So Oscar and I have decided that it’s time for us to weigh in on the debate about NY as the Pet-Friendliest Destination.  Earlier this month Animal Fair announced the winners of 2008 Cesar Five Dog Bone Awards, and recognized our very own NYC as the best Pet-Friendly Destination:

Pet-Friendly Destination: New York City, New York. The Big Apple is not just a tourist attraction for people anymore, but is inviting for their traveling pets too! Animal Fair is proud to present New York City the Pet-Friendliest Destination Award of 2008! Offering scores of hotels that provide pet accommodations in almost every neighborhood, Lady Liberty welcomes your pets with open arms. Enjoy shopping at the Time Warner Center, pampering at the many hound-hospitable hotels, dining at canine-cuisine restaurants, celebrating the nightlife at dog-friendly bars, and strolling outdoors with your four-legged friend. With more than two-dozen off leash dog parks alone, including the famous Central Park, Pug Hill, and Washington Square Park, your dog will never want to leave “the city that never sleeps”. Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs are jam-packed with exciting pet-friendly activities and events for you and your pet to indulge in. It’s no wonder that Animal Fair’s readers voted New York Citythe Pet-Friendliest Destination of 2008. So nice to pets - they named it twice! For more information visit: nycvisit.com.

The timing of this announcement is particularly amusing to me because I JUST made an acquaintance who basically accused me of being a cruel person for keeping a dog in NY!! I spent the better part of an hour educating this poor misguided soul about all of the wonderful benefits of being a dog or a dog owner in NY.

Oscar chillin’ in the city… 

So clearly, I must agree wholeheartedly with the “pet-related experts” at Animal Fair who made the final decision on winners for each category, right?

Well…not exactly. While I would agree that NY is a terrific place to own a dog (in fact, I might go as far to say that it is the best CITY in the US to live in if you are a dog owner), I have a hard time believing that it could possibly be the most pet-friendly travel destination.

Yes, if I had to come to NY and couldn’t bear to be separated from Oscar, I could stay in a pet-friendly hotel near a dog run and utilize excellent services like dog walkers, doggy daycares and groomers to make sure he was well cared for while I attended to business or visited local tourist attractions (which are primarily NOT dog-friendly – try taking your dog to a museum or the Statue of Liberty, I dare you! Even if you could take your dog to the MOMA, how would you get him there considering the facts that he’s not allowed on public transportation and cabs aren’t required to pick up passengers with dogs?). But if I was planning a “family trip” that included Oscar, NYC would not be the first destination that popped into my head.

There are a lot of dogs/dog owners in NY so it’s probably a good PR move to name it the best Pet-Friendly Destination, but I would imagine the most dog friendly destination would be somewhere like the Catskills or the Berkshires or some small obscure town in Montana where well-behaved dogs are allowed roam freely off-leash by the side of their owner.

I don’t know, maybe my rural dog utopia doesn’t exist and maybe NYC is the best pet-friendly travel destination. What do you think?

Just out of curiosity, I checked to see who won this category last year and it was Las Vegas. Las Vegas?!?!  Sorry, I don’t think so…

We’ve stayed in a number of hotels that consider themselves pet-friendly, from the resort-like Inn At Lake Joseph in the Catskills to the Residence Inn Marriott in downtown Philadelphia.  However, we’ve found that pet-friendly often just translates to “pets allowed in the rooms”. 

Don’t get us wrong, we really appreciate the mere fact that many hotels now allow pets, so that we can bring Oscar along.  But we’re also noticing a shift in some high end hotels that really cater to those of us who consider our dog to be member of our family.

The Kimpton Hotels group is an example of a hotel chain that goes beyond the call of duty to help make you and your pet feel at home when you’re on the road.  They have more than 40 hotels across the US and they’re all pet-friendly.  Pet services offered vary depending on the specific hotel, but examples of services include:

• A canine concierge (to help direct you to pet-friendly stores, parks and dog runs)
• Amenity baskets with treats, food and water bowls
• Complimentary dog walking & sitting

Kimpton Hotels have two locations here in New York:

The Muse Hotel- (46th St. between 6th & 7th Ave) - In addition to a “Pampered Pooch” package (which includes an amenity basket presented upon arrival filled with canine treats, food and water bowls), guests wanting to indulge in the Muse’s in room spa treatments while still bonding with their furry friend can book a “Hers and Furs Pet-icure.”

70 Park Avenue Hotel- (Park Ave & 38th St.) - This hotel welcomes parched pooches with a doggy bowl at the hotel entrance, and offers visiting pets house-made dog biscuits from silverleaf tavern and special pet umbrellas for rainy days. 

Both NY hotels also have a Canine Concierge.  We’re looking forward to trying out one of the Kimpton properties on our next trip, so we’ll report back with  more details about our stay.

Please let us know if you’ve found any other paws-itively awesome dog-friendly hotel that you would recommend!