Nova Scotia with a dog
 

Hi
We are planning a ten day trip to Nova Scotia in July. We are thinking of taking the ferry from St. John. staying in Digby or in the Annapolis Valley then heading towards Cape Breton for four days. We love to hike and be in nature as well as one or two historical sites. What beaches on the eastern shore allow dogs? Any ideas of where we can stay with our friendly Labrador retriever or places we can visit would be great.
Thanks,

We live in NS part of the year and have a dog and take her on most of our hikes. There are restrictions in "high season" that are enforced esp. in the national provincial parks. But mostly, its keep your dog on a lead if others are around.

You will find by asking dog-friendly locals that there are beaches that do welcome well-behaved animals and their equally well-behaved (ie. armed with scoop bags) owners: for example, check out the beach at the bend on Second Peninsula 5 minutes outside Lunenburg...esp. early in the morning.

Thanks for the info. We will have our dog on a leash while hiking in the parks. We are also thinking of staying in Halifax for two nights or stay one of the nights in Lunenburg to see the coast around there. Our lab would love the ocean and beach near Lunenburg.
Our plans are in flux but we are now thinking of the following plan
two nights in Bar Harbor Maine (we live in Boston MA)
two nights near the Fundy Park in New Brunswick
three nights in Cape Breton maybe Baddeck
two nights in Halifax
Any helpful ideas for places to stay would be great.

Mariluz: sounds good with a slight caveat...thats a lot of driving.

On the other hand, we love Bar Harbor and so you can't miss that (there is a charming park above the harbour on a hill where I have spent many a happy hour with one or other of a series of Cairn Terriers waiting for the rest of the family to finish shopping!)

Fundy is really neat with many hiking trails and lots to see.

Personally, I would re-balance the Nova Scotia end of things a bit to allow yourself more time around Lunenburg, South Shore, maybe steal one night from Halifax?

There is Mahone Bay and Kejimikujjik and Seaside Adjunct park and The Ovens and so forth in that South Shore area...all the towns along that Lighthouse Route are strung together with little family beaches apart from the big provincial parks, too.

There is a dog-friendly motel called the Comfort Inn in Bedford (which is a suburb of Halifax). You can see Halifax from the verandah of the Inn and then head on into town and be there in 10 minutes, knowing that doogy is welcome.

I am a south NS person so will let others with more knowledge of Cape Breton answer about that end of things!

Have a wonderful trip!

Make sure that you have all the necessary paperwork showing vaccination for rabies.

For Canada: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publicati...eng.html#s2x12 (scroll down to "Animals")

For re-entering the USA: http://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs....i=&p_topview=1

Oh, yes, VERY good point...we do border crossings maybe 10 times a year with pooch...and 9 out of 10, get no notice at all or "cute dog" from guards.

However, last May we got dinged good, prevented from entering US altogether, until we got our vet to FAX paperwork to the border station. Whew-good lesson: we now travel with a full set of all records!

Thanks for the info. I am going to the vets tomorrow to get the rabies certification. I know we also now need to bring our passports!
LJ, We love going to Bar Harbor and thought it would be a good place to stop after driving for six plus hours and take a hike in the next day. Your idea about staying one night in Halifax and one night in Lunenburg sounds good. Do you know of any places that are dog friendly in Lunenburg?

The Lunenburg Arms Hotel and Spa welcomes dogs. There may be others...you might want to check out bbcanada.com and look under South Shore and then Lunenburg...there are over 25 listings and some others may let you bring pets.

So glad that Toedtoes chimed in on another NS thread: I had forgotten all about her great experience at the Atlantic View Motel and Cottages...they welcome well-behaved dogs and, from what I have seen and TT said, it is absolutely charming.Give it a try, so much nicer if you can sit out at the end of the day with a nice glass of something and have doggy with you!

Thanks for the suggestions for places to stay. Any other helpful ideas would be great for our following itinerary.
2 nights Bar Harbor Maine (we will be driving from Massachusetts
2 nights Alma NB Bay of Fundy
3 nights Cape Breton Island
2 night Halifax
1 night Luneneburg
1 night in Maine
We might be in Halifax when the tall ships are there. What would that be like with our dog? Not sure about taking public transportation with her and what parking will be like.

Personally, I would not take Betty, the Cairn Terrier dockside in Halifax when the Tall Ships were there. Too many people, too much confusion, she might get stepped on and its one of the few places that you wouldn't find that much needed 'green space'. However, if you are staying at the Comfort Inn Bedford (Halifax), not only do they welcome dogs, but they have a lovely verandah where you MAY be able to see the ships (ask).

The White House in Bangor, ME takes dogs (and Dysarts the restaurant next door is an amazingly good truck-stop diner, a genuine Maine institution).