Maria Goodavage
05-29-2007, 01:43 AM
Welcome to the Traveling with Pets forum! I'm Maria Goodavage, co-originator of The Dog Lover's Companion (http://www.caldogtravel.com) book series, and author of the 1,000-page Dog Lover's Companion to California. I'm also author of The Dog Lover's Companion to the Bay Area, and The Dog Lover's Companion to Los Angeles. I've been writing and updating these books for many years, and have visited just about every little nook and cranny of California in pursuit of four-paw destinations.
That handsome blond fellow next to me is Jake, my steadfast traveling companion. He's now a top-notch research assistant, but he wasn't always ideal for the job: We adopted him from a rescue organization when he was six months old, and he turned out to be a giant furry termite, chewing our furniture, windowsills, and floorboards until they were nearly unrecognizable. It wasn't until he outgrew this penchant for gnawing household interiors that I felt comfortable hitting the road with him and staying at hotels and inns throughout the state. (If you're interested in seeing Jake in action, check out a short video he starred in for my pet videography company, Smiling Dog Films (http://www.smilingdogfilms.com). Just click the "custom creation" dial on the Samples (http://www.smilingdogfilms.com/samples) page to see the stuff of Jake's dreams.)
We are excited to be hosting this forum. I'll lay out our biases right up front: The Traveling with Pets forum will likely focus on traveling with a certain genre of pets known as dogs. Other genres, such as cats, hamsters, and fish are not as fond of traveling, and indeed, tend to get rather persnickety -- or downright apoplectic if the genre is cats -- about the mere idea of riding in cars or staying in hotels or taking a cable car ride. Dogs wag, drool, smile, and pant for joy just to be near you, whether you're going up the side of a mountain in a gondola (yes, some ski resorts in California allow dogs in these contraptions in the summer) or simply strolling down the street to buy a cup of coffee.
This forum is for people and dogs (er, pets) who love to travel together. Jake and I are always looking for great new places in California, and we'd love to learn more about the rest of the West. If you've got a favorite dog-friendly hike, park, beach, restaurant, inn, hotel, winery, store, or diversion you'd like to let others know about, this is a great place to share that info.
Again, welcome, and woof! (And since we are an equal-opportunity forum: Meow, chirp, and blub-blub, too.)
Maria Goodavage and Jake the Dog
That handsome blond fellow next to me is Jake, my steadfast traveling companion. He's now a top-notch research assistant, but he wasn't always ideal for the job: We adopted him from a rescue organization when he was six months old, and he turned out to be a giant furry termite, chewing our furniture, windowsills, and floorboards until they were nearly unrecognizable. It wasn't until he outgrew this penchant for gnawing household interiors that I felt comfortable hitting the road with him and staying at hotels and inns throughout the state. (If you're interested in seeing Jake in action, check out a short video he starred in for my pet videography company, Smiling Dog Films (http://www.smilingdogfilms.com). Just click the "custom creation" dial on the Samples (http://www.smilingdogfilms.com/samples) page to see the stuff of Jake's dreams.)
We are excited to be hosting this forum. I'll lay out our biases right up front: The Traveling with Pets forum will likely focus on traveling with a certain genre of pets known as dogs. Other genres, such as cats, hamsters, and fish are not as fond of traveling, and indeed, tend to get rather persnickety -- or downright apoplectic if the genre is cats -- about the mere idea of riding in cars or staying in hotels or taking a cable car ride. Dogs wag, drool, smile, and pant for joy just to be near you, whether you're going up the side of a mountain in a gondola (yes, some ski resorts in California allow dogs in these contraptions in the summer) or simply strolling down the street to buy a cup of coffee.
This forum is for people and dogs (er, pets) who love to travel together. Jake and I are always looking for great new places in California, and we'd love to learn more about the rest of the West. If you've got a favorite dog-friendly hike, park, beach, restaurant, inn, hotel, winery, store, or diversion you'd like to let others know about, this is a great place to share that info.
Again, welcome, and woof! (And since we are an equal-opportunity forum: Meow, chirp, and blub-blub, too.)
Maria Goodavage and Jake the Dog