mgfit

We would like to travel from Michigan by car to New York state for a july vacation with our Border Collie. I can easily find hotels/resorts and B&Bs that allow pets, but I am at a loss for things we can do while there with our dog. Can anyone recommend pet friendly activities in New York? We are open to locations - I have been thinking about the Finger Lakes or Catskills, but will take other suggestions. My husband and I like wineries, dining, shopping, the beach, hiking and site seeing. We just don't know of places that are doggie friendly. Any suggestions from you New Yorkers would be appreciated!!! TIA!

Scarlett

Overall, I have found most NY places, including in NYC to be fairly dog friendly. Outdoor cafes usually allow dogs. We used to take our pup (Standard Poodle) on hikes and long walks in the woods all over Upstate NY (near Woodstock/Catskills/Rhinebeck)
Anywhere that grows things ( wineries/nurseries/apple orchards) you might have a problem, they don't encourage dogs.
Beaches might be a problem.
Best thing to do is get a New York State Tourist book, look online..and look in the local online pages, such as Woodstock, etc.
In Woodstock there is a guy that rides his motorcyle with his dog in the sidecar, so your pup might be quite comfortable there, LOL.
Good luck, have a great time!
* I did find out when traveling with our pup, hotels do not want you leaving the dog in the room alone. And if you do, they need to be crated. Mine howled when we left him, or stood at the door and growled when he heard soemone walk past ~hey, he is a watchdog!~so we had to keep him with us all the time ((&))

wliwl

How do you feel about camping? All the state campgrounds in the Adirondacks take dogs. You can hike, boat (if your pooch likes to boat - mine do), take it to Lake Placid for a day trip (lots of sidewalk cafes), generally hang by the campfire...

mgfit

I am not much of a camper....my husband would like it, but I have only done it once and didn't sleep the whole time! Doesn't sound like much of a vacation to me! (sorry....to those who enjoy camping..).

I will see what info I can get from the State of NY. I figured hiking and window shopping in small towns would be some things to do. I thought a beach would be fun...she has only been swimming once and loved it. I just have to find a lake or something that is doggie friendly.

I figure we can do picnics for lunch if we bring a cooler and either outdoor cafes for dinner or carry out back in our hotel.

I just need to think of enough things to do with our fur-baby during the day. We are ok chilling in the room or at an outdoor cafe with a few glasses of wine in the evenings.

Any other places you have taken your pets?

Thanks!

mclaurie

I am a dog lover of the nth degree, but after driving from NY to Fla with my lovely boy last year, unless your dog is very mellow, I don't recommend this trip.

One MAJOR issue is most hotels won't allow you to leave the dog in the room unattended (and you probably wouldn't want to-what would happen if they came to clean the room and the dog got out.) Not to mention that he may start barking the minute you leave. So you will have to take the dog EVERYWHERE with you.

You can't leave him in the car in July. What will he do while you're at a winery, eating or shopping? The only other possibility is if you rent a pet friendly vacation home somewhere so you could leave him at the house. But then, what's the point of taking him? Honestly, it sounds like a good idea but it's really not if you're not into camping.

Scarlett

We rented a house in the Berkshires one August for just that reason. At least when I was out shopping or at a concert on a 90 degree day, he would be home in the a/c, doing what dogs do when left alone..sleeping and watching the squirrels from the glass doors!
mcclaurie is right, you cannot leave him in the car, you cannot take him to a market, and I think there are a limited amount of camp grounds that even like dogs anymore.

wliwl

I think you will have to try to rent a private cabin that will let you bring a dog. Could be tough. The "public" beaches in the Adirondacks (either those at the state campgrounds which you can pay a "day use" fee, or the town beaches) will not permit dogs on them. The thing with camping is the campsites are frequently on water and so you can let your dog swim in the area that isn't the public beach. If you hike though you can nearly always find some pond to dip in...

I can understand your reluctance to camp. We've done it a few times, and I'd do it again under certain circumstances, but it is a lot of work. My problem even camping with the dogs is making sure they don't bark. We brought our dogs on college tours last summer (have a son who's looking at colleges) and it was a little tricky. We only did it because we couldn't get the dog sitter and were very tight on time. It is a big disadvantage to not be able to leave the dog in the car at all. We had to eat all take out or sidewalk cafes. We had to stay at one REALLY crummy hotel because I couldn't find one in the area that would take the dogs that was decent. (On other stops the hotel were good.)

Anywya, try a few realtors int he Adirondacks and see if they have anything to offer. It really is a great place!

mgfit

I have thought about some of the things mclaurie brought up, that is why I am looking for things we can do together with the dog. I would never leave her in the car...I don't even do that when it is cool outside (she is completely spoiled and I worry too much!). We may be ok with a rustic cabin, hiking and being by a lake. I am not concerned about dining out a lot....I would be ok with BBQ-ing or even getting carry out and bringing it back to the cabin. I am just looking for dog friendly areas for hiking, swiming, outdoor cafes or any other suggestions.....We know it won't be our typical vacation, but we vacation (without our dog) quite a bit so this would be casual and for her too . Bring on any more suggestions if you have them! Thanks everyone! (PS. I don't like camping because I am allergic to mosquito bites!!!)

wliwl

Oh dear, if you are allegic to mosquito bites you might want to skip the whole idea of the Adirondacks...

mclaurie

I suggest rather than our suggesting areas and activities you do the search in reverse. Find places that would allow the dog and then we can tell you what there is to do there. Go to vrbo.com and check whether you find any rentals that allow the dog that appeal to you price and amenity wise.

Another thought is to check the websites that list pet friendly hotels. Here's one that also has info on pet friendly beaches, parks etc.
http://www.petfriendlyhotelsandtravel.com/

Pat2003

if you are alergic to mosquitos skip finger lakes, catskills, adirondacks, berkshires, maine, new hampshire, vermont, pennsylvania, and many other states and places. Michigan too has its share of mosquitos. Visited all the above places and each has mosquitos. How do you deal with them in Michigan? The same would apply to any place you visit. One more thing, I don't think your dog would realy enjoy window shopping

radiofanatic

Every year, we stay in a cabin at Palmer Point in Old Forge in the Adirondacks - they have a cabin which allows dogs and there are a lot of nearby hiking trails - our dog loves it! You can also rent a boat with your dog on Fourth lake if you desire.