TravelMonkey

Personally, I just love dogs. I smile at them. They smile at me, mostly. I wave at them and talk to them. Am I weird? I don’t think so. Dogs have become something different I think as we have shifted focus in the US from having 11 kid families to smaller families or family units with no kids at all. Pets, dogs & cats mainly, have become a larger and larger part of our lives. And we have tended to anthropomorphize them more as a result. We have special parks for them; we have special stores for them – from giant big box stores to tiny specialized boutique stores. We dress them is dog sweaters and rain hats as well as kitty scarves and coats. And most telling of all is the way that people refer to pet owners as the kitty or doggie’s “mom” or “dad.”

So it is no surprise that that many pet owners want to take their “kids” with them when they travel. We have a dog and we like to take him with us when we go for outdoor activities like a trip to the beach or mountains. If we are planning to go hiking or beach-walking there is nothing better than having the pooch with us to enjoy the scenery. And he loves it of course. But, the problem, if you are staying overnight, is where to stay with a dog (in our case).

Over the years we have found a couple of nice places to stay in locations we enjoy visiting that will allow you to keep a dog with you in the room. We have a great place right on the beach that we always stay at when we take the dog as we mostly do (except when mommy and daddy need away time!). We also have a place we generally stay in the eastern part of the state – same thing goes for the taking Rover. But, what we have found since we started travel with a dog about ten years ago is that there have been progressively more and more motels and even nice hotels that will let you keep your pooch or kitty with you than when we first started. And you see more and more people travel with their animals.

When we went to Canada last year, we stayed at the Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff. This is a 4 or 5 star hotel. And there were dogs all over the place in the hotel. Granted, most of the dogs were travel-bag size (our pooch is 50 pounds), but the point is that the hotel permitted them. Evidently all the Fairmont chain hotels allow dogs now. And same goes for Marriott from what I understand (small dog).

Our animals have become replacements for children in many cases either as a choice or after they leave the nest.  And the hotel industry is learning to accommodate that new reality. Provided that the people traveling with their pets keep them in their control, I think it’s a great thing.