Adventure Dog Blog

Nestled in the Rocky Mountains in Alberta Canada, the Johnston Canyon resort offers breathtakingly beautiful surroundings at their cabins and chalets.  Even better, they offer pet friendly lodging, charging ten dollars per night for your dog to stay with you.

As stated on their website, there are lots of activities nearby: “A short drive to Banff town or Lake Louise town takes you to a variety of activities such as swimming, horseback riding, climbing, biking, canoeing, a gondola ride or a short scenic hike. You may also want to consider visiting the remarkable Columbia Icefields or neighboring parks of Kootenay, Yoho and Jasper.”

The Rockies of course offer lots of opportunities for hiking, both on well worn trails and backcountry for the more adventurous at heart.

Visit the Johnston Canyon Resort website for rates and reservations!

I was disappointed when I realized I had missed a chance to attend Woofstock 2006, a festival for dogs held in Toronto Canada at the St. Lawrence Market. However, I’ve been told that next year, the festival will be held again at the same location in June!

Woofstock is an outdoor festival for dogs, with free admission, where you will find companies offering the latest in “food, fashion, furnishings and unique serices”, contests, the Ms. and Mr. Canine Canada Pageant, a canine fashion show, a trick contest, and more.

Visit the website for more details on the 2006 festival, and keep an eyeball for details on the 2007 festival!

My dog Anna has always loved the water and anything to do with it.  Not only does she love to swim, but if there’s a puddle anywhere to be found, she’ll lay down in it.  When we were in Mexico, she loved playing in the surf and swimming in the waves.

Something I wanted to do while there was learn to surf, but I didn’t think there would be anywhere to take my dogs.  Today I was surfing around online and was super surprised to find a resort hotel that offers a special surf package for people and their dogs.

At Loews Coronado Bay Resort, they offer a camp package with the following description:

“Hang 20 with Man’s Best Friend! With the Su’ruff Camp package at Loews Coronado Bay Resort & Spa, dogs don board shorts for surfing lessons with Coronado Surfing Academy at Coronado’s Dog Beach. Starting at $300, the one-night package also includes water view accommodations and a copy of “The Dog’s Guide to Surfing,” a unique book about the surf dog lifestyle. Surf dogs chow down on a surf `n’ turf supper, and can choose between doggie board shorts or a surfer bandana from Lucky Dog, San Diego’s premier dog boutique.”

It sounds like a pretty sweet package!  You can check availability on the Loews Hotels website.

I have had so much fun with my dogs at the beach, both at lakes in Canada and along the coast of Mexico. My dog Anna loves to swim and it’s so funny to go under the water and look up at her, her legs churning and her fat butt floating. Mr. Meaty likes to run and play in the sand and get just a little wet along the edge of the water. He’s always covered in sand, and if you don’t look out, he’s rolling all over your towels and blankets to get dry. Dog hair and sand everywhere!

It’s really hard to find beaches that will allow dogs, especially in North America. A really popular dog beach is the Huntington Dog Beach in California , located 37 miles south of Los Angeles. The dog beach is one mile where your dog is free to roam and play offleash, both in the water and in the sand. The only rules are to maintain control of your dogs at all times and to pick up any waste and dispose of it in the trash cans.

Visited by more than 100,000 off leash dogs each year, you might be surprised to learn that dog beach is renowned for being “the cleanest beach in the twelve mile stretch of Huntington City beaches”, according to the President of the Huntington Dog Beach.

Visit the Huntington Dog Beach website for maps and directions to the beach, information on making donations, and even purchasing hats and shirts!