Due to a treacherous blizzard, we had to take our dog Cocoa, with us, to the Holiday Inn in Midland, Michigan for a hockey tournament. We knew in advance that this hotel was ok with pets, but how was this going to work, a room packed with kids, hockey equipment and now dog and dog equipment? Well it did! Cocoa is a small, submissive d 11 pound dog that is very quiet. Some dogs that I’ve had in the past, would not have worked out at all. It was hard to shake the feeling that I was going to get “busted” for having a dog in the room. So I thought I would challenge this feeling by leashing up Cocoa and walking him around. Would the staff jump on me? Would other guests give me dirty looks and report me? No. Everyone was friendly. Little ones wanted to pet Cocoa and the staff just smiled. I wanted to be a good guest so I would take a doggie pick up baggie, even outside in the snow! The only other dog I saw was a seeing-eye dog that was better mannered than me.

There is a growing trend for pet friendly hotels. As pet owners, who travel with pets, we should try to do everything to keep this trend alive and not suffer from a backlash due to uncouth pet owners. Hopefully when people travel with their pets and choose to take them into hotels they clean up after them, leash them and control them. I also hope that people honestly evaluate whether their pet is a hotel pet or not. Owners of high-strung hyper barkers and biters should bow out gracefully and not ruin it for others. I’ve had a higher spirited dog, loved him, but never took him to a hotel. Having pet friendly hotels is a privilege I hope we all get to keep. Now, about those high spirited kids….

Tags: Holiday Inn, pet freindly hotels, traveling with dogs, traveling with pets