Dog Jaunt

I’ve reported before on the under-seat measurements of United’s 757-200 planes. A few days ago, I flew on a United 757 Overwater plane, and although SeatGuru does not break United’s 757 Overwaters out into a separate category of 757-200s, there were some differences in the under-seat spaces you should know about.

Once again, I was sitting in Economy Plus. There are three seats on each side. As with the 757-200, your best choice is a middle seat, followed by a window seat. I was given an aisle seat, but its under-seat space is only 13″ wide. The middle seat space is just 18.5″ wide, and the window seat is about an inch narrower. In a 757 Overwater, the life vest packets contain life vests, so the height of the under-seat space (once those packets are pressed upwards against the bottom of the seat) is 10 inches.

On this flight Chloe traveled in her large SturdiBag. I swapped places with the man who had been assigned the middle seat (who thanked me repeatedly), and her carrier fit comfortably under the available space.

This post is part of an ongoing series recording under-seat measurements of the various planes we fly on. Keep in mind that most domestic and international airlines have rules about the maximum size of in-cabin pet carriers they allow on board (see Dog Jaunt’s handy charts under the “Guides” tab above).

A while back I wrote a post about the phrases you might want to master ahead of time so you can chat with French dog owners. One of the things we like most about traveling with Chloe is the way it creates opportunities for friendly encounters with people we wouldn’t ordinarily have a reason to meet, and I wanted to be prepared for our upcoming trip to Paris. Time passed by, and a Dog Jaunt reader wrote in that she and her husband, visiting Paris and the châteaux of the Loire, had been disappointed in that regard — so Walter and I arrived in Paris with altered expectations.

I agree that walking Chloe around Paris is not quite the same as walking her around Seattle or New York — I’m no ethnologist, but it’s clear that while an American’s default expression is a smile, a French person’s default expression is neutral (which to us is alarmingly dour). We’d noticed that on previous trips, but Christie’s message was a timely reminder of that important cultural difference.

In Paris, I do not typically catch an approaching dog owner’s eye and smile, as I do at home, but more often than not our dogs have met and sniffed and invited each other to play (or not) — no cross-cultural issues for them! — and the other dog’s owner has then cooed over Chloe. Less often, they’ve followed up with a few words to us, but the ones that have have been as friendly as their U.S. counterparts. On several occasions, a dog’s owner has hustled his or her pup past Chloe, but my impression was that the owner was either in a hurry or wasn’t confident that their dog would be friendly — and that happens at home, too.

Coffee with Chloe in Paris

So far, in short, having Chloe along has had its usual effect on our travels. One powerful example of The Chloe Effect occurred on our first morning, when we presented ourselves at a bar for an urgently-needed coffee. The bartender gave us what we ordered, and moved the sugar bowl to our part of the counter, all without any change of expression. From his point of view, none was needed — we asked for coffee, and he provided it. When he came around the counter to do something elsewhere in the bar, however, he bent over Chloe and spent a solid minute patting her and twirling his finger temptingly around her nose (which she thought was swell, so she licked him). He was, in reality, a total marshmallow of a bartender, but we would never have known that if Chloe hadn’t been at our feet — we knew he wasn’t actually mean, or even grumpy, but it warmed up the morning to see him messing with Chloe.

Since then, we’ve had happy encounters with several terriers and Bichon/Poodle fluffballs, as well as a couple of unleashed spaniels. A senior gentleman with a 5 year-old Cavalier agreed today that Cavaliers are the finest dogs ever made. A MinPin urged Chloe to play — unsuccessfully, since Chloe has no room in her head for anything but pigeons. A senior, handicapped lady on the bus saw Chloe in her carrier, observed that Cavaliers are super-sweet, and tried to get me to take her seat. A pair of ladies walking by came completely unglued over her — I now know that “trop mignonne” is French for “too cute.” One of our waiters followed us out of the restaurant to say good-bye to Chloe and give her a wine cork to play with — he was a goofball to start with, but we wouldn’t have known quite how much of a goofball if Chloe hadn’t been with us.

As I said, Christie’s comment was a good reminder of important cultural differences between Americans and the French, and saved us from the disappointment we’ve experienced on past trips (before we adjusted, and toned down our own smiles), but I’m happy to report that, with Chloe, we’re meeting a variety of Parisians in a way we wouldn’t have on our own.

There were too few dog travel links last week to merit an entire Chloe’s Clicks post, so that means that this week’s post will be longer than usual. Let’s start with a handful of good news, bad news posts. The good news includes three posts about dog-friendly cities in the U.S. Two of them, a post from the wonderful ohmidog! and another from the Los Angeles Times, are about Provincetown, on Cape Cod (declared America’s dog-friendliest city last week by Dog Fancy magazine). The third is a list from The Traveling House/Pet Sitter Blog of her five favorite dog-friendly cities — as always, I question Austin, given that city’s rule against pet dogs on public transit, but her suggestions are well worth checking out.

While we’re loosely on the subject of best-of lists, here’s another one, from LocalGetaways.com, of four dog-friendly beaches in California (in Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Carmel and Mendocino) and one in South Lake Tahoe, NV.

On the bad news side are two posts about cities that should be dog-friendly, but actually aren’t. The first is Sonoma, CA, which has gotten a bit of bad press recently for its negative attitude towards dogs (this post, from Sonoma resident Dog’s 2 Cents, highlights the problems of local — and visiting — dog owners). The other is Boulder, CO, which has an extremely misleading reputation as a dog-friendly town. Here’s a post from Elephant‘s Waylon Lewis, writing for The Huffington Post, about what makes Boulder, his beloved hometown, such a wretched place to live in or visit with a dog, and how that could be changed.

On the very bad news side, take a look at Tuesday’s post from the great Everywhereist about a disastrous recent visit to Ashland, OR. The author and her husband stayed at the Plaza Inn & Suites at Ashland Creek, which put them in a pet-friendly room for their first night. Both Geraldine and her husband are allergy-prone, but perhaps they would have survived the kinds of dog-friendly rooms I’ve seen so far in my travels with Chloe. This room, however, was “a Wookie harem” of dust, dog hair, dander and urine. Things got even worse, but this is a dog travel blog, and I’ll focus my outrage on the dog-related part of the problem. The Plaza Inn & Suites welcomes dogs up to 60 lbs. for a fee of $25 per night. That’s not a huge pet fee, but it’s noticeable. It should certainly cover the extra cost of thoroughly cleaning a room in which a dog has stayed. When so many other hotels are managing to keep their pet-friendly rooms immaculate (I’m a picky traveler, and I’m allergic to cats and dogs, so I’d notice if the rooms I’ve stayed in have been soiled), there is no excuse for filth. Pet travel is a delight and a convenience for dog owners, and promises to be profitable for hoteliers, but only if both dog owners and hotels make it a success.

And now for something completely different. Looking for “football-friendly, dog-approved snacks” for your next tailgate party? Dog Jaunt‘s friend Karen Friesecke, the genius behind Doggie Stylish, was recently asked for her ideas for an article in Pet Enthusiast magazine, and of course they’re good ones. Check out Karen’s suggestions for tailgating treats — the article starts on page 8.

If you’re considering international travel with your dog, take a look at a couple of recent posts on foXnoMad for some very useful tips and links (including, yes, links to a couple of Dog Jaunt posts!): “The Ultimate Guide to Traveling Internationally with Your Pets,” Part 1 and Part 2.

At this point, the links become very random indeed. Jerry, of Romeo Victor, recently flew a very large dog named Sassy in very small plane from Pulaski, TN to her new owner in Antlers, OK. If you’ve ever wondered how to fly a dog securely in a small plane, check out his post.

Looking for a dog-friendly place to stay in the Atherton Tablelands region of Queensland, Australia? Consider Chilverton Cottages & Fine Dining, which Dog Jaunt applauds for its enthusiastic dog-friendly policy. Take a look at their blog post featuring a photograph of two recent visitors, Bruce (a spaniel) and Cruiser (a Beagle). (I’m grateful, too, to the Chilverton Cottages site because it brought to my attention Holidaying with Dogs, a resource I hadn’t seen before, devoted to locating and rating dog-friendly places to stay across Australia).

Last, but not least, are some charming pictures from Lupikona of the author’s dogs Lupita and Kona visiting a “dog-friendly Starbucks” in Hong Kong — no, the girls weren’t allowed inside, but the author was delighted by the leash hooks and water bowl provided by the management.

You need to have four things in hand to take your dog to France from the United States:

1. Proof, in the form of a “Rabies Vaccination Certificate,” that your dog’s rabies vaccination is current. According to the French Embassy, “every animal must have a valid rabies vaccination, even if less than 3 months old. If it is the first rabies vaccination for the pet, you must wait 21 days between the last shot of the vaccination protocol and departure.”

2. A state health certificate (officially called a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection), filled out and signed by your veterinarian. This is the half-page document you typically acquire before flying with your dog to another state. They’re also a feature of international travel, and most airlines require that they be completed within 10 days of travel. Since the same exam can support both this state health certificate and the health certificate you need to get into France (below), you might want to schedule just one appointment with your vet, within 10 days of departure.

3. A health certificate (“Certificat Vétérinaire”) of the correct form (if you are traveling on the same plane as your dog, make sure you have the form saying “for non-commercial movements”), filled out and signed by a USDA-certified veterinarian and endorsed by the USDA. Let’s break that sentence down into parts:

a. I wrote yesterday about getting the correct, current form of health certificate for pet travel overseas. The best way is to go to the USDA’s website and download the form for the country you’re visiting; consider making a follow-up call to your local USDA office to learn about any very recent changes. The form is free.

b. My regular vet turned out to be USDA-certified — call yours, and see if you’re already in the right hands. Make sure your vet fills out and signs the form in BLUE ink, not black ink. Together, the exam and the two health certificates cost us just over $260.

c. You can either make an appointment and bring the completed form to your state’s USDA office for endorsement (that’s what I chose to do, since I’m anxious and the office is only a couple of hours away), or you can send the form to the office by overnight service, enclosing a return pre-addressed, pre-paid envelope. The endorsement process takes about fifteen minutes; in our case, the fee was $35 (payable by check, money order or credit card).

4. Your dog needs to be chipped with “a microchip (standard ISO 11784 or annex A ISO standard 11785).” The saga of microchipping is truly complicated, but I believe that your best choice is to chip your dog with a 15-digit ISO standard 11784 chip (Chloe has the ResQ chip, because our vet had them in stock; if your vet doesn’t have 15-digit chips in stock, you can order a Datamars chip from PetTravelStore.com). You can take your dog to France with a 9-digit chip, which are common in the U.S., but if so, you have to carry your own scanner with you (!).

That’s a lot of text, but I’ve given you a lot of details. Reduced to its essentials, your dog needs a microchip and a current rabies vaccination, and two health certificates.

The Certificat Vétérinaire is “valid for 4 months after signature,” according to the French embassy. The state health certificate is good for 30 days after your vet signs it. Given those time frames, if you’d like to give yourself more than 10 days to get the Certificat Vétérinaire endorsed, you can — you just have to pay for a second exam, since you still have to bring your dog in to your vet within 10 days of travel for the state health certificate.

Please note that if you’re taking a very long vacation, keep an eye on the expiration date of your dog’s rabies vaccination. To reenter the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), your dog “must have a certificate showing they have been vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days prior to entry.” The rabies vaccination certificate that your vet attached to the back of the Certificat Vetérinaire will allow your dog back into the U.S., but only if it shows that your dog’s rabies vaccination is up to date. If your dog’s vaccination is due to expire while you’re out of the country, time her revaccination so that it occurs more than 30 days prior to reentry, and get a new vaccination certificate from a French veterinarian.

One last note: Hang on to your original Certificat Vetérinaire and your original state health certificate! Make several copies before you leave, in case someone wants to keep one.

I’ll write more tomorrow about the four things we had to do to get Chloe set up for her upcoming trip to Paris — this is a more general post about where to get the paperwork you need for any international trip with your dog. Everything I’d read told me to contact the U.S. embassy of the country I was planning to visit to find out what’s needed for a trip to that country with a dog, but that turns out to be bad advice. According to the vet tech at my veterinarian’s office who does the paperwork for a lot of traveling clients, embassies do not always have the most current information.

She recommends instead going to the USDA website for the forms you need, and following up with a phone call to the USDA for any recent updates and tips. Here’s what you do. When you arrive at the USDA website, click on “Travel and Recreation” in the left column. The third “Spotlight” in the list is “Pet Travel” — click on that, and you’ll be taken to a page of useful info. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click on the first link under “Travel Abroad,” which takes you to APHIS’s international regulations page. Scroll down to the “List of Countries” and click on the appropriate letter to find the country you’re visiting.

I was confident that my vet’s office had called for the most recent updates, but if you’re not, you might want to call your local USDA office (here’s the link that gives you the location and contact info for your state’s USDA office) and make sure you are absolutely current. Your state’s USDA office will also give you important tips, like the instruction to fill out your forms in blue ink, not black ink.

Please note: When I began this process, I went to PetTravelStore.com and ordered, for $8.50, the “pet passport forms” they offer for France. What arrived was a sheet of basic instructions, a cardboard folder to store documents in, and a one-page “Veterinary Certificate for Domestic & International Airline Travel” that bore little resemblance to the document you actually need, provided by the USDA on its website for free. Although PetTravel.com is normally a good resource, I cannot recommend it as a source for international pet travel forms.

This is a such a beautiful photograph. Part of me flinches away from looking at it, because I feel like I’m intruding on a private moment, but I love the perfect harmony between dog and owner. It was taken almost exactly two years ago, in the La Défense district of Paris.

Photo by xlibber

I would love to see your dog travel photos — if you have a moment, would you visit Dog Jaunt’s Facebook page and let us all see what you and your pup have been up to?

I first “met” Christie when she left a comment on a post I’d written about PetEgo’s Pet at Work travel carrier, asking whether I thought it would work as an in-cabin carrier — she and her husband were headed to France with their dog Miso, and the Pet at Work backpack had caught their eye. As you’ll see, they spent some time in Paris, and then headed off to the Loire Valley. Here’s Christie’s report (she actually posted two separate comments, which I’ve combined into one):

The beautiful and dog-friendly Château de Villandry (photo by Joe Shlabotnik)

Paris is so dirty compared to the countryside. We have enjoyed our stay in the Loire Valley a lot more with its expansive grass and beautiful gardens. So far, Miso’s favorite spot has been Chateau Villandry. Chateau Villandry and Chenonceau allowed Miso into their gardens. To enter the chateaus, she needed to be in her bag or in your arms.

BEWARE of Chateau Royal in Blois and Chateau Chambord: Neither allows dogs at all (Chambord has recently changed their policy and no longer allows dogs). We were lucky enough to convince Chambord to keep her at the front desk while we toured the interior of the chateau. In order to enjoy Chateau Royal in Blois, we ended up staying the Hotel de France down the slope from the chateau for less than 50 euros. We left her in the room for 1 hour while visiting Chateau Royal.

How useful! I’m sorry that the last two châteaux Christie mentions ban dogs, but I’m thrilled that you can take your small dog inside (inside!!) the Château de Villandry and the Château de Chenonceau, and that you can walk your leashed dog around their gardens. The rest of Christie’s message is not so positive — I wonder if we too will encounter unfriendly dog owners when we visit Paris next month?

I’ve been boggled by the number of unfriendly French dog owners around. In both Paris and the Loire Valley, we have encountered only 3 friendly pet owners who allowed their pets to greet our dog. Everyone else seems to always drag their dog along and/or pull their pet to the other side of the curb to avoid us. I had envisioned a grand “social” event walking down the streets of Paris and small towns of Loire. I’ve been very much disappointed by the other pet owners. However, it has been great being able to dine indoors with my pet, boarding trains/buses and entering most tourist sites.

Thanks so much, Christie, for all of this helpful information — it’s so appreciated!

When you’re looking for an in-cabin pet carrier, one option you’ll likely consider is buying a carrier sold or approved by the airline you’ll be flying on. Five U.S. airlines will sell you carriers, two others have commissioned Sherpa to make carriers in approved sizes, and eight airlines (nine, if you count Northwest) have partnered with Sherpa in a “Guaranteed On Board” program based on Sherpa’s regular line of carriers. Take a look at the choices, and see what you think.

Airlines that sell in-cabin pet carriers

JetBlue sells a “soft-sided JetPaws carrier, designed to fit easily under JetBlue’s cabin seats.” It costs $50 and it measures 16″ long x 8.5″ high x 10″ wide.

Photo by Southwest Airlines

Southwest too sells a branded pet carrier, for slightly less ($45). It measures 18″ long x 8.5″ high x 14″ wide. (The link I’ve given you takes you to the “Freedom Shop;” to see more details about the pet carrier, click on “Essentials and Gifts.”)

Continental reportedly sells in-cabin carriers measuring 17″ long x 8″ high x 12.5″ wide at its ticket counters for $55.

AirTran sells in-cabin carriers at “many” of its counters “for a nominal fee.” The customer service representative that I spoke to told me that the carrier they sell is Petmate’s Cabin Kennel Solid Top carrier, a hard-sided carrier measuring 17″ long x 8″ high x 12″ wide. This carrier, like Southwest’s carrier, is really an odd shape — it’s no wonder that the only animal you see pictured in carriers like these are reclining cats.

Alaska/Horizon also sells in-cabin carriers at many of its ticket counters, but you have a choice of either a hard-sided carrier (brand name unknown, but typically measuring 17″ long x 7.5″ high x 12″ wide) or a soft-sided carrier (typically measuring 17″ long x 9.5″ high x 10″ wide).

If you compare the measurements of the carriers these airlines offer against the actual under-seat space available on their planes, you’ll see that you can do better, particularly as far as height goes.

A carrier that is 7.5-8.5″ tall will allow only the tiniest of dogs to stand up and turn around, which all of these airlines require an in-cabin pet to be able to do. Trying to come up with a list of dogs that are 8″ tall at the shoulders? (For carrier height, you measure to the top of your dog’s shoulders, not to the top of his head.) Think toy Poodle, or a small Chihuahua or Pomeranian, or a Dachshund.

But a dog need not be a toy breed to travel in-cabin on these airlines’ planes. The JetBlue planes I’ve been on had under-seat heights of 9″. A Dog Jaunt reader reported that Alaska’s under-seat space is 10″ high. Southwest’s under-seat space is 11″ high. I haven’t collected measurements from AirTran or Continental yet, but I would be surprised if they were markedly different from their peers. Chloe’s large SturdiBag (and no, I do not get a kickback from SturdiProducts!) has a flexible top, so even though it’s 12″ tall, it tucks into the actual space available. Chloe’s other favorite carrier, the Sleepypod Air, has a less flexible top, but it can be wedged into spaces that are as low as 9″ tall.

Please also note that of the listed airline carriers, only Southwest’s is 18″ long. All the rest are 16-17″ long. They just don’t need to be that short. Again, I don’t have width measurements for AirTran and Continental’s under-seat spaces, but an 18″ long carrier will fit comfortably into the actual available space on the other airlines (please check Dog Jaunt’s reports to select the seat with the widest under-seat space).

As soon as possible after take-off, I pull Chloe’s carrier out so that her carrier is below my legs and my feet are in the under-seat space. Although Chloe typically curls up, I want her to have sufficient room to stand up and turn around from time to time. Choosing a larger carrier with a flexible top makes that possible. You run the risk that your carrier will be rejected by a ticket- or gate-agent, but so far I’ve been able to demonstrate that Chloe’s carrier will flex to fit.

Delta and American: Approved Sherpa bags

Delta and American have taken a different approach. If you want to, you can buy branded Delta and American in-cabin pet carriers from Sherpa.

Delta’s Sherpa carrier looks like a “Sherpa Original Deluxe Bag,” but its measurements (one size only) fall between Sherpa’s usual medium and large sizes. The Delta carrier measures 18″ long x 10.5″ high x 11″ wide. This carrier is more reasonably sized than the five I listed above, and is worth considering if you’re a frequent Delta flyer. It has the Sherpa features I don’t like, but you might like the comfort of knowing that your carrier will sail past any Delta ticket- or gate-agent.

American has three approved Sherpa carriers. The “American Airlines Standard Navy Carrier” is simply a medium Sherpa bag with the AA logo on its tag and strap. It measures 17″ long x 10.5″ high x 11″ wide. The two AA “duffle carriers” are sportier-looking; the medium is the same size as the standard AA carrier, and the small is 16″ long x 8.5″ high by 10″ wide.

I haven’t yet measured any of American’s under-seat spaces, but I do have American’s policy at hand, and here’s the wacky thing: American’s stated maximums are much different than the measurements of their AA-branded Sherpa bags. According to American’s web site, “the maximum size for cabin pet carriers is 19″ long x 13″ wide x 9″ high. Soft-sided pet carriers such as Sherpa bags may exceed these dimensions slightly because they are collapsible.” If I were you, I’d choose the large SturdiBag for my pet instead of the American carriers from Sherpa — it’s 18″ long and 12″ wide, both under the airline’s maximums, and its 12″ height flexes to be much lower on demand. Heck, you could even choose the large Sherpa carrier: At 19″ long x 11.75″ wide x 11.5″ high, it’s a monster, but it meets American’s written maximums.

Sherpa’s Guaranteed On Board program

Nine airlines (eight, really, since Northwest has been absorbed into Delta) have partnered with Sherpa in a program where, if you jump through some hoops correctly, Sherpa will guarantee that your pet will be allowed on board.

Here’s how it works. Starting at the home page for the program, you choose your airline (AirTran, Alaska, American, Continental, Delta, United, U.S. Airways, Southwest) and fill out the provided form. If you answer the questions accurately (don’t be tempted to minimize your pet’s weight and height), the answers are within the airline’s maximums, and you are denied boarding (there are a bunch of exceptions, so read the fine print), Sherpa will refund the cost of your airplane ticket and your pet fee.

Please note that while the forms for AirTran, Alaska, Continental and Delta all initially allow you to choose a large Sherpa carrier, if you choose the large size you will ultimately receive a message saying that those airlines do not accept a carrier with those dimensions. The customer service representative I spoke to agreed that that’s wacky.

In fact, all of the participating airlines only accept small and medium Sherpa bags, EXCEPT Southwest, which only accepts small Sherpa bags. (The small Sherpa bag measures 15″ long x 8.5″ high x 10″ wide. The medium Sherpa measures 17″ long x 10.5″ high x 11″ wide.)

Speaking of wacky, please note that under this program, Delta accepts only small and medium Sherpa bags. However, Delta’s own Sherpa bag, specially commissioned, is larger than a medium Sherpa bag! If you fly frequently on Delta with your pet, buy a Delta-branded Sherpa bag and pass on the G.O.B. program.

I would only take advantage of this program if I had a very small dog (and therefore wasn’t concerned about carrier size) and I was extremely risk-averse. Otherwise, you’re giving up valuable under-seat real estate. Southwest, for example, does not have a stated maximum carrier size — it just tells you the measurements of its under-seat spaces, and lets you buy a carrier accordingly. Those spaces are considerably longer and wider than a small Sherpa bag. Moreover, the under-seat height dimension Southwest provides is wrong: The space is actually 11″ high, not 8.25″ high. Given the actual measurements of Southwest’s under-seat spaces, you can put your dog in a very roomy carrier indeed, as long as you’re willing to travel in a middle seat (or possibly a window seat).

* * *

All three of these options are designed to give you peace of mind: If you buy a carrier approved by your airline, and your dog fits in it to the airline’s satisfaction, your worries are over. If you are risk-averse and have a very small dog, you may want to pursue one of these options. However, many of the approved carriers don’t take full advantage of the under-seat space that’s actually available. If you have a larger small dog (in the 10-15 lb. range), consider instead buying a carrier that can flex to fit in an under-seat space shorter than your carrier’s height, knowing that you’ll move it under your knees during flight.

My recent posts about our trip last week to Boulder and Denver prompted a blogging friend who lives outside Boulder, CO to add a couple of comments revealing how un-friendly to dogs Boulder really is. I had learned for myself that few Boulder hotels welcome dogs, but Deborah (who writes the great blog Boulder Dog) told me about inadequate local dog parks, and a bizarre no-dogs-allowed policy on Boulder’s famous Pearl Street pedestrian mall. I was in a receptive mood, therefore, when I saw this week’s first link, a Visalia Times-Delta article about how Santa Barbara, CA is truly a dog-friendly town.

This too, will make you smile — pictures from Livin’ La Vida Mia of Mia the Golden Retriever’s trips to a Lowe’s and a Home Depot in Charlotte, NC.

There were a lot of great dog travel links from abroad this week, so I’ll try to forget Boulder and think about pub-crawling instead. A couple of readers of Dugs n Pubs (“Dog Friendly Guide to Edinburgh and Beyond“) sent in their suggestions for three favorite Edinburgh pubs and a restaurant, all of which allow dogs to join their owners. Reporting from England, The Travel Belles wrote a fun post (with pictures) about taking Tilly the Bull Mastiff (“a beauty queen of titanic proportions”) to their local, the Shoulder of Mutton pub in Holcombe Village, near Manchester.

Heading even farther south, Linsay Evans posted an article on eHow about three dog-friendly hotels in Rome to check out. Nearby, Italy Heaven was charmed by the sight of a small dog seated alone in a gondola, moving grandly along a canal in Venice.

On the other side of the world, ReserveThaiHotels.net posted a list of eight hotels in Bangkok that welcome dogs. I’ve said in the past that I wouldn’t bring Chloe with me to Thailand (dear heaven! imagine fur in Bangkok!), but I might change my tune if I owned an Italian Greyhound, or a Chinese Crested.

I’ll leave you with two really delightful links — the first is a collection, from Doggie Stylish, of pick-up-after-your-dog signs from around the world, and the second is an msnbc.com article about eight mainland U.S. hotels and one St. Barths hotel that not only welcome pets but have pet concierges on staff.

I don’t know the family that took these pictures, but I’ve learned from their photo captions that they went canoeing this July in Canada’s Wabakimi Provincial Park with their two black Labs, Mesa and Moose. Mesa was a calm and centered companion:

Photo by OakleyOriginals

Moose, however, preferred to lie on one side or the other, tilting his canoe at a jaunty angle. This shot, however, must melt even the most exasperated heart….

Photo by OakleyOriginals

I really love seeing your dog travel photos — I think shifting the venue to Dog Jaunt’s Facebook page is working well, so would you take a quick trip over there and let me know what you and you dog did outside your home this week? Take a picture, and post it where we can all see your pup! (And heck, if you like Dog Jaunt’s Facebook page, please click the “Like” button while you’re at it!)