DogFriendly.com Announces Its 2009 List of the Top 10 Dog-friendly Cities to Visit in the United States

Great pet-friendly lodging, attractions, parks, beaches, shopping and dining. Visit one of these cities with your dog for a top-notch vacation.

POLLOCK PINES, Calif., May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- DogFriendly.com (http://www.dogfriendly.com) announced its 2009 list of the Top 10 dog-friendly destination cities in the United States. DogFriendly.com compiles this list for people who want to take their dogs with them on vacation. The rankings take into account the quality of dog-friendly accommodations, transportation, beaches, parks, attractions, stores, dining and things to do with your dog.

1. San Francisco - Luxurious hotels. Plenty of pet-friendly patio dining. Many off-leash beaches and areas. Ride the cable car, walk the Golden Gate.

2. Austin - Dine in outdoor cafes. Visit the Zilker Botanical Gardens. See the Congress Street Bats. Many off-leash parks.

3. Boston - Tour Boston harbor by boat. Walk the Freedom Trail and explore many National Historical Sites. Your leashed dog is welcome on the subway.

4. Northern Virginia - Enjoy a yappy hour or dine in dog-friendly Alexandria. Take the Canine Cruise. Visit outdoor monuments and nearby Washington.

5. Portland (OR)- Enjoy off-leash areas and the famous Rose Gardens. Visit the Saturday Outdoor Market. Have a drink at the Lucky Lab.

6. Charleston (SC) - Take a ghost tour or walking tour. See the grounds of the Magnolia and Boone Hall Plantations. Visit the beach.

7. Chicago - Visit Navy Pier. Ride the Canine Cruise. See Buckingham Fountain, take a walk in Oak Park. Many dog-friendly patio restaurants.

8. San Diego - Visit fabulous dog beaches. Shop at dog-friendly Otay Ranch with its dog park. Dine outdoors and hike many parks.

9. New York - Stay in a fine hotel. Take a walking tour of lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. Shop at Time Warner Center. See the Balto Statue and Central Park.

10. Ann Arbor (MI) - Visit Nichols Arboretum, rent a dog-friendly canoe. Visit nearby gardens and farms. Visit many local parks.

Honorable Mentions: Dallas, Madison/Wisconsin Dells, Minneapolis, Salt Lake, Seattle

For more details visit http://www.dogfriendly.com/top10. DogFriendly.com, founded in 1998 to provide dog travel information, offers a free website and publishes paperback books.

Press Contact:
Len Kain
DogFriendly.com, Inc.
1-877-475-2275
email@dogfriendly.com
http://www.dogfriendly.com

This release was issued through The Xpress Press News Service, merging e-mail and satellite distribution technologies to reach business analysts and media outlets worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.XpressPress.com


SOURCE DogFriendly.com, Inc.

From Petcentric

Panicky Dogs

Quinn, a Rat Terrier/Chihuahua mix was adopted from a caring rescue group at 4 months, and adjusted well to her new family. With her cushy life in her loving new home, she had nothing to fear. Except bananas.

Quinn can sit and watch in fascination as her owner eats a banana. She wants a bite. But, if her owner offers her the banana, by extending it toward her, Quinn bolts out of the room in fear.

One has to wonder if Quinn had an unfortunate run-in with a banana as a pup.

Many dogs have seemingly strange fears, such as of men with moustaches or people wearing hats. Some dogs are fine on carpeted stairs but refuse to walk on wooden ones.

There’s no way to know how a dog processes what he encounters, but we can be sure they don’t see things the same way we do. It’s unlikely a dog sees a vacuum cleaner as a cleaning device. To some dogs, it’s a toy to chase or it’s something annoying to ignore. To others, it’s a noisy, scary thing scooting about that doesn’t heed his warning to stop. And it’s attached to his owner’s hand – is it hurting her? To some dogs, the vacuum cleaner is a dangerous intruder.

But some fears run deeper, and are actual phobias. The most common phobia in dogs is of noise, especially fireworks and thunderstorms. Many dogs express concern over these noises, but the truly phobic dog may go berserk. The phobic dog may jump out a window, chew through doors or walls, run away – anything to escape the noise.

Ironically, it’s the most loving owners that do exactly the wrong thing for their fearful dogs. The caring owner runs over and comforts the dog when he starts panicking. This just confirms to the dog that yes, this is something to fear, and the reward for panicking is love and affection. Next time there’s a clap of thunder, the dog will again panic. Comforting the dog makes the owner feel better, but it doesn’t help the dog.

According to Cesar Millan of National Geographic Channel’s The Dog Whisperer, in his book, Cesar’s Way, “Love is not meant to enhance instability. Love is meant to reward stability, to take us to a higher level of communication.” He goes on to say, of course you should love your dog at all times, but show affection at appropriate times. Withhold affection when your dog is behaving inappropriately.

A better response to fear is to remain calm yourself and let your dog see that there is nothing to be afraid of. Speak to him gently; offer a command such as “come” or “sit.” Distract him with a toy. Let him see that this thunderstorm is no big deal and you’re all going to get through it just fine. Cesar Millan says that when your dog is afraid, he needs leadership.

While many doggie fears and phobias can be dealt with by your own calm reaction, some dogs will need the help of a behavior expert or even medication.

As for Quinn, the banana-fearing dog, her owner continued to casually offer her a banana whenever she sat and watched her eat one. While bananas may always give her “the willies,” she can now remain composed, and simply turn her head away from it.

Enlarge photo

From Austin Dog Alliance

Letter From the Executive Director

Friends and Supporters,

The Center has been open for three months now and life is finally starting to return to a normal cadence. Our Puppy and Pet Dog Manners classes are filling up each time and everyone that attends classes seems happy and content. We are slowly but surely developing a volunteer base to help with running the center and we have even stocked our pet boutique with some high quality and durable toys and leashes.

Now that everything is fairly under control, our Board has started to focus once again on outreach activities that fit our mission of Making Dogs a Part of the Community. In April we hosted two free community events – our Grand Opening Party and a Bow Wow Reading Dog celebration. Our publicity for the Reading Dog event has lead to requests for more Bow Wow Reading Dog teams at local libraries and schools. Now we just need to train more teams so that we can meet the demand! We have also started to plan for the expansion of our after school programs for the deaf community.

Our Rescue team is going to host a meeting of all Austin area rescue groups on Friday, May 8. We have long held the belief that by working in cooperation with all rescue groups, we can achieve greater success in reducing the number of dogs (and cats) euthanized in our area shelters. We are quite delighted that the Center can be used to further the achievements of all rescue groups in our area.

So although funding is still needed and still an issue for us, we are making progress towards reaching a sustainable model that will allow us to rescue more dogs; train, place and support more pet therapy teams; expand our program offerings for the deaf community; and, provide more community events and activities.

These past few months, while they have been a whirlwind and I have never worked harder in my life, have provided me the opportunity to work with some truly amazing and dedicated volunteers who have so much to give to our community. We are now positioned to increase our presence in the community.

I feel blessed and honored everyday to be a part of this organization.

Together, we are making a difference.