Montag, 28. Oktober 2013

Dogs in hotels

It was very nice of this hotel to put out a bed for Fritz.  Little do they know he sleeps in my bed ...


A couple of times there have been hotels that have asked me not to let Fritz stay alone in the room.  This can present challenges.  Sometimes he's allow to come to meetings with me, but sometimes he needs to stay.  Also, he does not like to be alone and will bark.  A lot.

My solution is that Fritz is crate-trained.  In addition to his Sherpa bag, I have a transport kennel that we bring with us.  It's kind of a pain to have one more thing to carry, but it's worth it.  Fritz is quiet when he's in the kennel and most hotels just don't want to have a loose dog in the room unattended and will let you leave your dog if he's kennelled. Usually, too, the airlines will not charge extra for the kennel, as it is empty and very light when it is checked in.


Les Mosses

On the back of a Geneva trip, we went to Les Diablerets and Les Mosses.  Les Mosses has a 6.5km cross-country ski trail that allows dogs.  Also, the ticket lady was very friendly and apologised profusely that she had run out of dog treats.

Despite initially hating his snowsuit, Fritz had a good time.




Geneva - January 2013

Back to Geneva, one of our favourite cities.  Dogs allowed most places, but not in the Botanical Gardens.







Amsterdam - Winter 2013


 We went to Amsterdam in the winter of 2013 because Fritz was giving a lecture at the university.


Amsterdam is very dog-friendly. Dogs are allowed in restaurants, cafes and most places.  Although they should be on leash in shopping malls!



There aren't too many parks in central Amsterdam, but there are some wonderful parks in the Netherlands more generally.  The Amsterdam Forest outside the city is great!


Just remember two tips:
1. Watch for bicycles when you cross the road!
2. Marijuana is bad for dogs, so don't take them into coffee shops.

Dogs in airports


Some airports are very dog-friendly, especially Stockholm-Arlanda, our home airport. When we went up to the KLM desk to check in for a flight to Amsterdam we were welcomed with 'we've been expecting you.'  Other times, we've been let up to the front of queues and, well, they're just great.  Cabin staff on another flight were most understanding when Fritz escaped from his bag and started running up and down the aisle ...



Unfortunately, US airports we found were not so dog-friendly.  Most places have dog relief areas, but they're outside of security and can be a hassle to get in and out of.  After a total of about 13 hours (getting to the airport, flight, going through customs and immigration) Fritz ended up peeing in baggage claim in Newark. And most US airport have carpet... 

Anyhow, I've been yelled at for letting him walk around in Newark and Atlanta which I think it quite unfair. If you have a three hour layover after an eight hour flight, it's not fair to keep a dog cooped up in his bag :-(


Dayton - Christmas 2012

We also travelled to Dayton, Ohio for Christmas - and for Fritz's first birthday.

He got to experience his first American fire hydrant.