Vacation in the Rockies with Dog
 

This year my boyfriend and I added an addition to our family with a beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog puppy!
She is the LOVE of our life.

We spend a lot of time in NH in Washington Valley for vacations-hiking, canoeing, and being up in the mountains with her. (My parents have a log cabin we visit)

Next year we are hoping to take a vacation on the other side of the country in Colorado and visit the mountain ranges there.

WE MUST take our baby with us! However, she will be quite large by then. Her full size will be around 90 lbs.

We are looking for the following suggestions:

Great Areas for our destination where we can hike, swim, canoe, enjoy the outdoors in Colorado (Aspen? Denver?)
Flight recommendations for large breed dogs or travel recommendations

We hope we can bring her and experience Colorado's beautiful country with her by our side. Just like we do in NH.

Flying with large dogs is NOT recommended fr purposes of a brief vacation. the dog won;t like it, it's expensive and not especially safe. Traveling by car is one thing - flying quite another.

Also not sure where you are planning on staying - but unless you are camping you may well have trouble finding a place that will let you take a dog - esp such a huge one,

Strongly suggest you reconsider. And have a long talk with your vet before considering this. Much as you may love him - a dog is NOT a child.

Flying with a dog of that size required the dog be put in baggage hold, a truly frightening experience with awful noises.

IF an airline will take the dog in SUMMER depends on the carrier. When we had no choice [we were moving without a car] we had to be sure the flight was non-stop; and that the plane had to land before a certain time to ensure that the tarmac temps weren't above a certain level.

We did fly the dog on United on the first flight from JFK to DEN. It cost $300 and that was in 2001. The dog made it, but was really stressed and lost a lot of fur immediately after the flight.

You need to check each airline as to their restrictions.

Also, aside from hotels not taking a dog of that size; in many areas dogs are not allowed or are not allowed off leash. Canoe?? What are you going to do with the dog while you are canoeing?

Please rethink this - find a dog sitter, a friend or family member or a kennel. The dog really would be so much better off staying home.

Another vote for reconsideration. When we were preparing to move overseas, I contacted United Airlines 4 times (three telephone calls, one email) to ask general questions about flying our 60 pound Foxhound to Europe from DC. And never once received a response.

Thankfully we flew Austrian Airlines, and the process, though very expensive, went well. The flight crew notified me when the dog was being boarded, and allowed us to deplane earlier than other passengers in order to retrieve him. Still, he required a large kennel and a variety of "approved" padding and bedding (not inexpensive), and was not himself for a week or so after we arrived.

Europe is more dog-friendly than the US, and he travels with us via car and train all the time, but we would never consider taking him with us if we were flying within the continent. That's what dog/house sitters are for.

I love my pets more than any people I know! That's why, when I travel, I leave them in their own home in familiar surroundings with someone who loves them too. If you don't have anyone to stay in your house, ask the vet techs at your vet's if they provide that service. I did that once and it was great.

Colorado in particular is very dog friendly. BUT what everyone says is correct--about a vacation time. We have flown our daughter's dog to and from Denver a few times--not that big, but still big. There are vet certificates that are needed, and I was almost beside myself wondering WHERE he was when we were about to leave.
Since then, there have been truly horrendous stories about animals in cargo. Don't do it for a vacation--only when absolutely required.

We have a vacation home 1500 miles from our permanent home and fly our 70lb dog when we visit for a month or less and drive when we travel there for any longer period of time. We have used United's Pet Safe program (formerly Continentals) and have had good luck. We always accompany the dog on the same flights.

Having said that you may want to reconsider when you add up the costs. First you need a health certificate from your vet within 10 days of flying that cost anywhere from $25-$50. That means if your trip is longer than 10 days you will need to get one for the outbound and one for the inbound flight. The last time we flew our dog was in January and it cost us just under $400 EACH WAY. (As a comparison our tickets were $350 round trip.) You also must have an approved dog crate that the dog can stand up in with clearance all around. And one more thing, you will need to drop the dog at air freight 2 hours before your flight and in our experience it takes a good 20 minutes to process the paperwork if no one is before you. One more thing, remember you must get a rental car that will fit the dog crate and then lots of rental car companies have a clause in their contracts that prohibit pets.

Yes, we still do that about once a year but it really is nuts - I know.

If you must take your puppy with you, then you must drive out to CO. You proabably already know that driving with a pet takes longer.

You need to look at vrbo.com for rental properties that allow pets and be willing to pay the extra charges for pet properties. You will need to take an exercise pen with you to secure her in the rental property, unless they have an outside dog run (which some do).

Also be aware that dogs are not allowed on the trails or lakes of Natl Parks and there are many mountain areas where they are not allow either - due to the fact that those areas are watershed for the cities below, or other reasons.

Think HOT. Think ALTITUDE. Think UNFRIENDLY towards dogs who are not familiar with the climate.Think DEHYDRATION. Think UNFAIR.

A mountain dog does not constitute MOUNTAINS. I wouldn't do it for the various reasons I've listed and for the air travel.

Hang out at home with your dog. He'll love you for it.

I guess I just think "Would I want to be in a crate in the freight area of an airplance? For hours?"
Of course, my answer is no.

I truly understand wanting your pet with you all the time. I miss mine the worst when we are separated. But it's not about my feelings. It's about the comfort of my loved ones. As rescues, they've been through enough anxiety, trauma and uncertainty to be in a freight crate.

The condos and hotels I know of in CO, that accept dogs, only allow small ones. And I agree that flying the dog would be too unsettling for him.

BTW, Bernese mountain dogs are so gorgeous. You must post a pic!

You could find a boarding facility that has a video system that you can log into to "see" your dog.

Would yo put your human baby in a crate, load him or her in the hold on a conveyor belt, and have bounce around in the dark for three or four hours?

Dogs are allowed on most trails in Colorado, but are generally not appreciated. They don't belong in the back country.

Where they are allowed they should be leashed and under tight control. If not, dog owners risk being on the receiving end of fellow hikers ire.

P.S. National Parks do not allow dogs, likewise for several local and regional parks. Make sure you check regulations before heading out on a trail with your dog.

It's a contentious issue, even in dog-friendly communities like the Republic of Boulder.

Yes, please leave your dogs at home when hiking. I don't know what it is, the altitude, the constant parade of people or the surprises around a bend, but even calm dogs can have issues on trails. And remember: Dogs are like children. Everyone loves their own, but not necessarily yours.

I do have a Facebook friend who is the founder and CEO of 1800GOTMOLD who took his dog Oreo on JetBlue in the passenger compartment. They flew together from Newark to Florida to do a job. I don't know if they flew home or took a rental car.
You really don't want your dog to get exposed to infected ticks and have someone get Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

What suewoo said.

Or drive.

Inn at Silver Creek
62927 US Highway 40, Granby, CO 80446 allows dogs of all types .. Granby is on the west side of the Rocky Mtn National Park .. we had a great time there with plenty of room for the dog to play .. the National Park allows dogs but in places states no dogs on trails, something about dog poop is not environmentally friendly .. I would consider driving the dog instead of flying it, others seem to agree .. La Quinta hotels are very dog friendly if your traveling and need a place to stay .. good luck and have fun