DogFriendly.com's Newsletter

Congress is Considering a Bill Requiring Emergency Evacuation Plans That Include Pets

We're sure that many of you have seen those sad scenes of people trying to leave New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and being told to leave their beloved pets behind. It is not known how many people refused to evacuate so as not to leave pets behind, but it clearly did happen many times. Congress is now considering a bill, HR 3858, The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (PETS Act) to require local evacuation planning that INCLUDES pets. The bill is sponsored by Reps Lantos (D-CA), Shays (R-CT), Frank (D-MA), Young (R-AK), and Oberstar (D-MN). We would like to lend our support to this bill and encourage all of you to support the bill as well. Please contact your representatives and ask other pet owners to do so as well. You may find your representative and their mailing and email addresses at this link .Or you may fill out the online petition below and we will forward the names to the bill sponsors.

Click Here for Details of the Bill

Dog-Friendly
Great American /\ Road Trip^TM Part 7
by Tara Kain, Editor, DogFriendly.com

PART 7: Doggone Fun at St. Augustine in Florida, a visit to the Kennedy Space Center and New Orleans.

Tara and Toby at the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine, Florida

Carriage Ride in New Orleans, Louisiana

Never having visited St. Augustine before, I was curious to find out just how much we could do there with our dog Toby. We wanted to see much of what tourists without dogs see. That is exactly what we were able to do in St. Augustine.

St. Augustine, Florida

This unique city, also known as America's Oldest City, is more than 400 years old. It was founded in 1565 and is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the continental United States. The city of St. Augustine was founded 55 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and 42 years before the English colonized Jamestown. Ponce de Leon is credited with the discovery of Florida back in 1513. The narrow streets and balconied houses reflect the city's Spanish origins. The photo shown above is one of the historic buildings that we saw on our dog-friendly carriage ride.

Today in St. Augustine, there are many restaurants and stores located throughout the historic district. Dogs are welcome to walk with you along the streets and are welcome at some of the outdoor restaurants. Pets are also welcome at many of the town's attractions. Cick here to continue Part 7 of this dog-friendly trip article (includes St. Augustine, Kennedy Space Center and New Orleans)

On August 25, 2004, my family and I set out on a trip across America. My dog Toby, a black standard poodle, came with us on our adventure.
Click here to read Part 1: California to Salt Lake City, UT
Click here to read Part 2:
On the Road to Jackson Hole, WY
Click here to read Part 3: Grand Tetons and Yellowstone in Wyoming & Mt. Rushmore, SD.
Click here to read Part 4: Rapid City/Mt. Rushmore, Living History Farms, and dog-friendly Chicago.
Click here to read Part 5: Dog-Friendly Hocking Hills, Gettysburg, Washington D.C., and New York City.
Click here to read Part 6: The Dog-Friendly Side of Harpers Ferry, Williamsburg, Savannah and Jekyll Island..

Road Trip Fast Facts:
Miles Traveled: Over 11,000
States Visited: 28
Days on Road: 79 (2.5 months)
Nights Away from Home: 78
Nights at Hotels & Motels: 55
Nights with Family/Friends: 23
Dates Traveled: Aug 25 - Nov 11

Major Interstates Traveled
(with detours to smaller roads!):
From Cal. to NY: I-80 & I-90
From NY to Florida: I-95
From Florida to Cal.: I-10

Click here to continue reading Part 7

Dog-Friendly Camping and RV Parks

Do you travel with your dog in an RV or would you like to camp with your dog? Or maybe stay in a camping cabin with your pup? See our new RV and Camping section on DogFriendly.com. These RV and Camping guides, like all of our other guides, give you the real scoop on camping with your dog - Other sources simply say "Pets Allowed" or "No Pets Allowed" - We address those issues that matter to people who travel with dogs, such as -
- How many dogs are allowed to camp with you
- Are dogs allowed in the camping cabins (hundreds of
campgrounds do allow dogs in the cabins)
- Can dogs camp in tents or only in RVs
- Is there a dog walk area
- Are there any of the unfortunate "Breed Restrictions" banning certain breeds and mixed breeds - and not just Pit Bulls.
- Other restrictions that may apply

See our new Camping Guide at this link or look for the guide on our homepage.

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