How unfair would it be to skip town for a snowy vacation and leave Snoopy behind? Denver’s Hotel Teatro has you and your pooch covered. As the city’s first dog-friendly boutique hotel, they offer total service: The entire staff is on hand to take your doggy out on potty breaks or on a trip to Dog Savvy (a nearby dog boutique and spa, where your pup can even get a relaxing blueberry facial!) Plus, the hotel’s new Pets in the City package keeps four-legged guests comfy, cozy and entertained with food, water, chew toys and treats—there’s even a copy of Colorado Dog Magazine so you can keep up on regional dog happenings. And since the hotel is located in the city’s hip LoDo district, you and yours will have plenty of trendy sidewalks to peruse. This winter, when Denver calls, you can answer with a ‘woof.’

Ever stared at beautiful vacation vista and thought ‘I wish Sparky was here to see this?’ Fall is a perfect time for travel, and Bone Adventure, with three stores in the Twin Cities area, has a rainbow of gear to help you indulge your Weimaraner’s wanderlust or your Terrier’s travel bug

Smaller airborne pups will feel comfy-cozy in the SturdiBag airline-approved travel carriers, which unfold like a tent and fit under your seat. Brian Fulmer, owner and creator of Bone Adventure, advises savvy travelers to buy their travel carriers as soon as they plan their trips, then leaving them open in the house so that worldly doggies can investigate and get comfortable with them prior to takeoff.

West Paw design’s Eco Nap beds are a fleecy way to protect your car seats and help Spot settle in for a long car ride. The super-tough beds are made from recycled soda bottles and come in a number of sizes and colors.

Doggies traveling by car or plane might need a bit of calming when adjusting to their new surroundings, so remind them of home with a familiar toy (we like the adorable and organic bears, sheep and bunnies from Simply Fido,) or soothe their nerves with lavender-and-chamomile-infused Mellow Mut treats from Dogswell.

Fulmer espouses the importance of having water on-hand while traveling, a task made easier with the

...and after

Tazlab before...

flexible rubber fold-up water bowls from Tazlab, which come in an array of bright colors. However, “Don’t worry if they don’t want to drink,” Fulmer says, “and don’t overfeed or overwater your dog before travel: If traveling early in day, do a half-portion of food the night before, then another half-portion once you’re at your destination.”

With a clear itinerary and a well-prepared pup, you’ll be glad you brought your best friend along for the ride.

What better way to weather the beautiful (though lesser-known) Dog Days of Autumn than to pack up the car and take a road trip to one of Minnesota’s myriad dog-friendly vacation spots? In nearly every part of the state, you’ll find lodging that would love to accommodate you and your dog.

The Outing Lodge interior is rustic and cozy.

Start in the South, with Red Wing’s Moondance Inn. The Inn’s 1904 Victorian rental house is a spacious, no-frills, private country getaway for you and your four-legged pals. Upriver, Stillwater boasts The Outing Lodge, where owner Carlota Estevez’s chocolate lab accompanies guest pooches on miles of wooded walking trails surrounding the lodge.

For rugged dogs who love to romp, Lake Superior is the place to let loose. The Inn on Lake Superior really rolls out the welcome mat with a check-in goody bag, which includes a tennis ball, a bandana, an “In case I get lost” dog tag, treats and a list of local pet services. Also in Duluth is Fitger’s Inn, where vacationing dogs find a dog bed, bowls for food and water atop a water-resistant mat and a welcome treat waiting for them.

The picturesque shores of Bluefin Bay.

Kah-Nee-Tah Gallery and Cottages in Lutsen is always looking for guest dogs to keep Jazmin the Shih Tzu company, and Bluefin Bay gives them space to roam right on the shores of the Great Lake.

For those heading out west, Mulberry Row in Detroit Lakes is home to Ebby, a chocolate lab/weimaraner mix who sometimes writes about her visiting friends on the B & B’s Web site. And for dogs who really want to see “Up North,” the Gunflint Lodge in Grand Marais is always pet-friendly, particularly during special “pet-lovers” weekends.

Then again, for Twin Citians who want to save gas money but still get away, downtown Minneapolis offers two dog-friendly

W Hotel in the Foshay Tower has a complete menu of pet services.

hotels: The Chambers (for fancy-pants pets), and the brand-new W hotel, where dogs are supplied with their own concierge.

Now there’s no excuse not to scour the state with your canine playmate. Get packing!

So many days, so many activities so many smells, sights, sounds and experiences to be had!

Here’s how we’ve been enjoying the Summer of 2008 so far.

• Dining out on restaurant patios such as Herkimer, Cafe 28, Cafe Maude, Cue, W.A. Frost, Lucia’s To Go
  and more!
• Treat bobbing in the plastic kiddy pool.
• Weekends away to Stillwater and the North Shore.
• Sorbet at local ice cream shops, Sebastian Joe’s and Crema.
• Waggin’ through the local garden shop.
• Shopping in Minneapolis in Linden Hills and Downtown, as well as Grande Ave. in St. Paul.
• Digging in the sand at the playground up the street.
• Conducting official business at the UPS Store on 50th and Xerxes Ave. S.
• Free concerts at Lake Harriet Bandshell.
• National Night out with the neighbors and a fateful meeting with an abandoned hot dog bun.

What have you been doing with your dog? Respond here.

Now that Jessica Lange, her labrador and family have moved on from their 2-acre home in Stillwater, MN, there is a new trend rising up to put the town, once famous for its wall-to-wall antique stores, back on the map: dog-friendly shopping.

Ali and I hit the Stillwater Main Street with Luc and Indie for nearly 90 minutes of shopping bliss in truly unique shops, chatting with owners and patrons and getting great pets all along the way. This was shopping heaven!

Our first stop was at Jake’s on St. Croix, a Genuine Neighborhood “Life is good®” Shoppe, owned by husband and wife Dog Lovers, Peter Grimes and Jen Stewart (pictured right with Luc and Indie). Their two dogs, Tua and Molly, usually accompany them to work. You’ll know you’ve reached the dogs when you stumble upon their very own Life Is Good branded beds at the front counter.

The shop is full of clothing and gear for people and dogs that spread optimism to people every day through uplifting quotes and the signature caricature of the company’s leading man, Jake, displayed on almost every product.

Then we hit up Rose Mille and Collaborations Boutique where we also found out that Art-n-Soul welcomes dog, too! Tuckered out from all the excitement, we headed to our lodging for the night at the Outing Lodge at Pine Point – also dog-friendly. Whew! A full weekend and a weekend full of fun — with our dogs! Happiness.

While visiting family in Florida this past weekend, I stayed at the super pet-friendly TradeWinds Island Grand on the island of St. Pete Beach. With 48 newly designated pet-friendly suites, the Island Grand doesn’t just allow dogs and cats, they cater to them. Accommodations include:

Pet Play Zone – Fenced in grassy off-leash area complete with fire hydrants and an automatic drinking fountain.

Sandy Beach Overlook – Sandy area adjacent to the beach where hounds and their humans can relax  together in a lounge chair or on a hammock.

Doggie Accessory Center – Outdoor locker stocked with toys, bowls, leashes, and towels for use during your stay.

R-R-R-Room Service Menu – Items include Mutt Meat Loaf (“A grilled 12 oz. Salisbury steak and an egg, garnished with a jerky stuffed pork hide
twist”) and a Doggie Pu Pu Pork Platter (“An all day favorite!”).

That’s it for now, but I promise to dish all about my stay at the dog-loving Island Grand in the January edition of The Dog eDish newsletter.

Do you know know of a great dog-friendly travel destination? Post it here.