I know this is a very open ended question but give me a second, I'll explain

We live in Australia. We are going on a world trip, leaving next Saturday. Part of our trip includes about 2 weeks in the United States. I was hoping to be able to see some American dog facilities while we're over there. I'm interested in seeing how dog culture is in America compared with Australia.

We are in Los Angeles for about a week, with a day or two set aside just for exploring random stuff.

We are in Orlando for 5 days, mostly for Disney but again with a day for exploring.

We are in Washington DC for only a few days, which is pretty booked up already but we can make time if there are any awesome parks or anything to see.

Does anyone have any suggestions of dog parks, pet stores, etc that would be worth seeing while we're there?

Thanks,
David

Holy cow welcome back. I was beginning to think you may have been washed out by the floods Australia had last year.

As to dog parks here don't think you'll be to excited when visiting them here, mostly just a chunk of land thats been fenced off to prevent escape.

When in Washington DC stay of the streets after dark it might be this nations capital but its also a very nasty town after dark. Visit the Smithsonian, 1000 Jefferson Drive Southwest Washington, DC 20004, if you have time several days if possible.

myhusky wrote:

We are in Orlando for 5 days, mostly for Disney but again with a day for exploring.

http://www.doggoes.com/parks/florida/orlando

http://www.floridapets.net/gossip

D.C. ...Well, there are some great museums there. I've been there a few times. I personally didn't find it too exciting. Now, FLORIDA, on the other hand....

Those two links I posted give you info on the dog parks and what to do with your pet while on vacation. The Dr. Phillips park I'm sure would be one of the nicest (it is a town about due left of Disney), but I haven't been to that one yet. As far as great sites to see, well I'm at a loss there, but we in America do have bountiful amounts of pet stores. PetSmart is one of the largest franchise chains near us, though it is not my favorite. I prefer nice doggie boutiques where I can get top quality food, treats, and gear. I live in Northwest Florida, near Pensacola, so I'm about 6 hours away. When are you coming?

What I do think would be super fun for you, is to attend one of the Orlando group Husky meetups! You can mingle with other Sibes, meet some peeps from here, and get your doggy love on!

Oh, and visit Celebration. Beautiful town! You also MUST ride Mt. Everest at Animal Kingdom.

If you want any other Disney tips, let me know! I go there at least 2-3 times a year!

When will you be in Orlando? I live pretty close to it. There's Barnett Dog Park where our husky group meets once a month (every second Sunday of the month). Do you want to see animal shelters and dog show stuff too? There's the SPCA of Orange County and if you want to drive a little out of Orlando there's the Seminole County Animal Services (which I volunteer for) and right across the street is an SPCA. I'll have to know what dates you're going to be in town to see if there will be a dog show then. They have a few dog shows in Orlando and even the big Eukanuba National dog show which happened a few weeks ago. And if you want to drive north a bit and visit me, I can show you three dog parks near me (Keysville in Deltona, Waggin' Trails in Orange City, and Barkley Square in Deland-my fav.).

Haha no, I'm a while away from where all the floods where. I've just been busy with everything else going on down here. I've been organising Husky meets every month for our group, sometimes it's a bit crazy trying to arrange everyone.

This is our itinerary for the trip.

I've got my Husky website, and a new dog park website as well, so I want to take this opportunity to take heaps of photos of huskies and parks in other countries. I'm hoping to find some Huskies in Europe, since it's likely going to be snowing the whole time.

Sara: We're in Orlando for the second Sunday (12th of Feb), that's our last day before heading up to Washington. I think we're staying about an hour away from Barnett Dog Park, but if we can make it down that day we definitely will. I'll talk to my partner and see if we can get down there for a bit. Are you usually there any particular time?

Nikki: Dr Phillips park isn't far from where we're staying, so it might be possible to check that one out at some point.

Thanks

Not much help I'm going to be other than I lived in DC for four years. If you need any tips or suggestions on where to visit there, let me know I didn't have my own dog yet when I was there though, so there's not much in the way of dog-related suggestions that I can give

Looks like an amazing trip! Have fun!

Oh- I also lived in Paris. Again, if you need any help, let me know and I'd be happy to suggest restaurants or places to visit that are not a majorly touristy

Heh...maybe you'll see Mark at Dr. Phillips. He's a guy who keeps trying to join our husky group, but I won't let him since he's a BYB and suddenly about 6 of our members had puppies from him! He got kicked out of the group real quick!

It would be awesome if you could go to Barnett. I've only been there once and it's a little tricky to get to (my GPS kept trying to get me to go down a road that had a fence across it!). It's not the most amazing park in FL, but it's okay. I can make the meet up anytime. They are usually anywhere between 8:30am to 11:00am and usually last between an hour or two depending on how nice a day it is and how much fun the dogs are having. So is earlier or later better for you?

I looked up shows and didn't see any shows in Orlando during the time you'll be there.

Don't plan anything around me, cos I can't guarantee we'll be able to get there. But let me know what time you make it, cos I definitely want to try.

David - PM me for more info on LA.

There are some wonderful things to check out! I can even map out a tour for you so that you can enjoy the city while checking out dog stuff!

1. Dog parks - unfortunately, we don't have any fancy dog parks and most spaces are just grass and a fence, or dirt and a fence. One to check that the community fought to set up is the Boneyard in Culver City. http://www.culvercitydogpark.org/main/001_home.cfm


2. Head over to dog-friendly west hollywood and hollywood. Have lunch at the Fat Dog gastropub on Fairfax (fabulous burgers!) and stop by the upscale Tailwaggers pet store and grooming facility next door. http://www.thefatdogla.com/


3. Stop by the Zoom Room in either Culver City or Hollywood - which is a training/agility franchise sweeping the country. http://www.zoomroomonline.com


4. I'll PM you the location and name of our doggie daycare to check out - the owner can take you on a tour, she's so incredibly friendly. It also has a self wash facility, something very popular here.

5. Tour small trendy pet stores - there's a selection I can send you based on your area. Many upscale, high design pet stores are now also adopting out shelter dogs instead of breeder pups, even one in Beverly Hills! It's also interesting to see the different products and services each one offers. Examples :
Bark 'n Bitches on Fairfax : http://www.yelp.com/biz/bark-n-bitches-dog-boutique-los-angeles
Orange Bone on Melrose : http://www.yelp.com/biz/orangebone-los-angeles
Healthy Spot on Santa Monica : http://www.yelp.com/biz/healthy-spot-west-hollywood-2 (just hosts adoption event)



6. You may want to visit the very fancy Westside German Shepherd facility in West LA to see the very latest in rescue technology and set up (gorgeous facility, dog matchmaking kiosks, in house vet, etc) : http://www.wgsr.org/


7. Stop by the Farmer's Market/Grove to visit our local dog bakery : Three Dog Bakery! http://www.threedog.com/default.asp

8. Interested in "pet hotels"? Upscale boarding facilities where you can book Fluffy a private room with 24/7 Animal Planet on the TV (Yes, this is why the rest of the country makes fun of LA!!!) :
Dogworks LA - http://ladogworks.com/
D Pet hotels - the boutique hotel of doggie boarding - http://dpethotels.com/


More LA dog info:
http://www.metropup.us