Traveling and pets

  I have been viagra cheap meaning to write this blog for a long time, probably about a year and half since that is when Oswalt joined our family.  Oswalt is a mini dachshund and from the second I met him I knew he was just meant to be my dog – he even has a hidden Mickey!

Anyway enough about that, on to what this blog is really about – traveling and pets.   Having Oswalt has got me thinking more and more about what to do when it comes time to travel.   I have noticed that long gone are the days when your only option was to leave your furry family member at something called a kennel (which never sounded very fun to me).  Now there are pet resorts, pet camps, and even pet spas.   If you are like me though you might perfer that your pet travel with you instead of leaving him behind.   So far Oswalt has made the long car ride from Orlando to Philadelphia and back again.   He has also flown in the cabin of the plane with us once.  Most airlines, including Southwest just recently, allow a certian number of small pets to travel in the cabin for a fee.  I have to admit I perfer the car trip since everything is more in my control.   Now there is even a new flight option for pets –   www.petairways.com  They were to have their first flight today which is what reminded me to write this blog.   This is a pet only airline – no humans allowed, except for the pet attendants of course.   They only service a few cities as of now but hopefully they will add Orlando soon.   I think this is an interesting idea and hope it will take off (just had to say it).   

Once you decide on how you are going to get your pet to your destination next you need to find a pet friendly place to stay.   More and more hotels are saying "pets welcome here" these days.   Most will charge a fee or only put you in a certian room type so it is good to do some investigating to be sure everyone will enjoy thier stay.   I recentenly checked out a Loews Hotel to see if thier motto of Loews Loves Pets really was true. 

  We stayed at the Loews on St Pete Beach, FL and they did prove it to me.   At check in they welcomed Oswalt and told us all about the pet perks such as the doggie bag that would arrive in our room which included bowls and placemat to use during our stay and some treats.   You can also borrow things such as toys and leash or make a pet sitter appointment if needed.   They even have a room service menu for pets and pet spa treatments!   Loews only charges a one time fee of just $25 for the length of your stay per pet (only up to 2 pets per room).   They also have an area for pet walking and waste stations around the property.   While Oswalt wasn’t welcome on the resort’s beach I did surf the web and found there was a doggy beach close by so we checked that out during our stay.   Most times you should be able to find a dog beach close to any major beach. 

   The are many Loews Hotels around the country, inlcuding the 3 Universal Orlando resorts, so if you are wanting to take your pet on vacation they would be my top recomendation.   You would think that since Mickey and Pluto are always together he would realize he needs to let his guests bring thier pets to enjoy vacation too.  Hopefully one day pets will be allowed to stay somewhere other than the campground at Disney.  

No matter where you might be thinking of traveling to don’t forget to think about your furry family members.   Be sure they are ok to travel and you check on all saftey considerations before hitting the road.  If you have traveled with your pet and have some favorite places you have visited together please share them with us.   Oswalt is always ready for a new adventure!