Dogs and holidays
Discussion
Struggling a bit. We tend to book a cottage, often coastal, spend the day walking and running up and down beaches generally having fun.
One dog is a bit older now, and receiving treatment for arthritis. Still enthusiastic but we're trying to be consistent and limiting exercise to around an hour a day. (he'll run around like a lune but suffers later)
So what to the with the rest of the day? Traditional attractions, museums and suchlike are generally not dog friendly and we like to have both mutts with us.
Anyone else in this situation? How do you manage it?
One dog is a bit older now, and receiving treatment for arthritis. Still enthusiastic but we're trying to be consistent and limiting exercise to around an hour a day. (he'll run around like a lune but suffers later)
So what to the with the rest of the day? Traditional attractions, museums and suchlike are generally not dog friendly and we like to have both mutts with us.
Anyone else in this situation? How do you manage it?
I'm in this exact situation and have been for the last couple of years with my elderly chocolate labrador who has just turned 11.
He has quite severe arthritis in his shoulders,knee joints and paws.
We also have a long haired GSD,who is 7,but still very 'puppyfied' and runs like a loon.
We tend to give the lab days on and days off with regards to activities,beaches etc,but the shepherd needs his fix,so either myself or my partner will take him out on his own for an hour whilst the other stays back with the lab.
He's been having monthly jabs of Librela amongst other things for the arthritis, for 3 weeks after the jab,you wouldn't think it was the same dog,it literally transforms his abilities, this does tend to wain on the 4th week though when he'll slow down considerably.
Treatment wise,as well as the Librela, he attends hydrotherapy once a week,which really helps,you move tablets,metacam, a paracetamol tablet for pain relief and copious amounts of fish oil on his food.
He's still a happy old boy despite the arthritis.
He has quite severe arthritis in his shoulders,knee joints and paws.
We also have a long haired GSD,who is 7,but still very 'puppyfied' and runs like a loon.
We tend to give the lab days on and days off with regards to activities,beaches etc,but the shepherd needs his fix,so either myself or my partner will take him out on his own for an hour whilst the other stays back with the lab.
He's been having monthly jabs of Librela amongst other things for the arthritis, for 3 weeks after the jab,you wouldn't think it was the same dog,it literally transforms his abilities, this does tend to wain on the 4th week though when he'll slow down considerably.
Treatment wise,as well as the Librela, he attends hydrotherapy once a week,which really helps,you move tablets,metacam, a paracetamol tablet for pain relief and copious amounts of fish oil on his food.
He's still a happy old boy despite the arthritis.
We have two big hairy idiots. There are a surprising number of places that'll let dogs in. For the others we'll take it in turns, or go elsewhere.
Ours are pretty well behaved; as long as they've had a walk first they'll mooch about with us happily. Never had an accident. You do have to keep an eye open for excited small children who want to run up and grab them - we raised both to be very tolerant of strangers, but being in an unfamiliar place can occasionally put them a little on edge. Any sign of stress and we take them outside for a breather - but that's jolly rare, and I usually need it more than they do.
Reactions are usually positive - there are often people on holiday without their dogs who want to say hello, otherwise mostly neutral. If we spot anyone who looks like they might be uncomfortable with dogs we give them a wide berth, so I don't think there's ever been a bad reaction.
Ours are pretty well behaved; as long as they've had a walk first they'll mooch about with us happily. Never had an accident. You do have to keep an eye open for excited small children who want to run up and grab them - we raised both to be very tolerant of strangers, but being in an unfamiliar place can occasionally put them a little on edge. Any sign of stress and we take them outside for a breather - but that's jolly rare, and I usually need it more than they do.
Reactions are usually positive - there are often people on holiday without their dogs who want to say hello, otherwise mostly neutral. If we spot anyone who looks like they might be uncomfortable with dogs we give them a wide berth, so I don't think there's ever been a bad reaction.
English Heritage places tend to be fairly dog friendly so we look to see if there's anything local when we go away. National Trust places often allow dogs in the grounds but not in the houses, etc, so although a bit of a faff we can go in one at a time while the other one waits outside with the dogs.
Don't automatically assume places won't allow dogs though. For example, I was pleasantly surprised that the Seal Sanctuary in Cornwall allowed dogs in pretty much every area, and all the staff were very friendly and welcoming towards them
Don't automatically assume places won't allow dogs though. For example, I was pleasantly surprised that the Seal Sanctuary in Cornwall allowed dogs in pretty much every area, and all the staff were very friendly and welcoming towards them
We're heading near Porthmadog in North Wales in a couple of weeks and taking the family dog.
Have found that quite a few places including attractions like the heritage railways allow dogs.
The beach we'll be a few minutes away from is called Black Rock, you can drive onto it so your old dog could sit in the car once it's had a run around.
Our main problem is that our dog is reactive to other dogs so we can't go the normal canine friendly places anyway, luckily he's happy to sit in the car and wait for us.
Have found that quite a few places including attractions like the heritage railways allow dogs.
The beach we'll be a few minutes away from is called Black Rock, you can drive onto it so your old dog could sit in the car once it's had a run around.
Our main problem is that our dog is reactive to other dogs so we can't go the normal canine friendly places anyway, luckily he's happy to sit in the car and wait for us.
Zetec-S said:
English Heritage places tend to be fairly dog friendly so we look to see if there's anything local when we go away. National Trust places often allow dogs in the grounds but not in the houses, etc, so although a bit of a faff we can go in one at a time while the other one waits outside with the dogs.
Don't automatically assume places won't allow dogs though. For example, I was pleasantly surprised that the Seal Sanctuary in Cornwall allowed dogs in pretty much every area, and all the staff were very friendly and welcoming towards them
Ahh yes English Heritage is a good call. Don't automatically assume places won't allow dogs though. For example, I was pleasantly surprised that the Seal Sanctuary in Cornwall allowed dogs in pretty much every area, and all the staff were very friendly and welcoming towards them
We live in Northumberland and it has already been mentioned the stunning dog friendly beaches as are most of the country pubs.
We are also monthly visitors to York and we were surprised how dog friendly the city and outlining villages are.
However, the holiday that surprised us the most for dog friendly places was the Argyle and Bute area (loch lomand etc). In Scotland. Apart from stunning walks the pubs and cafes were exceptionally dog friendly. In Each pub or cafe we visited no matter if we were sat outside with the dog or inside. Dogs were brought individual bowls of water and treats. In Luss a cafe there was so dog friendly the staff carried dog treats in their pockets!
We are also monthly visitors to York and we were surprised how dog friendly the city and outlining villages are.
However, the holiday that surprised us the most for dog friendly places was the Argyle and Bute area (loch lomand etc). In Scotland. Apart from stunning walks the pubs and cafes were exceptionally dog friendly. In Each pub or cafe we visited no matter if we were sat outside with the dog or inside. Dogs were brought individual bowls of water and treats. In Luss a cafe there was so dog friendly the staff carried dog treats in their pockets!
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