Take a Vacation with Your Dog at Canine Club Getaway

By Julia Williams

Even though I’m a diehard “cat lady,” I love all animals including dogs. Lately, I’ve been having a strange desire to get a dog. I say “strange” because I’ve always bonded more with cats than dogs. Plus, it takes considerably more time and effort to be a responsible dog owner than it does to be a responsible cat owner. If your cats are poorly trained it doesn’t really matter, because no one expects you to be able to train cats anyway. Ha ha!

But seriously – one big advantage dogs have over cats is the potential for fun outside the home. There are umpteen dog sports and activities you can participate in with your canine best friend. Cats generally prefer to stay home getting their 16-18 hours of beauty sleep. Most dogs enjoy road trips, and pet-friendly lodging makes it easier than ever to take the pooch along on summer vacations.

Elevating that idea to a whole new level is Canine Club Getaway (CCG), a once-a-year opportunity to take an amazing vacation at a beautiful resort that caters to people AND dogs! Uh oh. I was already feeling the itch to get a dog – and now, after looking at all of the pawesome activities the Canine Club Getaway offers both its two and four-legged guests, I really, really want a dog!


About the Canine Club Getaway

This year’s Getaway is scheduled for June 25-29 in Lake George, New York. Just a 3-1/2 hour drive from the Big Apple, the picturesque Roaring Brook Ranch offers majestic views of the Adirondack Mountains, a beautiful lake and a serene woodsy setting. Roaring Brook Ranch is pet friendly too, which means it’s a perfect place to vacation with your canine best friend!

As long as your dog is friendly towards people and other dogs, is at least four months old, potty trained and immunized, he’ll be welcomed with open paws at The Canine Club Getaway. It doesn’t matter if your dog is young or old, purebred or mutt, an accomplished athlete or a rookie ready to learn some new tricks– there’s plenty of fun to be had by all, including you!  The professional, dog-loving CCG staff includes trainers, dog sport instructors and veterinarians who are committed to making sure you and your dog have a great vacation. 

The Activities

This year’s Canine Club Getaway has something for everyone, from active, sports-loving doggies to the more intellectual types who enjoy learning new things. A partial list of planned activities includes: agility for all levels (beginner to advanced), “barks and crafts,” costume contest, flyball, Frisbee, guided hikes, lure coursing, obedience classes, preparation for the Canine Good Citizen test and the Therapy Dog International test, seminars on canine nutrition, emergency first aid and behavioral issues, swimming lessons, tricks and water games.

Human guests can partake of “yappy hour” at the Bow-Wow Bar, go for a swim in the pool (dogs welcome!), or just relax poolside with your pup. And should your pooch get bitten by the love bug while on vacation, they even have a lovely gazebo for doggie weddings!

Resort-Style Accommodations

There’s no need to “ruff it” just because you’re taking your dog along on your summer vacation. The resort’s spacious rooms are air conditioned and have private bathrooms, and your dog can even sleep on your bed with you, if that’s what floats your boat. The all-inclusive Canine Club Getaway rates start at $1075 and include lodging, three meals daily (Saturday evening through Wednesday morning) and all dog activities. For more information, you can visit the CCG website.

Now, about that dog I’ve been itchin’ to get – I just may do it one day, but probably not in time for this year’s fabulous Canine Club Getaway. Does anybody have a dog they’d be willing to loan me?

Read more articles by Julia Williams

Doggie Daycare

If your dog is a nervous wreck when you get home from work, it might be time to look into some alternative arrangements during the day. 

Luckily we have Doggie Daycare available! 

I know you’re asking yourself, why am I paying for my dog to go to daycare? The interesting thing is that we’re asking, “Why wouldn’t you?”

The most important reason is that if you are even half as busy as we are, you know that coming home to an unexercised, hyperactive pet is not necessarily a good thing. So tell me what you prefer after a long, hard day at work and hours of fighting traffic: a Jack Russell terrier trying to take you down by hopping all over you, or a happy, tired lap-dog who wants to go to sleep as much as you do? 

If the answer is a happy, tired lap dog that wants to sleep, then doggie daycare may be the answer for you. 

A good daycare will let you know how your pet is doing each day socially, physically and emotionally. If your dog is not ready for group play, daycare can keep them exercised and mentally stimulated during their stay. Your dog will get plenty of exercise and have the opportunity to socialize with other dogs. As a result, you will have a much happier and fit pet!

The costs for doggie daycare range so dramatically, I’m not even going to bother to list it here. Much of the cost will depend on where you’re located, your drop-off and pick-up times, and the quality of the facility. 

You want to ensure that the facility is clean, that the staff is highly qualified and that they are insured as a business. The location should be clean, free of any parasites and all pets should be current on their vaccinations. Be sure they feed high-quality snacks, such as CANIDAE Lamb and Rice Snap-Bits.

Take a look in your area to find a place that does doggie daycare. Even if you only take Fido a couple of days a week, we think you’ll be impressed with the benefits a pack can bestow on your pets.

photo credit: Copyright PetsWeekly, 2008

Stacy Mantle

How to Find A Great Pet Boarding Facility

If you’re planning on leaving town and have less than three pets that you can’t really take along with you – a dog resort may be right up your alley. Today we’re going to be looking at Tailwinds Pet Resort in Phoenix, Arizona to give you an idea of what we look for in a pet resort. 

Comfort & Cleanliness

First and foremost, we like clean, comfortable locations that have lots of places to run. Spacious kennels for freedom of movement, and a clean facility to ensure my pet doesn’t come home with any type of parasite (our personal worst nightmare). When you do a walk-thru of the pet resort, take a close look at your surroundings.

• Does the facility smell badly? Remember, it’s filled with animals, so keep the smell thing relative.
  
• Do the animals appear clean, happy and alert? You can tell what an unhappy dog looks like.
  
• Do you notice any bugs? If you see bugs, ticks or fleas on the floor or worse, on the animals, make a run for the door and don’t look back.
  
• What types of cleaners are used? Try to stay with facilities that use all-natural cleaners, but understand that with a lot of animals in their care, it may not always be possible to do that.

Experience

Tailwinds Pet Resort is a relatively new boarding facility run by two women who love pets as much as we do, and they are meticulous. Between the two partners, they have nearly fifty years of experience in the industry and that comes out to a lot of quality care. Some of the questions you want to ask are:

• What kind of experience does your resort have? It should be extensive. 
  
• Are they hiring minimum wage workers to care for your pet or are they paying their workers well? A well-paid employee is a happy employee. 
  
• How involved are the owners? They should be an active part of the business.

Safety

The safety of your pet is of utmost importance. Ensure that no escape from the resort is possible and ask what types of precautions they have built in to the facility. Identify any possible risks that you can see and ask your tour guide about them. Find out if a veterinarian is on-call for the resort and who that vet is. Discuss what the procedure is in the event of a fire or other danger. Ensure that they require documentation that your pet is current on vaccinations, because if they’re asking you, they are asking all of their clients. Most importantly, try to work only with resorts that keep staff on the premises 24-hours a day.

Feeding

The optimal situation for a pet resort is the ability to bring your own food in with your pet. TailWinds house food is organic CANIDAE, All Natural, Human Grade, Holistic Pet to all of their guests and this is a high-quality food that is recommended across the board. If you’re not bringing your own food in, ensure that your resort feeds something as high-quality as CANIDAE. 

This is a brief look at what you need to look for in a pet boarding facility. Of course, cost of stay, activities for pets, interaction between pets and people, and playtime with other pets should also be addressed, but seeing as how we’re out of space on this blog, we’ll be covering that in an upcoming article.

Photo Credit: Copyright TailWinds, 2008

Stacy Mantle