Today was a BEAUTIFUL sunny Sunday in Seattle! Not the first day of Spring, but the first day it really felt like the flowers would begin to bloom. While I’ve enjoyed playing on the snow-packed mountains with the pups, I’m thrilled for the abundance of warm weather, fur-friendly activities. Below is the beginning of our 2010 Spring/Summer must-do list. Lots to do, but I’m sure I’m missing a ton of hidden, creative and downright fun ideas, and that’s where you come in. Big and small, all ideas are welcome and appreciated.

Dogland Approved Activities

• Hop the ferry and float your way to the San Juan Islands for a relaxing weekend with your dog(s)
• Step into action and walk for a cause. We had a great time participating in last year’s Walk for the Animals and can’t wait for round two. September 26, 2010 (we’ll post more on this later)
• Escape the bustling city and head south to the Oregon Coast where you and your pooch can pop a tent and unwind to the sounds of the sea
• Grab your pup, then grab a brew at Norm’s Eatery & Ale House
• If you only have an hour or two, visit your local dog park (Magnuson’s our favorite), stroll around the neighborhood and let your dog socialize and smell the activity around them, or get a heart pumping exercise in with a hike through one of the thousands of Washington trails

Above all else, don’t forget to keep your dogs cool in the heat.

Happy adventures!

Santa was good to us this year, bringing us snowshoes and warm weather gear. To show our appreciation, we made the trek to Stevens Pass, hitched the huskies up to long leads and hiked our way through the snow and up to some of the best views I’ve seen in a long time. Even Jenna (the foster husky who recently found her perfect forever home) made the trip.

I can definitely say I am now a true fan of snowshoeing. LOVE IT! Even when Kaiya dragged me down a good size hill on my back screaming and laughing all to be clothes-lined by Jeff and Ruckus at the bottom. At least they stop us from going off the side. But more than me, our dogs loved snowshoeing. For them (and us) it means lots of exercise, cold weather and piles of snow to play in.

Next up… Snoqualmie!

What to take for your pups:

• Long lead, preferably attached to a harness: Our “kids” are too young still and their prey drive is on overload, so unlike Jenna, they aren’t quite ready to go off leash; I’m looking forward to the day they’re ready for this.
• Snacks: To avoid the dreadful bloat, make sure you don’t feed your pooch a big meal right before they exercise. However, like you they’ll likely want a couple of treats if you take a break mid-hike. Then, following the hike they’ll be ready to chow down.
• Water: Our dogs were more interested in eating the snow than drinking the water we brought, but still a good idea to have on hand since they’re working up a sweat like you. And don’t forget the water bowl.
• Proper attire: I know, who says this for dogs, but it’s true. If you dog has a short coat and you plan on being outside for a good amount of time, pack them a warm waterproof dog jacket. You also never know when a storm may roll in and better to be prepared than watch your furry loved one shivering.

University Village was all the buzz, or should I say bark, this morning as hundreds of puppies from all corners of Seattle came out to support the Seattle Humane Society for the “Walk for the Animals” fundraiser. Ferdie, Winnie, Kaiya and Ruckus were all there (with owners in tow) to strut their stuff for the 5k walk around Sand Point neighborhood.

Some of the finer points:

• Well organized, easy to register, great t-shirts for the humans and fun scarves for the dogs.
• A little bit of a bottle neck for the first few blocks as we wound our way around the shops and up to the trail with a couple of stops to allow for cars to pass, but nothing too devastating and it allowed for us to gab with each other.
• Friendly vendors with great samples like the 100% freeze dried wild Alaskan salmon bites from Wild Side Salmon (good for dogs and cats).
• Fun to see dogs of all breeds and ages coming together and getting along.
• The Humane Society had dogs on site for adoption. For those who couldn’t attend and are interested,

 

All-in-all a great way to spend a Sunday morning. Helping a notable charity by donating and raising funds that contributed in a small way to the approximately $100k raised towards saving the lives of animals, took a nice walk on a brisk morning with the pups, and watched our fluffy kids enjoy the company with a few hundred of their closest friends. Not too bad, huh!

Angela just posted here about the joys of (and preparations for!) camping with your dog.  What if you want to head to one of Seattlites’ favorite escapes, the San Juan Islands?  Dogs are allowed to travel by ferry, but a few tips before heading out.

• Driving onto the ferry is probably your best option with a dog, although they need to stay on the car deck (and so should you – frequent car horns and ferry noises can cause anxiety for a pup who’s been left alone in the car for an hour and a half).
• If you need to walk on, dogs are allowed onto the ferry deck, but not in the passenger decks.  Be prepared to stay on the car deck for the full trip.
• Each ferry has a small, (very) informal area for passengers with dogs, usually at the front of the boat.  There are a few chairs, but be prepared to sit amongst equipment and with any other dogs that might be making the trip.
• Buying tickets: there is no extra fee to walk on with your dog, but getting your “human ticket” can be a pain, since you can’t bring Fido into the waiting room at Anacortes.  I recommend driving through to purchase your ticket in the vehicle line and then cutting off to the parking lot.

Several San Juan and Orcas hotels and camping sites are dog-friendly – be sure to check before you head out.  If you make it to Eastsound on Orcas Island, there is a great dog park in town to tire out your canine companion.  Muddy beaches abound on all islands, so be sure to bring an old towel!

If you and your city dog are looking for budget-friendly ways to escape urban life on the weekends, look no further than your local state park campgrounds.

The Pacific Northwest is a camper’s dream: mild temperatures, plenty of coastal and inland options, well-maintained campgrounds, hikes through lush forests…I could go on and on. For dogs, a few days spent outside with their people surrounded by 10,000 new smells and endless exercise options is an absolute fantasy.

A few tips for camping with your dog:

• Do your homework before you book. Most campgrounds allow friendly, leashed dogs at campsites but not all do. Pay particular attention to national parks and forests. Even if your dog is allowed on the campground, it may not be allowed to join you on planned hikes throughout the wilderness.
• Take care of any flea and tick protection needs before you leave. ‘Nough said.
• Bring a stake and tie-out cord. Nearly every campground that allows dogs requires them to be on a leash, but does not necessarily restrict them to a six-foot leash. Bring a longer tie-out cord so Fido has more leeway to explore.
• Pick-up after your dog. Same rules that apply in the city apply in nature.
• If your dog is a barker, be prepared to manage it. No one appreciates waking up at 5 a.m. to barking from a nearby campsite. If your dog tends to startle easily and has difficulty calming down, have a way to manage it. We bring Winnie’s crate along with us, and when she barks she goes in her crate in the car to calm down. Works every time.
• Pack a bag for your pup. So much of camping involves sitting around a fire cooking, drinking and chatting. This is a young dog’s idea of BORING. Be sure to bring toys and treats from home to keep your dog entertained when the group wants to be mellow.

So far, we’ve taken Winnie to Beverly Beach State Park in Newport, OR as well as Riffe Lake Campground in Mossyrock, WA. Both are great for dogs, though Beverley Beach was Winnie’s favorite because of the nearby easy water access and large sandy beaches. If your dog loves water, this is the campground for you.

 Where else do folks like to camp with their dogs?

Sometimes, my dog can be the devil. People don’t expect it from Winnie. “But she’s so cute! She’s so sweet!” Yes, she is both of those things about 80 percent of the time. But, the remaining 20 percent? Welcome, Mr. Hyde.

Winnie is good-natured, but she’s sassy. Where this behavior tends to rear its ugly head most frequently is on runs when she insists on fighting over control of the leash. (Looks like: her growling and grabbing the leash in her mouth, either pulling it in a game of tug of war or jumping up on me to try and get me to tug back.) It’s embarrassing, it’s irritating and it can be unsafe. She almost caused a biker to crash on the Fremont Bridge a couple of weeks ago…yikes!

I’ve tried several tactics for discouraging this behavior including:

• Spraying Bitter Apple on her leash
• Rubbing hot sauce on her leash
• Wrapping aluminum foil around her leash
• Turning my back and ignoring her for 60 seconds
• Moving her harness hook from her chest to her back, removing the leash from her sight
• Rewarding her every 30-60 seconds with a treat on runs when she’s behaving well
• Telling her to ‘drop it’
• Offering her a rawhide in exchange for the leash to bite

Nothing. Works. I’m at the point of trying a gentle lead (this is after she’s destroyed two harnesses and is working on destroying her third), and if that fails, I’m seriously considering a muzzle. It’s simply unbearable to run this dog on a leash, and I’m at my wit’s end for how to correct this behavior.

Any suggestions??