Pet Friendly Travel

Nearing the end of the school year, some of us may or may not have already made travel arrangements.  Family vacations, destination weddings, honeymoons...etc...Ever since getting my puppy (he's about 1 1/2) this past March, I hate to leave him for long periods of time, especially when both Scott (my fiance) and I are away.

One month after my fiance surprised me with him, we took a week long vacation to Disney World.  Luckily we were able to drop Filly off with my mom who he now doesn't like very much.  He associates "her" with us leaving him for a long period of time.  But I have a feeling that eventually he will warm up to her (he's by her side when we are not there).  In the future, I would love to take him with us!  He's small enough to fit in a pet carrier that I could carry onto the plane.  But, where do we stay that allows pets, what sorts of activities could we do with him, and what restaurants allow pets?

Searching the Internet I came across BringFido.com, which actually started back in 2005.  The site is basically a Pet Friendly Travel Agency.  Unfortunately North Brunswick, NJ has very few "pet friendly" restaurants.  I'm sort of jealous of the number there are in Philadelphia, PA (where I'm from).  Bring Fido offers families who can't bear to leave their pet at home with list upon list -- based on location, of lodging locations, air travel, attractions, restaurants, services...etc... that are open to having pets attend.  If it does get to the point where you are traveling soo far that you do need boarding, you can search based on location and read kennel reviews.  I know that this July I am going to Israel for 3 weeks.  Two of those weeks Scott can look after Filly, but the 3rd week when he comes to meet me, Filly will need to be boarded.  Luckily, Animal Assistance where we adopted him from offers Vacation Boarding.  I just hope Filly doesn't feel like we are bringing him back because that would NEVER happen!  He is my baby and I love him.

Finding the right boarding facility is all about going to visit the place and reading client testimonials.  A friend of mine in Florida has two dogs and she boards them when she travels in luxury.  The dogs have their own room (with toys of course) and a camera is mounted on the wall that you can access from your computer, while traveling, to keep an eye on your puppies!  How amazing is that!