Planning your perfect holiday is stressful at the best of times- never mind with a dog. If you’re considering taking your best friend on holiday with you, there’s so much to think about. How do you get to your destination? If it’s abroad, do they need jabs? Do they have to stay in quarantine? How will you get there? Can you register them as an emotional support animal on the plane? Where can you stay? What can you do? From these few questions it’s easy to see that when holiday time comes around it can be tough being a pet owner. All your friends are going to exotic destinations but you can’t bear the thought of leaving your pup behind in an animal shelter for two weeks. You can’t give him to the neighbours/relatives again either- not after he made a dog’s dinner of their new carpet… Well, don’t despair; here are a few suggestions for the perfect dog-friendly holiday for you and your sidekick.
If you’re looking for something simple and to really get back to nature, a camping trip is a great way to get you and your hound off on your hols. Out in the countryside, many campsites are canine friendly and located in great areas with beautiful open landscapes just waiting for you and your pooch to explore. Go for a hill walk and settle down for lunch in a cosy rural pub, many of whom are dog friendly and will have a bowl of water on hand. You could even go somewhere with beaches or rugged coastline where you can throw sticks into the sea and let you four-legged friend play fetch until their heart’s content. On the other hand, go inland for moors and woodland- just make sure they are on a lead when in a field with farm animals!
On the other hand, why not ramp up your wild side even further and try a skiing holiday? You can have all the fun you normally would on the beach or in the woods but can have a blast on the snow at the same time. There are a number of ski destinations and accommodations catering for the main mutt and their gang, from hotel apartments to magnificent ski chalets.
If a luxury ski chalet with hot tub sounds like just your thing but the wild side of a skiing trip is barking up the wrong tree for what you want in a holiday, maybe a luxury, boutique pet spa is for you. From grand hotels in California offering wax and chiropractic treatments to amazing getaways just for your pet, the beauty of this is you don’t even have to be there at all or can simply see your dog between sessions for the best of both worlds. With training, daily messages and pics of your pooch on social media to show you how they are getting on with their new pals, you’ll be sure they’ll be having a blast on the farm’s state of the art play area, whether you’re there or not.
Meanwhile, if you want something a bit more chilled, but still down to earth, holiday cottages could be the way to go. With many happily accepting hounds or indeed designed totally around the needs of the family mascot, you’ll be far from stuck for choice. These range from simple little beam houses with open fires and cosy rugs to modern mini-mansion with HD TVs and sprawling grounds and gardens.
As you can see, your holiday plans don’t need to go to the dogs. Just think carefully about the type of experience you want and you’ll be sure to find something matching your (and your dog’s) needs.
