1. Portland ME - This dog-friendly town has it all.  Walking tours, cruises, beaches, parks and islands to visit. A number of off-leash dog parks. Nearby Boothbay is worth a visit.

2. Carmel / Monterey CA - Dog-Friendly Carmel City Beach, trails, shopping, outdoor restaurants and quaint lodging. Carmel and Monterey are easy areas to walk around.

3. Asheville / Blue Ridge NC - Walk the Asheville Urban Trail. Visit the grounds of the Biltmore Estate or shop at Biltmore Village. Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway.

4. Key West FL - Quaint B&B's, lots of outdoor dining. Charter a boat, walk the charming village streets. 

5. Charlottesville VA - Visit Monticello and Red Hill Estates grounds, dog-friendly wineries, shop at the historic downtown mall. Visit dog-friendly Shenandoah park nearby.

6.  Black Hills SD - You can see Mt. Rushmore from the pet area. A number of other attractions, hiking trails and parks. If you have kids visit the Flintstones Campground.

7. Lake Tahoe CA/NV - Visit the dog-friendly village and gondola at Squaw Valley. Rent a boat on the lake, swim at one of four beaches for dogs. Cross country skiing in Winter.

8. Cape May NJ - Visit Historic Cold Spring Village. Whale watch or charter boats. Visit wineries, parks, beaches and take the ferry to Lewes, DE.

9. Grand Canyon AZ - Dogs can walk along the rim and view the canyon with you. If you and your dog are up to hiking down the canyon try the Havasupai Reservation.

10. Hocking Hills OH - Dog-friendly accommodations and dog-friendly parks. Don't miss the caves and scenic hikes of Hocking Hills State Park. Rent a canoe or two.

Honorable Mentions - The following five places are also excellent vacation spots to visit with your dog -

- Bar Harbor/Acadia, ME
- Cape Cod, MA
- Pennsylvania Dutch Country, PA
- Mendocino, CA
- St Augustine, FL

Well Behaved Dogs Welcome: Just what does this mean?
Really a Well-Behaved Team

When reading about places you may want to go with your dog you will often run across the words "Well-behaved dogs allowed". On DogFriendly.com many of our listings say that dogs must be well-behaved. Just what does this mean? And is it really mostly about the dog, or the owner? Since we started DogFriendly.com nine years ago, in 1998, we have talked with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people at various pet-friendly establishments.  Here is what we think it takes to have a well-behaved dog. 

The phrase "Well-behaved dog" applies equally to the dog and the owner. Dogs must be kept on leash in all public places (sidewalks, malls and parks except for designated off-leash areas). Even a very well trained dog must be kept on leash at these places. Some people, and certainly the business owners, may not be comfortable with a dog off-leash roaming around people and children. They do not know your dog or how friendly and well-behaved they are. If people violate the leash requirements almost certainly a "No Dogs Allowed" sign will follow.

The second requirement of a well-behaved dog is for their owner to choose appropriate places for their dog to go "potty". A well-trained dog does not simply "go" where ever they are, indoors, on public sidewalks, at a restaurant, in transportation vehicles or even on dirt or grassy areas inside a museum area. Ideally, a dog should be given the opportunity to go at the appropriate place by the owner before visiting such an establishment. Of course, when they do go the owner should promptly and completely clean up after the dog. Failure to train dogs to go where and when  they should or to clean up after them will also cause dogs to be banned from many places.

Before you take your dog to public places you need to know how they will get along with other people and dogs. Unless you are going to an off-leash dog park then getting along with people and especially children is the most important thing. Children will, in public places, run up and pat your dog. Sometimes our dogs have been surrounded by 5 to 10 kids at a time. How will the dog handle this? They cannot be aggressive in any way towards the children. A well-behaved dog will need to handle this sort of situation. A leash is helpful as well to get the attention of your dog or to remove them from a threatening situation before trouble starts.

Dogs are pack animals and when off-leash with other dogs they will sort out their pack order. If all dogs are on leash and controlled not much can happen, although a dog can bark quite a bit. Problems arise if one or more dogs are off-leash and some dogs are on leash. The off-leash dogs may run up to an on-leash dog who feels somewhat defenseless since they are leashed and the other dogs are not.  This is another reason that all dogs should be kept on leash in public places. At an off-leash park or a doggy daycare, care must be taken when introducing a new dog to the existing group of dogs that have already sorted things out.

So how about barking? All dogs will bark once in a while. Sometimes, its to say "hi". Sometimes its a warning that someone is about to open your hotel room. Sometimes it's part of playing. A well-behaved dog should not bark continuously as that will annoy the rest of the people in a public area. An occasional bark is usually okay.

The "well-behaved dog" is really a catch phrase not just entirely for the dog but for the owner and the dog together. A well-behaved team does not create problems for the other people around them. The well-behaved dog does not have to be perfect. Each of us, dogs included, have our faults. You should  never leave a mess in a public place and you should always obey leash requirements. It is important to remember that when you take your dog to public places that are not specifically created for dogs, you represent, to a degree, all dog owners and future dog owners who would like to visit that place.

DogFriendly.com has expanded its listings in New England, New York and the Mid-Atlantic States.

DogFriendly.com has added hundreds of listings of dog-friendly lodging, attractions, parks, beaches, stores, shopping, camping and more in the New England and Mid-Atlantic States. DogFriendly.com now lists thousands of places  in this area. For these and all other states, please see our DogFriendly.com  travel guides at this link.

Expanded Dog-Friendly World-Wide Travel Guides

DogFriendly.com has expanded its listings of dog-friendly places throughout the world.  Now  look for over 4,000 world-wide pet-friendly accommodations at our International Travel Guide.

Dog Travel Guide Books

DogFriendly.com's United States and Canada Dog Travel Guide (includes Lodging, Beaches, Dog Parks, City Guides with dog-friendly attractions, outdoor restaurants, parks, beaches, off-leash areas, stores and more).

DogFriendly.com's Campground and RV Park Guide (includes U.S. and Canadian National, State and Local Day Use parks and pet regulations, hiking, beaches, off-leash parks and thousands of dog-friendly campgrounds and their detailed pet policies and pet amenities).

DogFriendly.com's California and the West Dog Travel Guide - includes over 6000 dog-friendly places in California, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and a special section on Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Also includes DogFriendly.com's Top 200 "Must See" dog-friendly places in the West.

Coffeetable and Photographic Books

Winery Dogs of Napa Valley -  a captivating photography book which showcases 120 very special dogs who live at 70 Napa Valley wineries.

Winery Dogs of Sonoma - features 71 Sonoma wineries from Carneros to Dry Creek Valley. Each page is filled with gorgeous photos of the wineries best friends as well as their signature wine labels. Includes map of Sonoma and winery listing.

For all of our books see this link.