If you read my blog regularly, you've probably figured out that dog friendly vacations and great dog friendly hotels are my world! I love sharing the adventures we go on with our dogs, Icy and Phoebe. Today I'd like to share some dog friendly fun in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire!
Waterville Valley, New Hampshire is a Great Dog Friendly Vacation Destination
Traveling With Dogs Takes Planning
When we first started traveling with the dogs and I had to plan dog friendly getaways, it helped me a lot to read about how other pet parents found great places to visit with dogs. It isn't always easy to find great pet friendly hotels and activities. We've been traveling with our dogs for several years, and now we're in the pet travel groove! We have shared many of our wonderful dog friendly adventures on this blog, and we'll continue to do so to help others plan their own great dog friendly vacations!
We stopped for a photo on a bridge along this beautiful dog friendly trail in Waterville Valley, NH
Our latest travel adventure with Icy and Phoebe was a trip to the Waterville Valley, New Hampshire ski resort. No, the dogs didn't do any skiing, I did! New Hampshire is one of six states that make up New England, and it's one of my favorite New England states to visit. The other states that make up the New England region in the Northeastern United States are; Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. All these states are beautiful in every season and each one has something special to offer. However, we love New Hampshire the best, in both Winter and Summer. Waterville Valley is one of the best dog friendly vacations we've been on, so we go back as often as we can.
Lack of oral care in dogs can lead to dental disease, which in turn can lead to more serious health issues. Good oral health for dogs (cats too!) goes beyond just whiter teeth and fresh breath, it's important to your dog's overall health as well. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), 80% of dogs have some form of periodontal disease by the age of 3! That number for cats is not much better, at 70%. PIN THIS!
Good oral hygiene in dogs can help prevent dental disease.
Poor Dental Health Can Negatively Effect A Pet's Overall Health
Periodontal Disease can lead to even more serious health problems. Toxins from periodontal disease get absorbed into the dog's blood stream and can cause infections in the body. This can potentially damage kidney, liver, heart, and brain tissue.
This post is sponsored by Zymox. I am being compensated to help share information about Oratene® Brushless Pet Oral Care products. We only share information we feel is helpful and relevant to our readers.
Pets taking medications are especially prone to dental health issues.
Many pets taking medication can experience a change in thequality of saliva. Although pets may still have saliva and drool, this condition is called "Dry Mouth". Pets with chronic Dry Mouth develop severe halitosis (bad breath), and accumulate plaque which can lead to tartar and tooth decay.
Oratene's line of Brushless Pet Oral Health Products kill harmful bacteria and germs, and remove plaque biofilm in your dog's mouth. Tartar can throw off the balance of normal, healthy microbial flora in a dog's mouth. Oratene Brushless Oral Care products break down plaque and biofilm, and specifically target the harmful bacteria and microorganisms in the mouth. They help maintain a healthy oral ecology, and freshen your dog's breath. Oratene products are especially beneficial for senior pets, pets with special health conditions like Diabetes, and pets who are taking medications for behavior, pain, allergies, heart problems, thyroid dysfunction, or urinary incontinence.
One of the products in their line of pet dental care products is the Oratene Brushless Oral Care Water Additive. It's a flavorless concentrate you add to your pet's water each day that provides a safe, healthy way to conveniently keep teeth clean without brushing!
Just add two pumps of Water Additive to 4 cups of water daily.
Dogs' teeth need attention in order to prevent plaque from hardening and turning into tartar on the teeth. Although brushing your dog's teeth every day is ideal to ensure good oral hygiene and ward off dental disease, not everyone can commit to that. And many pets, if they're like my dogs Icy and Phoebe, will not tolerate a toothbrush in their mouth! Believe me I've tried but it's just not feasible for us. I use Oratene Brushless Oral Care Water Additivein their water and Oratene Brushless Oral Care Toothpaste Gelto keep my dogs' teeth clean and healthy. Yes, I said BRUSHLESS! These videos show you how easy it is to use both the water additive and the toothpaste gel.
Although my dogs don't take medication and don't have "Dry Mouth", they are both 9 years old and have shown signs of deteriorating dental health. I've been using Oratene water additive and Oratene brushless toothpaste for a year or so and it's been really helpful. Trying to brush Icy and Phoebe's teeth was just not working, but these products are effective, easy and convenient to use, and my dogs don't mind them at all, which is half the battle! Note: According to Oratene, the Water Additive can be used with a pet water fountain however "the filter MUST be taken out or it will remove the active compounds and it will plug up the filter."
HOW DO ORATENE BRUSHLESS ORAL CARE PRODUCTS FOR PETS WORK?
>Oratene brushless pet oral care products contain two patented, natural enzyme systems, the LP3 Enzyme System and the MD2 Enzyme System(Mutanase + Dextranase). >These enzymes inhibit harmful odor-causing bacteria and remove plaque biofilm. The LP3 Enzyme System destroys bacteria and fungal microorganisms while restoring the oral balance in a pet's mouth. The MD2 Enzyme System makes plaque water soluble and unable to bind to the teeth. >Oratene oral care products do NOT contain CHLORHEXIDINE, XYLITOL, ALCOHOL, OR CHLORINE COMPOUNDS, so it's safe for dogs and cats to use daily!
*** Never use Human toothpaste on your dog or cat, it contains ingredients that are toxic to pets! ***
Symptoms to watch out for that could indicate poor dental hygiene in dogs:
⇨ Broken or loose teeth ⇨ Teeth that are discolored or covered in tartar ⇨ Abnormal chewing ⇨ Excessive drooling ⇨ Dropping their food, appearing hungry but will not eat ⇨ Pain or bleeding from the mouth ⇨ Swelling around the mouth
Oratene Oral Care Water Additive and brushless toothpaste for dogs & cats!
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FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL PET DENTAL HEALTH MONTH!
We should always keep our pets dental health top of mind but National Pet Dental Health Month, Sponsored by the AVMA, helps raise awareness of the significance of oral healthcare for pets.
VISIT ZYMOX ON SOCIAL MEDIA & LEARN MORE ABOUT PET DENTAL CARE AND ORATENE PRODUCTS!
The Long Island Scottish Festival and Highland Games event has been going on for decades. Despite being born and raised on Long Island, New York I had never been to this popular festival. I had heard a lot about it and I've wanted to go for quite some time, so when my cousin called and said Let's Go to the Scottish Festival! I was on board! The Scottish Festival celebrates and preserves Scottish Heritage by educating people about the cultural history of Scotland. I was looking forward to all the vendors with unique Scottish merchandise, sampling some interesting Scottish food, and watching the fun demonstration of Highland games and dancing. What I was most looking forward to though, is seeing some Scottish Dogs! You knew there had to be a dog angle, right?
Guenevere "Gwenie", my cousin's adorable Scottie was none too pleased that we went to a Scottish Festival without her. You're not taking ME along? Really!? I hope you get sick on Birdie Pie, Humpf!!
DOGS OF SCOTLAND, LET'S GET TO IT ALREADY!
The Scottish Festival wasn't a dog event, in fact it wasn't even a dog friendly event! No dogs were permitted other than a few dog rescues, Scottish dog aficionados wanting to educate people about their dog's breed, and Scottish dog breeders that had booths set up there. But there were plenty of adorable, sweet Scottish dogs to pet and love on! I was a little disappointed that there weren't more rescue dogs and dog rescue groups represented at the festival, but it was interesting to learn about the dogs of Scotland. I was especially interested in the Scottish Deerhound, which I was only a little familiar with. When I first saw this beautiful dog I assumed she was an Irish Wolfhound, the tallest breed of dog, but I was wrong. Scottish Deerhounds and Irish Wolfhounds look so much alike - to me, anyway!
I mistook this sweet Scottish Deerhound for an Irish Wolfhound - My Bad!
The Scottish Deerhound is a pretty big dog, but they're considerably smaller than their Irish Wolfhound cousins. This beautiful girl was so large I just assumed she was an Irish Wolfhound - sorry sweetie, my mistake! You know what happens when you assume, don't you? You make an ASS of U and ME, LOL!! In this Modern Dog magazine article, you can read more about the differences between the Scottish Deerhound and the Irish Wolfhound . I was thrilled to see a number of Scottish Terriers at the festival. These Scotties were so adorable, and super friendly!
This adorable Scottie loved greeting the children who came by to say Hi. Look at him smiling at his adoring fans! Kids' faces obscured for privacy purposes
I love black Scotties! In fact that's what I wanted when John and I finally decided to get a dog - actually, I had decided long before but it took some work to Convince my husband to get a dog! We ended up with our Siberian Husky, Icy, instead! A Scottie and a Husky couldn't be more different, but as most of you probably know, I wouldn't have it any other way. Icy brings us so much joy. I still hope to have a jet black Scottie one day.....
How handsome is this Scottie dude?!
I was happy to see a Shetland Sheepdog rescue group with some really sweet Shelties at the festival. Among them was this absolutely adorable Dog. This Sheltie was so popular and friendly, I could barely get near him! I loved his unique coloring and amazing temperament, especially with the children.
This beautiful Sheltie was there with the Long Island Shetland Sheepdog Rescue group. If you want to Adopt a Sheltie or Foster a Sheltie, they might be a potential resource for you if you live in the vicinity of the Northeast.
Sheltland Sheepdog Rescue Group on Long Island NY
Other great Scottish dogs we had the pleasure of meeting at the festival were West Highland White Terriers (Westies), a beautiful Sky Terrier, and a sweet little Dandie Dinmont.
Beautiful dogs! Skye Terrier (L), Dandie Dimnont (Upper Rt), and a Westie (Lower Rt)
It was so nice to meet these dog breeds of Scotland, I loved it! After I got my Scottish doggie fix, I was delighted to see that there were some interesting birds of prey at the festival too!
BIRDS OF PREY MAKE AN APPEARANCE AT THE SCOTTISH FESTIVAL
All birds of prey are beautiful and fascinating. One of my favorite birds in general are Owls. I can't recall if my owl fascination increased following Harry Potter and his stunning Snowy Owl, Hedwig, or if I've always been this enthralled with Owls. There wasn't a Snowy Owl at the festival, but there was an adorable little Barn Owl and a gorgeous amber colored Eurasian Owl.
Beautiful birds of prey were at the Scottish Festival
In addition to Owls there were Hawks, Kestrels, and a majestic Bald Eagle, which is the national bird of the United States. The Falconer shared some interesting facts about each of the birds. Check out the giant talons on this Bald Eagle! These birds can weigh up to 12 lbs and can lift and carry up to 5 lbs. But don't panic dog moms! Although they'll eat small mammals, a Bald Eagle's primary diet is fish.
Closeup of a Bald Eagle's talons
Red Tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls, however, have been known to attack cats and dogs weighing well over 6 lbs. Both of these predators are common on Long Island, so needless to say I keep a close eye on little Phoebe. I wasn't that clear on the connection between these birds and Scottish culture, but I do know that Kestrels and Golden Eagles can be found in Scotland. Oh well, it's a festival and these wild creatures were beautiful to behold! Most of the birds they had on display were rescued birds, but not all of them. I hope you enjoyed hearing about our day at the Scottish Festival and all the sweet dogs and beautiful birds we saw there. Please leave us a comment and let us know if you enjoyed this post. We always love hearing your thoughts!
Here's a fun Flashback photo of Icy when she was less than a year old. Look how big her ears were LOL! As she got older, she lost the beautiful markings around her eyes which looked like a mask. I always thought they made her look a bit mean, but of course she's the sweetest girl! I'm jumping on the Flashback Friday blog hop with this photo of Icy:
Icy as a puppy. Look how giant her ears are LOL!
JOIN US ON THE FLASHBACK FRIDAY BLOG HOP, HOSTED BY DOROTHY WILLS-RAFTERY OF FIVE SIBES!!
Cats peeing outside the litter box seems to be a common issue among cat owners. As I was reading a fellow blogger's post on reasons why a cat may be toileting outside the litter box, I was reminded of my cat Maggie - and the one and only time her litter box skills experienced an Epic Fail. John and I had just gotten engaged and we were elated! It was something we'd been talking about for at least a year, and we had finally sealed the deal. Everyone was happy for us, and excited for our upcoming wedding the following year!
LOVE ME, LOVE MY CAT/DOG/RABBIT AND ANY OTHER PETS, RIGHT?
Shortly after meeting John, I had been so happy - and a little bit relieved, to be honest - when I learned that not only did he love cats, but he quickly fell for my beautiful sweet Calico cat Maggie. And Maggie loved him right back! Or did she?? On the surface, she seemed to adore John. She loved when he pet her, she rubbed against his legs, and snuggled with him on the couch. She sometimes even napped on top of his tummy!
Tell me this isn't the body language of a cat who loves the owner upon whose tummy she naps peacefully?!
Maggie and I owned the home we lived in while John had been renting his, so it made perfect sense for him to move into our home. Much of his "guy stuff" had to be moved into the basement because there wasn't enough room to accommodate our combined stuff. OK, so part of the reason was that some of his guy stuff was just plain UGLY! Ladies, you know what I'm talkin' about, don't you? The move went smoothly and we happily settled into our new daily routine. Nothing was amiss, until John went down to the basement one day to retrieve one of his ugly guy possessions ... and discovered that sweet little Maggie had apparently been peeing and pooping all over his stuff! Anything that wasn't secured in a plastic container was ruined - YIKES! We could not believe our eyes, or the assault on our noses! Maggie had never soiled outside the litter box before, how could she have done such a thing?! Was Maggie just a two faced feline pretending to love John while deep down resenting his intrusion on our previously perfect little world of two? Or, was there a logical explanation for her pissy hissy fit of suddenly urinating and defecating outside her litter box? Was she trying to TELL us something?
If your cat is suddenly urinating and defecating outside the litter box, there's usually a reason!
Hmmm. We thought about what might have prompted this bad kitty behavior, and the reason soon became clear. Prior to John's ugly guy stuff invading a large corner of the basement, that space had belonged to Maggie alone. It was her own little Fiefdom, her Cat Cave. Her litter box was down there, along with some toys and a cozy bed. She loved to creep up inside the rafters of the basement ceiling - I never did understand how the heck she managed to get up there - hiding and observing my laundry and crafting activities from her ceiling perch. When the ugly guy stuff arrived it must have really cramped her style and stuck in her claw! So she protested in the only way she knew how - by urinating and pooping all over the offending items! Fortunately, my husband has a heart of gold and a soft spot for cats. He didn't get angry or lash out at her (or me!), he simply dealt with it and we moved on having learned a valuable lesson! You don't mess with the Cat's Crib.
COMMON REASONS CATS PEE OUTSIDE THE LITTER BOX
MEDICAL ISSUE: A trip to the Vet can identify, or rule out, a UTI or other medical problem. UNAPPEALING LITTER BOX: You've gotten a New litter box and she doesn't like it, her litter box isn't Clean enough, or you Moved the box to a location your cat doesn't like. EMOTIONAL OR BEHAVIORAL ISSUE: Something is upsetting, stressing, or frightening your cat for some reason. It could be furniture being moved or changed, something outside a nearby window such as a scary animal, or as we found out the hard way, someone has moved Ugly Guy Stuff into their coveted space! So if your cat starts to urinate and defecate outside the litter box don't get mad, do some detective work and Find Out Why it's happening! Have you ever had to deal with the issue of cats toileting outside their litter box? How did you handle it? Tell us about it in the Comments! We always appreciate hearing your thoughts & feedback.
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:
Have you been longing to add a feline to your family but won't because you're allergic to cats? How I got Relief From Cat Allergies and Kept My Cats! I got Maggie as a 9 week old kitten. While I was waiting for her to be ready for adoption I "accidentally" adopted another cat! How my Accidental Pet Adoption turned out to be a joy and a blessing!
My dogs don't have to take pet medications very often, especially in pill format. The occasional need for an antibiotic and their monthly heartworm preventative medication are the only medications my dogs need, thankfully. However, I wanted to share a creative way to give a dog a pill with food your dog probably already eats. My cousin's Veterinarian shared this pill giving tip with her and now I'd like to share it with you!
GIVING YOUR DOG A PILL BY MOUTH CAN BE A STRUGGLE
Even if it's infrequent, giving your dog a pill can be a struggle. You slather it with peanut butter or cream cheese, you hide it in their food, you may even stick it in the very back of their throat or use a "pill dropper", hold their snout closed and tilt their head back trying to get your dog to swallow the pill. Even after those stealth pill giving attempts your pet may eat all the peanut butter or cream cheese around it and spit out the pill. Or your dog might remain stark still while you practically wrestle him to the ground trying to get the pill to the back of his throat, but then find a way to gag or spit the pill out anyway. Or you think you've hidden the pill in your dog's food but he smells it immediately and refuses to eat at all. Pin This!
Make giving your pet medications in pill form easier!
It's difficult when there's an occasional need to give your dog a pill, but imagine how hard it must be for dogs or cats who need daily medication in pill form long term! What's a Dog Mom to do? Pill Pockets you buy in the pet store may make it easier but they can be expensive. For ongoing daily pet medication administration of pills that's a lot of extra cost and calories added to your dog's diet.
HOW TO GIVE YOUR DOG A PILL USING A DOG FOOD MEATBALL
My cousin Grace shared a tip with me that her Veterinarian recommended when her pill hating Scottish Terrier needed 10 days of medication. He suggested making a simple Meatball Pill Pocket using canned dog food she already feeds her dog. 🐶 Place a can of dog food in the fridge to harden and chill. Make sure it's a canned food your dog likes to eat, and one you can scoop out and roll into a ball! It shouldn't be too wet or have gravy in it. 🐶 Scoop out 4 tablespoons of the canned food and roll each one into a ball in your hands, just like making a meatball. Make 4 of these dog food "meatballs". 🐶 Insert the pill you need to give your dog into the middle of one of the "meatballs". The other 3 meatballs won't have a pill inside. 🐶 Start by giving your dog one of the meatballs that doesn't have the pill in it. Then give him a second meatball without the pill inside as soon as he swallows the first meatball. Make it fun like you're giving your dog a special treat, and praise him! 🐶 As soon as he swallows the second meatball, give your dog the third meatball, which should be the one with the pill inside it. After scarfing down the first two yummy meatballs and being praised for it, your dog will be anticipating the third yummy meatball and happily gobble it up! 🐶 Finish by giving your dog the last meatball without the pill in it. That will end your pet medication session on a fun and positive note!
Have you ever had to give your dog or cat medication in pill form? Was it easy or did you struggle? Tell us about it in the comments, and if you have a pill giving tip, please share it!
Ever since I was a kid I've loved animals, especially cats and dogs. Sadly, I found out early on that I'm allergic to cats, but it didn't stopped me from having them! When I was growing up in New York, my 3 Uncle's had a deli in the city. They often had kittens in the back of the store. Spaying and neutering wasn't a big thing back then and the Uncles didn't mind taking in stray cats. My Uncles would give the cats scraps of deli meat, a saucer of milk, and one of their many food delivery boxes with a blanket to sleep in. Needless to say, this made for excellent lodgings for a kitty that found herself Pregnant In The City! I'm pretty sure there was a secret network for wayward cats who were in the family way that led them straight to my Uncle's store!
Pregnant Cats In The City somehow managed to make their way to the NY City deli owned by my Uncles!
CAT ALLERGIES BE DARNED
When we visited my grandmother's house, I couldn't wait to stop by the deli, which was around the corner. Not because I wanted the candy or chips they sold there, or because I wanted a bologna sandwich, but because I was always hopeful there would be kittens in the back! After hugging the Uncles the first words out of my mouth were always "Are there any kittens today?" Many times I was not disappointed. I would run to the back of the store to find the latest litter of kitties and plop myself down to play with them. They were largely stray kittens but I was always able pick them up and play with them. Invariably, I'd leave the deli with bright red, watery itchy eyes. I didn't care, I was going to play with the kittens anyway and there was nothing anyone could do to stop me! Back home on Long Island, stray cats often made their way into our yard. When they did, we set out the welcome mat. They had food, water, and blankets in a cardboard box to sleep in. My cat allergies were always present, but again I didn't care. I wanted to handle the cats and play with them. I loved them all!
Adorable stray kitten from a litter of cats that ended up at my sister's house.
When I was finally old enough to get a place of my own, one of the first things I did was look for a kitten to adopt! I unexpectedly ended up with two cats in a one bedroom apartment, wreaking havoc on my allergies. You can read about my Accidental Pet Adoption here. It got so bad that I had trouble breathing and ended up with asthma. I finally had to see a doctor, and in questioning me he realized the cause of my asthma was living in a small apartment with 2 cats. He strongly urged me to give my cats away. No Way!! I told him I already loved both cats to pieces and there was no way in hell I was giving up my feline furbabies. He shook his head and told me I could end up with asthma for the rest of my life. "So be it!" I said. I just had to keep my cats, Mousey and Maggie, so I began to research ways to help diminish my pet allergy symptoms.
HOW I REDUCED MY CAT ALLERGY SYMPTOMS
Here are the things I did to reduce my allergic symptoms: 🐈 The cats could no longer sleep in my bedroom, it was my "cat free zone" 🐈 I wiped the cats down with wet paper towels daily; sometimes twice a day 🐈 I vacuumed every single day and followed up with a wet mop to keep the dander down. Thankfully I had hardwood floors and not carpeting which helps a lot. 🐈 I dusted every few days using wet cleaning cloths instead of a dry cloth to keep dander and fur down. 🐈 I washed my cats' bedding frequently and kept the litter box super clean. Following the above steps helped a lot but it wasn't quite enough. I still suffered with frequent asthmatic symptoms due to pet allergies for several years, but I didn't care, as long as I had my cats. When Maggie was the only cat left in the considerably larger house I lived in by then, my symptoms lessened a lot. It was still difficult but quite manageable.
MORE WAYS TO REDUCE PET ALLERGY SYMPTOMS:
If I had known about it, there were other things I could have done to help reduce my allergy symptoms to cats as well: 🐈 I should have gotten a clean air machine with a HEPA filter! They weren't as common back then and I didn't know much about them. 🐈 I could have gotten a removable couch cover which can be removed and washed. If I had drapes I would have washed them regularly. 🐈 A few companies make pet allergy sprays that act as allergen blockers, although I'm not sure how well they work. Have you used pet allergen blockers? If so, did it help? 🐈 Allergy shots and prescription oral allergy medications. I didn't want to consider allergy shots, I hate needles! But that probably could have helped a lot as well.
I was allergic to my cats Maggie and Mousey, but I didn't care!
After all that, was having cats worth going through asthma symptoms and constant daily cleaning? YOU BET IT WAS!! The love of a cat is not to be underestimated and I would do it all over again. I have two dogs now but I look forward to getting another cat in the near future. Thankfully, I'm not allergic to dogs, just cats! NOTE: I'm not a doctor or Veterinarian, I'm just sharing how I handled my allergy to cats. If you're allergic to cats but you really want a cat, you may want to check with your doctor first. YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY this post: Stray Cats In The Hood? TNR 'em!
Do you have pet allergies? If so, how have you handled them? Please leave a comment and tell us about it. We love when you howl back at us!!
As most of you know, we travel a lot with our dogs Icy and Phoebe so we're always on the lookout for the best dog friendly places. I'm delighted to introduce you to Nichole, my Guest Blogger from DogVills .
Nichole is the Editor In Chief at DogVills, a blog about all things dog, including dog training tips, dog health tips, dog news, dog recipes and more.Nichole loves to travel with her dogs too and she has graciously offered to share some of the Most Popular dog friendly National and State Parks in the U.S.So, Take it away Nichole!
NICOLE from DOGVILLS:
"I love taking my dogs on outings with me! I’m
always looking for places like hotels, restaurants and stores that
allow dogs so that I can bring them with me everywhere I go! While I’m used
to the challenge of finding indoor spaces that allow pets, I was shocked to
discover how difficult it is to find dog-friendly national and state parks!
Did you know that most parks either have very
restrictive pet policies or ban them entirely? In some parks, you can’t even
drive through the entrance with a dog in the car! Don’t worry, though, we’ve
rounded up the top dog-friendly national and state parks in the United States
to make planning a vacation with your pooch a little easier!
DOG FRIENDLY NATIONAL PARKS
There are 60 national parks and over 10,300
state parks in the United States. Together, they spread out across over 18
million acres! While the vast majority of them don’t allow dogs, there are a
few that welcome our canine companions! Just remember that even the most
dog-friendly national parks have rules about where you can take your dog. Make
sure you learn and follow them, so these parks don’t have a reason to ban dogs entirely.
Acadia
National Park- Acadia National Park, established in 1919, is in the
state of Maine, just southwest of Bar Harbor. The park sits on 49,075.26 acres
and sees approximately 3,509,271 visitors annually. Arcadia National Park
features an array of lakes, mountains, shorelines and woodlands.
BadlandsNational Park- Badlands National Park, founded in 1978, is found in
southwestern South Dakota, near Rapid City. The park sits on 242,755.94 acres
and sees approximately 1,054,325 visitors annually. Several movies have been
filmed in the Badlands National Park, including the 1990 Dances with Wolves,
the 1997 Starship Troopers and the 2007 National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
Cuyahoga
Valley National Park- Cuyahoga Valley National Park, conceived in
2000, is based in northeastern Ohio, along the Cuyahoga River between Akron and
Cleveland. The park sits on 32,572.35 acres and sees approximately 2,226,879
visitors annually. The national park features more than 125 miles of hiking
trails, as well as an array of caves, rolling hills, waterfalls and winding rivers.
Grand
Canyon National Park- Grand Canyon National Park, originated in
1919, is set in northwestern Arizona, in Coconino and Mohave counties. The park
sits on 1,201,647.03 acres and sees approximately 6,254,238 visitors annually.
The park’s main feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge that was carved out by the
Colorado River.
Great
Sand Dunes National Park- Great Sand Dunes National Park, founded in
2004, is in south-central Colorado, in Alamosa and Saguache counties. The park
sits on 107,341.87 acres and sees approximately 486,935 visitors annually. The
national park is home to North America’s tallest sand dunes, reaching heights
of 750 feet.
Mammoth
Cave National Park- Mammoth Cave National Park, formed in 1941, is
situated in central Kentucky, in Barren, Edmonson and Hart counties. The park
sits on 54,011.91 acres and sees approximately 587,853 visitors annually. The
park surrounds parts of the Mammoth Caves, the world’s longest cave system,
which measures 405 miles in length.
North
Cascades National Park- North Cascades National Park, created in
1968, is positioned in Washington, in Chelan, Skagit and Whatcom counties. The
park sits on 504,780.94 acres and sees approximately 30,326 visitors annually.
North Cascades National Park features an expansive glacial system, forested
valleys, numerous waterways and rugged mountain peaks.
Shenandoah
National Park- Shenandoah National Park, established in 1935, is
situated in Virginia, surrounding part of the state’s Blue Ridge Mountains. The
park sits on 199,217.77 acres and sees approximately 1,458,874 visitors
annually. Shenandoah National Park features some impressive waterfalls, ranging
in height from 28 feet to 93 feet.
Yosemite
National Park- Yosemite National Park, founded in 1890 is set in
California, in Madera, Mariposa and Tuolumne counties. The park sits on
761,747.50 acres and sees approximately 4,336,890 visitors annually. The
world-renowned park is famous for its biological diversity, clear streams,
granite cliffs and sequoia groves.
Zion National Park - Zion National Park, conceived in 1919, is found in southwestern Utah, in Iron, Kane and Washington counties. The park sits on 147,237.02 acres and sees approximately 4,504,812 visitors annually. The park features 4 life zones: coniferous forest, desert, riparian and woodland.
DOG FRIENDLY STATE PARKS
Abilene
State Park- Abilene State Park is in Taylor County, Texas. The
529.4-acre park features camping areas, hiking trails, picnic areas and a
swimming pool. Hot Springs State Park- Hot Springs State Park
is in Hot Springs County, Wyoming. The 1,108.67-acre park features hot springs
that constantly flow at a temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Huntington Beach State Park- Huntington Beach
State Park is in Georgetown County, South Carolina. The 2,500-acre park is
popular for its large sandy beach and countless wild birds. Itasca State Park- Itasca State Park is in
Becker, Clearwater and Hubbard counties, within the state of Minnesota. The
32,690-acre park is home to more than 200 species of wild birds. Lost
Dutchman State Park- Lost Dutchman State Park is in Pinal County,
Arizona. The 320-acre park is named after the legendary Lost Dutchman Gold
Mines. Oak Mountain State Park- Oak Mountain State
Park is in Shelby County, Alabama. The 9,940-acre park is home to the Alabama
Wildlife Center and the Oak Mountain BMX Track. Tuttle Creek State Park- Tuttle Creek State
Park is in the state of Kansas. The 1,200-acre park features an artificial
beach, camping sites and nature trails. Remember, the rules vary
at each of these dog-friendly national and state parks, so make sure you take
the time to learn them! We want to be considerate pet parents so we don’t ruin
the fun for anyone else." Thank You for sharing all this great pet travel information Nichole! It will be so helpful in planning dog friendly vacations to National and State Parks. I'm glad you included the point of following the individual rules for each of these parks, as they do vary and most have some restricted access for dogs. One example is that Grand Canyon National Park allows dogs but they don't allow them to hike down the canyon with you, dogs must remain up on the rim. I hope you enjoyed Nichole's dog travel post as much as I did. You can read more from Nichole on the DogVills blog. Happy Trails & Happy Tails!!
Icy on one of our many trips to dog friendly Sedona, Arizona
