Looking for something fun and unique to do with your dog this summer? How about taking Fido to a summer camp for dogs and their people!

The Canine Club Getaway is hosting their second annual event this June, and all well-behaved dogs (and humans) are invited to attend.

Enjoy a weekend of dog-related seminars, classes, and lots of activities! Everything is included so you and your dog can just enjoy spending quality time with each other, while meeting other like-minded folks.

For more info, please visit my article on Examiner.com!

Did you go last year? How was it? Let us know by commenting below!

Rachel from PetRelocation.com asked me to provide an answer to a question they received about taking a road trip with a dog. Since they mainly deal with moving pets around the world, they asked for my expertise in answering the question

Thank you for the opportunity!

Read the post here!

Earlier this week, I co-launched a new campaign with the gang at GoPetFriendly.com called “Give Big Dogs a Break!”. We have decided that the pet weight limits imposed by most hotels and resorts are not fair, and that larger dogs have the right to vacations just as much as little dogs!

For more information and to show your support, please visit www.GiveBigDogsABreak.com.  I will be posting news and updates on our progress, as well as ways that you can help!

Check out my guest post on www.HowToTravelWithPets.com – a handy pet travel website run by Anil. It is about the Xpu-Ha Palace Resort that I also featured here but has some new photos – so check it out!

http://howtotravelwithpets.com/all-inclusive-eco-friendly-resort-for-you-and-your-pet-xpu-ha-palace-mexico/

Follow Anil – How to Travel with Pets – @foxnomad

Look for more guests posts in the future!

Thanks Anil!

The Pet-friendly Portofino Bay Hotel, Orlando

Loews Hotels wants to pump you (and your pet) up!

Did you know that 50% of dogs and cats are overweight and obese (according to a 2008 study by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention)? Loews Hotels have created a special package to help you, and your pet, get in shame.

The Pumped-Up Pets Package includes a deluxe room, workout tips for both humans and their pets, a Zisc dog Frisbee, and a specially created “Scratch My Flat Belly” meal for pets.

The Pumped-Up Pets Package is available at 17 Loews Hotels in the U.S. and Canada from now through May 1st, 2010. Rates vary and are subject to availability.

Two of Orlando’s Loews properties are offering this special pet package – the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel and the Loews Royal Pacific Resort – both on Universal Orlando property.

All of Loews hotels are pet-friendly and guests (the four-legged kind) receive special gifts at check-in including a pet tag, a bowl and of course, a healthy treat!

There is a one-time pet cleaning fee of $25 and a maximum of two pets per room are allowed. For a complete listing of their pet rules, visit the Loews Hotel Pet Policy.

For more information about the Orlando resorts, check out my article on Examiner.com.

If you need assistance with your travel plans, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am a travel agent specializing in pet travel. My small dog, Bodie, goes with us on every trip we take and so far has been lucky enough to visit 12 countries!

You can follow us on Twitter @AndASmallDog

TripWitt.com is a new site that helps potential clients find their perfect travel agent. Visitors to the site can search by destination (city, state, country or region) or by type of travel (Luxury, Ecotourism, Pet-friendly and more) to find the right travel agent for their trip. Once they make a search, they will get a list of available agents that are specialists in what they searched for. The list includes full profiles and contact information for each agent so visitors can contact the agent directly. It’s a great way for home-based agents that specialize in certain niches find potential clients. It’s free!

Have a look at my profile by clicking here! I am a travel agent specializing in Pet Travel (of course!), Europe, and North America (Florida being my main specialty). River cruises are also a specialty but are unfortunately non-pet-friendly.

Just a small selection of the available shells!

We recently took a quick getaway to Sanibel Island – about a 3 and a half hour drive from Orlando. The small island of Sanibel (only 12 miles long and 4 miles wide) is located off of the coast of Fort Myers in Florida. I have lived in central Florida off-and-on for over twenty years but had never ventured to this side of Florida. I am glad I waited until now so that my small dog, Bodie, could come!

We had a great day at the beach – all the beaches on Sanibel are dog-friendly! There’s no loud music or spring-breakers and cars aren’t allowed on the beach (unlike in Daytona!). Instead, Sanibel is unspoiled and natural. It is a top destination for shelling – all along the beach are piles and piles of shells to be sorted through (go at sunrise to get the best ones!). But it isn’t just a shelling beach – there’s still plenty of sand.

Helping us shell-hunt (the only hunting we do!)

There’s a long list of pet-friendly accommodations – mostly small motels or cottages. Don’t expect over-the-top luxuriousness – head to the other coast for that. Instead, everything is small and quaint, and authentic Floridian – the way it used to be. There’s no traffic lights on Sanibel (but two traffic cops instead) and you won’t see very many of the big chains on the island. I think Dairy Queen was the biggest name that we saw! Instead, there are plenty of good restaurants and cafes and most allow dogs on their patios (check out Over Easy Cafe and their delicious breakfasts served until 2pm!).

A couple of the Castaways colorful cottages!

We stayed at the Castaways Beach and Bay Cottages. The units were cute and the location was peaceful and quiet (on the northern tip of the Sanibel – right next to the small bridge to Captiva Island, a more remote and residential island).

To read more about our trip, check out these two articles on Examiner:

Sanibel Island – more details on what to see and do on Sanibel

Castaways review – with photos!

If you need assistance planning your next vacation, please just email me with your request. I am a travel agent who specializes in pet travel (and human travel, too!).

Happy Travels!

Relax by the fire with your dog at Paws Up

Catchy title, eh? It caught my eye and so I thought I would share it with all you dog lovers. Looking for an escape to the wilderness with your pet? How about Montana! The Resort at Paws Up is hosting a “Wine and Bitch” weekend in April that is full of doggie fun including a fashion parade, wellness seminars, pet (and human) massages and more. Humans will enjoy the fine wine tastings, gourmet food and having some peaceful time with a good book.

Montana is a bit far for most of us, but if planning a trip in that region check out Paws Up – dogs are welcome always so if you can’t make it to their event in April you can go there another time!

Read more about the Wine and Bitch Weekend here!

Keep up-to-date with all the doggie vacation offers by following us on Twitter – @AndASmallDog and remember I am here to help you with all your travel plans! After all, pets need vacations, too!

Swiss Family Robinson-style accommodations

I’ve always wanted to go to an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean or Mexico, but haven’t since our dog, Bodie, always comes with us when we travel. I had checked into options for Jamaica – a popular area for all-inclusive resorts – but found out that dogs (and other pets) are forbidden to even enter the island. So on a whim, I looked into Mexico – and lo and behold the Xpu-Ha Palace Resort allows dogs! It is the first of its kind, that I know of. The Xpu-Ha Palace is an eco resort – all the rooms are located in what looks like treehouses. The property is surrounded by lush vegetation, and natural flora and fauna. There’s even a mini zoo on-site. The beach is next to the resort but not its main appeal (from what I’ve read, its been washed away from hurricanes but guests staying at one Palace Resort have the option to use the amenities of other Palace Resorts in the area which are on “better stretches” of beach). Pets (dogs and cats, only. Sorry ferrets!) up to 55 lbs are allowed with a maximum of two per room. The all-inclusive package (which is free for the first pet, and $50 for the second) includes a special pet bed, waste bags for dogs, litter box, pooper scooper and scratching posts for cats as well as grooming. There is also an on-site pet care facility which offers veterinary care, boarding and obedience classes.

To read more about the Xpu-Ha and its pet-friendliness, check out my article on Examiner.

If you want to find out more information, including rates and availability, please email me! I am a travel agent who specializes in pet travel.

Hola Mexico!

Leila – Info@AndASmallDog.com

Recently I contributed my first guest post on GoPetFriendly.com’s blog – Take Paws. Check it out by clicking here - GoPetFriendly.com blog.

And if you read the article on GoPetFriendly already and this is your first time visiting AndASmallDog.com – Welcome! I am here to help you with all your pet travel plans – from researching and reserving appropriate accommodations and transportation to finding pet-friendly things to do in your chosen location. I always travel with my small dog and so I have a lot of experience dealing with all the ins-and-outs of pet travel. Please feel free to email me with any questions or if you need help with planning your trip – my services are free!

Happy Travels!

Leila