Chewy Goes Canoeing

Hello, all! Sorry we have been so inactive lately. It's been a busy summer with lots of travelling and relatives visiting, but I hope to be posting more regularly now. So many adventures to recap!


Earlier in the summer, we stopped in Connecticut at the Farmington Inn.

There was a $20/night pet fee, with a $100 refundable deposit. The decor had kind of an old-timey feel, but it was very clean and nothing looked worn out. Of course, the first thing that Chewy did was investigate our room.

I found the window!

This room passes Chewy inspection!

He settled in very easily...

Don't mind me, just cooling my belly

Zzzz...

I picked up a tourist guide to browse during dinner, and found listings for canoe rentals on the Farmington River. Chewy had never been on a boat before, so I was very excited about the possibility. After failing in a quick online search to see whether any of them allowed dogs, we started making calls. The first one to pick up, Huck Finn Adventures, said dogs were welcome! So we made a reservation for opening time in the morning, and all was arranged before our entrees arrived.

I looked up how to get your dog in a boat, and pretty much every tutorial suggested exposing the dog to the boat gradually until they are comfortable in it. One guy put his kayak on his living room floor and worked over weeks to get the dog to willingly sit in it with him. We didn't have that kind of time, so I figured we would just wing it. Now, this probably isn't a good idea for all dogs, but Chewy is a pretty chill dude unless you're trying to stick a thermometer up his butt or running a vacuum towards him. 

The next morning, we loaded up in the car and headed down to the river. Thankfully, Chewy had no qualms about getting in the canoe. The riverbank was rather steep at the launch point, so there was a small wooden staircase leading to the water. Before I could successfully pass off the camera and prepare the dog treats, Chewy had already walked down and gotten in the boat! So, off we went.

Ooooooh...

Aaaahh...

Chewy seemed very relaxed and pleased. It was a cloudy day so it wasn't too hot, and there was a cool, soft breeze. I did give him a couple treats to coax him to stay still and not rock the boat, and had water on hand in case he got thirsty.

Being a typical golden, Chewy LOVES swimming, and he did make a couple escape attempts.

Thankfully, a few pulls on his leash and "NOOOOO!"s kept him in the canoe for the whole ride. I had to learn canoe rescues for lifeguard certification, so theoretically I was prepared in case he jumped or flipped us over, but I was very glad that wasn't necessary.

Eventually, Chewy settled for just lying in the boat and looking over the edge.

We saw some blue herons, but Chewy didn't seem to care at all. I guess they're not exciting like squirrels.

Eventually we reached our pick-up point, and we floated into shore.

Chewy did jump out at the very end because the boat got very shaky as the guy pulled it ashore. It only ended in wet paws, which was not too bad considering we were travelling by water for 2 hours. We got in the company van to get back to our car, and Chewy decided to squeeze himself in the tightest possible space. I guess it was a better spot for him to see out the window.

Maybe next time we can take Chewy kayaking! But he'd probably need his own seat in the kayak, considering how much junk he has in that trunk.

Chewy Goes to Maine

Last week, we took Chewy on a family vacation to Mount Desert Island in Maine, where Acadia National Park is located. 

Strapped myself in for a road trip!

It's about a 9 hour drive from where we live, so we stopped for a night in Portland at the Marriott at Sable Oaks. Hurricane Arthur was passing through when we arrived, and it rained buckets all night long. Our dog-friendly room was on the first floor with a sliding glass door in the back leading to a small foresty area, so potty breaks were quite convenient. There was a constant supply of dogs walking around outside looking for good potty spots, so Chewy was kept pretty entertained. We met a lot of soaking wet dog owners that day, as well as many goldens! One golden even tried to follow Chewy to our room.

I see a doggy...

Let's go outside!

Since it was raining so much, we stayed in the hotel from check-in to check-out, aside from potty breaks. That left lots of time for exploring...

and lounging.

It was Independence Day, so we watched the Macy's fireworks display on TV. Chewy was not impressed.

Crimpy ears from the humidity

To burn off Chewy's pent up energy from riding in the car all day, we ran around in the empty ballroom lobby and went up and down the stairs a few times.

It stopped raining by morning but it was still soggy outside, so we went to check out the Planet Dog store. There were LOTS of things for Chewy to smell, as well as a large array of dog care items.

They had what I assume was their complete line of Orbee-Tuff toys, but I thought they smelled and felt really weird. The rubber is kind of mushy-feeling, and a lot of them have an overwhelming rubber + mint scent. Chewy might have enjoyed them anyway, but I didn't ask him. There were also a lot of soft toys, but they looked too flimsy for Chewy's chewing habits. We ended up buying him a Katie's Bumper for fetching at the beaches and ponds that we were heading to. He was quite excited about it.

Yeah, I want that one!

We then headed to Freeport to visit the L.L. Bean Flagship Store, because you've got to make a stop there when you're in the area, right?

Moose!

Sadly, doggies aren't allowed inside the store, but there were plenty of dogs for Chewy to play with outside while we took turns shopping.

Giant 90th anniversary L.L.Bean boot

I picked up a golden puppy stuffie in an L.L.Bean bandanna for one of our little kid relatives so she can have her own mini-Chewy.

Stay tuned for Chewy in Acadia!

Chewy's Hotel Stay

I took Chewy to Boston over the weekend to visit our big sister. It was a 4 1/2 hour car ride.

Are we there yet?

We stayed at the Hotel Marlowe, a Kimpton hotel. Kimpton hotels are super pet friendly, with no pet fee and no restrictions. I did have to sign a form saying I would cover any damages. It was written from a dog's perspective, and there was even a paw print in the signature area.

Chewy kept checking himself out in the elevator mirror. He probably thought a dog was stuck in there.

Hello!

There was an entire floor of pet-friendly rooms, so sometimes we would trigger a lot of barking when walking through the hallways. We got a room with 2 double beds for the whole family, and Chewy fit perfectly in the middle.

He checked under the furniture for monsters. Or treasure.

And he enjoyed looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows.

They had fruit-infused water in the lounge area, which Chewy loved. I tried to administer a taste test and see which flavor he liked better, but he went for them equally.

Mmmm strawberry water!

Chewy had no interest in the loaner bed the hotel provided. He probably smelled all the other doggies that used it and reasoned that it wasn't his. But he DID enjoy the big jar of cookies in the lobby. There was also a bowl of cookies outside the entrance, and he was very disappointed each time I pulled him away. He would have cleaned out the entire bowl if left to his own devices!

When we were checking out, there was a dog being babysat behind the counter, and they both jumped up and furiously wagged their tails, trying to touch noses across the counter. Too bad they couldn't just romp around the lobby!