Pet may not be more than 50 lbs Pet not allowed in the house Pet fee of $150 or $200 or $300 per week per pet !!! OMG! Anyway, we have decided to rent a log cabin in WV for a week. Still with a few pet restrictions, but at least they are reasonable. Jovi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted July 24, 2010 Report Share Posted July 24, 2010 I just got home from two vacations with my dogs. Dewey Beach, Delaware is so dog friendly it's not even funny. Dogs are allowed on the beach off leash until 9:30 every morning and after 5:00 at night. I thought this might seem restrictive, but it really wasn't. We had plenty of time every morning and evening to take the dogs to play in the surf. With a bit of searching, we found an area on the bay where they were allowed, and there is an ecological preserve near Bethany where they are allowed and there is fantastic hiking and bay access there. Lots of jellyfish, but perfect otherwise. We had to split between two hotels because we reserved kind of late. Both allowed four dogs, no questions asked. Pet rates were reasonable, too. Then we were off to Glen Highland Farm for vacation camp. Granted, I'm an instructor, but we had plenty of playtime in between my morning and late afternoon teaching times. Off leash hiking, swimming, and - for the campers - a chance to try Freestyle, Rally, Flyball, Agility, Sheep, Nosework, Tracking, and Frisbee. We normally go down to the Outer Banks for our beach vacation. For a place that is truly dog friendly, try the Buxton Beach motel. It's simple, but clean and reasonably priced. I have to say, though, that after our Dewey Beach trip this year, we might go back next year instead of the Outer Banks again. It was closer and the off leash beach access is beyond nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rufftie Posted July 24, 2010 Report Share Posted July 24, 2010 gotta 2nd the dewey recommendation. we are heading for dewey july 31st. we've been taking the dogs for 6 yrs. the first year or 2 we stayed at the sea esta motel, which is pet friendly. but the past couple years we have rented a house. we find pet friendly ones at vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owner) this will be nova's 1st trip though. sorry we missed you kristine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted July 24, 2010 Report Share Posted July 24, 2010 We normally go down to the Outer Banks for our beach vacation. For a place that is truly dog friendly, try the Buxton Beach motel. It's simple, but clean and reasonably priced. Heh, my dad lives in Buxton. Theres a lot of dog friendly places out there, you have to hunt for them and I find that I do better going for small towns (like Buxton vs Kitty Hawk when on the OBX) and also planning my vacation in the off-season. DH and I enjoyed several days at Long Beach, WA in a beachside room on an almost empty beach for $69 in February. The motel was so happy for off season visitors they waived the normally heft "per pet" fee for 3 dogs, and were very accommodating. It was 65 degrees, mostly sunny, and we enjoyed the beach, hiking to the lighthouses etc as did the 3 dogs. It was easier to get time off of work then too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertranger Posted July 24, 2010 Report Share Posted July 24, 2010 I've vacationed with my dogs for years. I've always looked for motel/hotels or resorts that allowed dogs rather than try to rent a house which I did once. Staying a places like the Vagabond Inn where they have pet play areas, kitchen units, pools and such wind up costing about the same as a furnished vacation rental. Depending on where you got the units can be anything from a typical motel room to a bungalow very nice. Research parks and other places to find out what the dog restrictions are. Some areas are particularly dog friendly with cafes where you can dine outdoors with the dogs at your table. As the owner of a service dog the law gives me the right to stay anywhere however I prefer dog friendly places because the facilities are better prepared to take care of the dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arf2184 Posted July 28, 2010 Report Share Posted July 28, 2010 I'd love to take the dogs on vacation, but it never seems to work out. Camping on the coast would be great, but in the past we've always had a full car (with four people, tent, food, clothes, etc) and no room for the dogs. I'm wanting to bring the dogs with me for a long weekend trip in September, but I'm not sure if it's doable. I've got a 5 hour drive on Friday, a chinchilla show on Saturday, and then a 5 hour drive to visit my aunt on the Oregon coast Sunday and drive home Monday. I've got a pet friendly hotel for Friday night and my aunt loves animals and won't mind us bringing ours for two nights at her house, but I can't figure out what to do with the dogs while I'm at the show (6am-3pm). They can't stay at the hotel, and it will likely be too hot to leave them in the car. There is a Petsmart PetsHotel very close to the show and I'm looking into their Day Care, but I don't know. The dogs may have to stay home again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberviewfarm Posted July 28, 2010 Report Share Posted July 28, 2010 We are taking a week long trip to Oak Island NC in about 3 weeks. We are taking 3 dogs at the rates of $50 per dog. We rent a large house with another family every year. I could never take all my dogs, but my one princess (who also needs rehab done daily, so its simpler for me to just take her) gets to go this year. I always take a crate when I'm going away with my dogs to make sure that the houses we are in don't get damaged in any way. I know my mother and I are going the the Wool Festival in Asheville NC in a few months. We are both taking 2 dogs with us there as well. We rented a small cabin and I think we paid $100 to take all the dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bn_here_b4 Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 We are taking a week long trip to Oak Island NC in about 3 weeks. We are taking 3 dogs at the rates of $50 per dog. We rent a large house with another family every year. I could never take all my dogs, but my one princess (who also needs rehab done daily, so its simpler for me to just take her) gets to go this year. I always take a crate when I'm going away with my dogs to make sure that the houses we are in don't get damaged in any way. I know my mother and I are going the the Wool Festival in Asheville NC in a few months. We are both taking 2 dogs with us there as well. We rented a small cabin and I think we paid $100 to take all the dogs. I love Oak Island! We have gone there for the last four years. It is a very dog friendly beach. I have rented the same house every year and am already booked for July 2011. I don't take my dogs but they visit friends whom they adore here at home. Small car, no room for the dogs. My dogsitter actually came over last night to visit the pups. She misses them! If I was going to take my dogs on vacation Oak Island would be my first choice. Reasonable pet deposit rates, clean uncrowded beaches and a real laid back atmosphere. My favorite place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC-Liz Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 It's always tough to find someplace that will allow dogs at a reasonable rate. For North Carolina coastline rentals, I know of one place to suggest, my parents beach house. They have a downstairs apartment that they rent out at a very reasonable cost. Granted, it's not the newest or fanciest beach house but it's only 3 blocks from the beach, its completely fenced in, and they are dog friendly, really dog friendly. They don't have a website but you can find them on facebook. They're called DiNatale BeachHouse. I'm not sure this link will work...give it a try..http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=100000104626151&ref=ts I had to fight this battle recently when finding an appropriate rental for our honeymoon. We're heading to Breckenridge Colorado for a week. My favorite site to search for rentals at a great price is www.vrbo.com. You can specify that you'd like dog friendly homes in your search. Granted some may still have the high deposits and extra rents, you'll just have to weed through em. This is the home we're renting. Can't wait! http://www.vrbo.com/107232 Enjoy your vacation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoZo Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 We've also had good luck with vrbo.com in finding a place to stay. We took our first real dog vacation a couple weeks ago and had a great time. It took me a while to find the perfect place in the location we wanted, where they are actually pet friendly as opposed to pets allowed with hefty fees (I hate that). We ended up at a small cabin in the woods near Lake Tahoe, CA. The owners were quite happy that we were bringing our two dogs and it cost less than most hotels in the area (most of which had a one dog policy, grrr). A fun adventure, the dogs didn't even mind the 9 hour drive each way. Jinx ponders the sublime beauty and serenity of the lake- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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