SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005

Pets on Wheels

No more sad, beseeching eyes as you drive away—now you can take your little darling along for the trip. These special pet-friendly hotels will put up your pooch in tail-wagging style.

By Mclean Robbins

Trips to the kennel are a thing of the past for modern-day Rovers and Fidos (and even cats). More and more families are taking their pets along on vacation, and a new breed of lodgings is now designed to cater to the whim of every guest—even the four-legged variety.

You don’t have to go to the big city to find four-paw service for your pooch—a wealth of options exists within the Bay area. Take a look inside five hostelries with amenities for the most discriminating of pet palates. Heck, if Paris Hilton can take Tinkerbelle along on “The Simple Life,” why can’t you?

Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa, and Marina Cambridge, Md.

Pet Perks: The Hyatt offers nine ground-floor, pet-friendly rooms with walk-out terraces (outdoor kennels available by request), complimentary Orvis dog bed for the weekend (or for purchase), water bowl, and a “Dog/Cat on Vacation” door sign. There’s ample area to romp (and swim) with your pup, which must be on a leash at all times. Book early, because the nine rooms are reserved months in advance on holiday weekends.

Sit, Stay: Using your dog to get a date? The Hyatt recently held its first “pet social,” which gave masters a chance to interact with other pet lovers during a dog biscuit-making course—complete with a take-home basket of biscuit dough. Dogs enjoyed field races and even were able to take advantage of an on-site pet masseuse! Another social is in the works for the fall.

Treats: Full “pet menu,” complete with Scooby Snacks (dog biscuits in four flavors named after the famous cartoon pet) and the ever-popular “King Kong,” a durable plastic bone that can be stuffed with treats for hours of pet-friendly amusement.

Tall Tales: One canine companion named Julio liked his complimentary bed so much, he refused to move, says Cindy Hobbes, who’s responsible for booking pet rooms. “The owners had to physically pick him and the bed up to get him to go outside.” The strangest request came from a woman who wanted to bring her gerbil. Although the hotel decided it would allow it as long as it was caged the entire stay, the guest decided to travel sans furry rodent.

Kennel Up: $25 per dog per night. Room rates start at $179 per night. 100 Heron Blvd. at Rt. 50. 410-901-6329 or http://www.chesapeakebay.hyatt.com.

The Inn at Perry Cabin, St. Michaels, Md.

Pet Perks: The recently revamped inn offers eight ground-floor, pet-friendly rooms with private garden patios, and an additional ten rooms with garden access. “It’s like having a little backyard,” says John Volponi, general manager. Upon arrival, guests are greeted with paw-print-adorned “pet bags,” featuring an assortment of dog bones and a “Pets in Residence” door sign. There’s ample acreage to exercise dogs, as well as a pond for swimming. But beware, there are no outdoor showers, so bring along towels if you take Fido for a dip.

Sit, Stay: The inn sponsors several events throughout the year which benefit the Talbot County Humane Society. Coming up are the annual Jack Russell Terrier races on the lawn, October 23. On the same day is the"Daschund Dash.” “It’s great to see the little guys racing all over the lawn,” says Volponi. The hotel also sponsors the St. Michaels Dog Walk each May: Games are set up on the inn’s lawn for a day of pet-friendly festivities. Local vets provide free checkups, and the Humane Society often brings pets in need of adoption. The culminating event of the day is a dog parade through town.

Treats: Extensive pet menu available, featuring delicacies such as osso bucco with seasonal vegetables, lamb stew, beef burger, and bottles of Evian.

Tall Tales: “One frequent guest orders tenderloin for his dog and a bottle of wine for himself” each evening, notes Volponi. “He and his wife share the wine while the dog has dinner.”

Kennel Up: $75 one-time fee. Rooms start at $295. 308 Watkins Ln., 800-722-2949 or http://www.perrycabin.com.

Lazy L at Willow Creek, Lewes, Del.

Pet Perks: Pets are welcome in any of the B&B’s five rooms (crate available upon request) with their owners. There are eight acres for running and playing, one of which is entirely fenced in; the Lazy L also has a fenced-in pool area (no doggie swimming, please) with shaded tiki hut for those pets that prefer to keep their delicate skin out of the sun. Outdoor showers are available for pups that take advantage of the prime swimming in Old Mill Creek. Complimentary dog shampoo and towels provided, along with directions to the Wash ‘N’ Wag, a nearby pet grooming shop. The Lazy L, located two miles from Cape Henlopen State Park (pets allowed) offers kayak tours leaving from the grounds of the B&B—dogs welcome onboard, space permitting. While owners are expected to bring their own dog chow, innkeeper Debbie Estes goes the extra mile to see that pets are kept in comfort. She recently prepared a meal of rice for a dog with a bad tummy.

Sit, Stay: Book early for the Greyhound to the Beach event in nearby Dewey Beach over Columbus Day weekend to honor rescued greyhounds and their owners. One year, the Lazy L accommodated sixteen greyhounds that weekend alone. Treats: Pets can eat breakfast with guests on the terrace and receive their own special dog biscuit “breakfast.”

Tall Tales: Owner Debbie Estes tells the story of a gentleman who once brought four parrots with him. “He asked if I would like one to sit on my shoulder,” she says, “and when I said yes, he said something, and it flew over and perched right here!” The bird was quite friendly, she adds, saying things like, “Pack the cooler, it’s time for the beach!”

Kennel Up: $15 one-time charge. Weekends, May-October, $120 -$150; off season, weekdays, $75; weekends, $70. 1601 Willow Creek Rd., 302-644-7220 or http://www.lazyl.net.

Loews Annapolis Hotel

Pet Perks: Four-legged guests receive a complimentary “Pet Amenity Bag” complete with placemat, bowl, star-shaped treats, Frisbee-shaped lids that keep canned food fresh, and a bottle of Fiji water. A local map shows where dogs can be walked; a pet-friendly park is located next to the hotel, which even supplies waste disposal bags. The gift shop also sells or loans dog beds.

Sit, Stay: Loews “Pumped Up Pets Package,” which runs through October 31, offers a $212 room rate that includes an overnight stay, water bottle, collapsible water bowl, Frisbees and jump ropes, pet room service, and dinner for two (people) at Breeze, the hotel restaurant. For the last five years, Loews has hosted a “Bark Breakfast” to benefit the Annapolis SPCA. The event includes a pet buffet using recipes from the room service menu, and, in years past, has featured local pet vendors selling everything from biscuits to jeweled collars and leashes, a silent auction, a pet psychic, a fashion show, and a demonstration on holistic pet medicine. This year’s event, attended by approximately fifty hotel guests and locals, was set up like a movie premiere with a showing of 101 Dalmatians. The benefit was even renamed “Luke’s Drive-In,” after the on-site hotel dog, Luke, a yellow lab that takes the mail around to the offices and delivers papers as needed.

Treats: An extensive room service menu is available for both dogs and cats. House specialties include vegetarian entrées such as the GRRRRReat Vegetable Feast for health-conscious critters and more indulgent entrees such as Bow-Wow Tenderloin of Beef, Chow Hound Chicken, or even Whiskey-Licking Liver or Kitty’s Salmon Supreme for the feline friend. A selection of bottled Fiji water, milk, dry and canned food is also available.

Tall Tales: “We once had two sisters who came with a tiny dog that they dressed up and pushed in a baby carriage,” says Beth Madsen, director of rooms. Apparently, the twenty-one-year-old canine, who, mostly blind and deaf, was too old to walk.

Kennel Up: Most Loews hotels charge an extra $25 fee for pets, but at Loews Annapolis, pets stay for free, with 10 percent of the room rate donated to the Annapolis SPCA. Room rates begin at $169. 126 West St. 410-263-7777 or http://www.loewshotels.com/hotels/annapolis.

The Tides Inn, Irvington, Va.

Pet Perks: When this small upscale Northern Neck resort was renovated in 2001, the new owners (Sedona Resort Management) decided to welcome pets. But only dogs are allowed. There’s plenty of space to romp on the twenty-four-acre grounds, which include a nine-hole, par-3 golf course. The inn borders Carter’s Creek, where dogs are free to swim; there’s also a beach located near the on-site marina where you’ll find a hose and outdoor shower.

Treats: Turn-down services are provided for the canine half of the family, in the form of ribbon-wrapped, crab-shaped dog biscuits.

Tall Tales: “We once had a family who were very concerned about their baby, Suzie, who was coming along on the trip,” says Paul Brown, director of sales and marketing. “Suzie” and her parents arrived only to find a crib and a basket of baby accoutrements in their room. “The reservationists must have misunderstood,” says Brown. “Suzie was their baby puppy.”

Kennel Up: One-time charge of $35; rooms $249 and up. 480 King Carter Dr., 804-438-5000 or http://www.tidesinn.com.