Ron Bexel
Winter Vacations With Dogs – We love the New England region, especially New Hampshire and Vermont. Vermont is one of the most dog-friendly states I’ve ever visited. However, our well-planned vacation with dogs in Vermont and New Hampshire was not what we planned!
This winter vacation with the dogs has had some bumps, and I don’t mean in the road. In our experience, you need to plan well to have a successful dog vacation, but if life gets in the way and your carefully planned dog vacation goes off track, you need a backup plan!
Winter Vacations With Dogs
We planned a fantastic week-long skiing holiday. Vermont is dog-friendly, and we brought a dog on our trip from Florida to New Hampshire and back to Vermont. We can’t wait to go hiking through the snow with her and have some dog fun!
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Waterville Valley in New Hampshire is one of our favorite places, especially in the winter. Waterville Valley Resort offers great dog-friendly skiing! Our dogs love hiking this trail. It is beautifully maintained and runs parallel to the charming creek. There are also two picturesque bridges that you can walk over.
We started with a 4 day stay in Waterville Valley and then planned to visit Vermont. After the first day everything was going according to plan so far……!
My husband and I both skateboard, so we take turns. I skied the first day and my husband skied the second day.
The first day I went skiing and it was amazing! The next day it was my husband’s turn to go skiing. The other day, I was relaxing in the hotel room with my dog when I got a call from my husband. He skied for two hours and had the time of his life!
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My husband said he was a bit tired but wanted to explore another route. He planned to ski for another half hour and then come back – that’s another hour of skiing, which is very tiring if you’re already tired!
Knowing that my husband could do any physical activity and was prone to accidents, I insisted on “enjoying the day” and just headed to the hostel. We still had a few days of skiing left and we didn’t want to risk anyone getting hurt the next day. Of course, my stubborn husband insisted that he was fine and could easily ski for another hour.
“Honey, can I go down the hall and get a wheelchair?” I was like, “What? Why do you need a wheelchair? Why do you need a wheelchair? I should have known.”
Of course he fell and was injured. Tired, no doubt he worked hard to skate.
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In fact, he couldn’t walk at all. He fell and was severely injured in his buttocks and thighs. This was the beginning of the end of his ski vacation and the fact that I had to do it all myself. It was the end of planning a big winter vacation for our dog. The sight of him walking with us on the long snowy sidewalk quickly faded away.
My husband didn’t really need a doctor, he just needed his legs to rest completely. We weren’t sure how long.
My poor dog spent most of his time in the hotel room with nothing to entertain him and nothing to play with in the snow! I had to walk him three times a day, including a night walk in the hotel parking lot. I took care of all the dogs and had to buy food for me and my husband day and night. We were not expecting any of the romantic restaurant dinners. The pet friendly hotel we stayed at does not have room service!
Two days later, I had to drive 200 miles to the second resort hotel we planned to stay at. If this portion of our trip is canceled 48 hours prior to arrival, this hotel will charge a 100% fee. It wasn’t cheap!
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Good or bad, right? So I let my husband and dog play babysitter for the next five days and then drove the better part of 1,200 miles home.
We live in Florida so I decided to let my snow dog enjoy the snow. I was able to take her 21 miles from our hotel to a dog friendly trail that we always love. John agreed to stay in the car while I drove him for about 30 minutes on a beautiful snowy road. Here’s a short video of ice skating in a winter wonderland!
*I had to think about how to get help and maybe ski another day.
*I will not book another hotel that does not have a refund policy if you cancel within 2 weeks of your stay. We could have gone home 4 days ago.
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I was so shocked by my husband’s injuries and inability to walk that I did everything myself and gave up on the idea of staying even though our vacation was technically over.
I try to stay with the parts of fun and beauty that we experienced. I was able to play snowflakes in the snow, which was really fun for him!
What would you say about yourself? Have you ever faced a lot of trouble and frustration when traveling with your dog? Leave us a comment and share your experience! Winter hiking is real work and requires a lot of gear that you would never need on a three-season trip. The investment is worth it because of the seclusion of the snowy peak that cannot be found in any other season. Not to mention there are no rocks and roots to help with the added bonus of falling a lot!
You compiled your human gear list and menstrual guide last winter, but what about gear specifically for your dog? While some people choose to leave their little ones inside when the weather gets cold, I’ve found that Lucy is much better at taking walks in the winter. In the snow, he doesn’t have to deal with the rugged, rocky terrain that whites are known for, but winter hiking is a challenge.
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Before you take your dog to play in the snow, read my article on when not to take your dog to play in the snow. Here’s what to avoid when you’re outside with your pup, and he’s showing signs of being too cold or tired. Keep in mind that winter hiking is very different for them than summer hiking, so they may cover a lot more or fewer miles. There will always be mountains, so it’s never a shame to stay home or look back to reach the top!
First of all, I want to emphasize that not all dogs need insulating layers and additional equipment for the cold. If you are a northerner and have a pup who wears thick underwear, many of the equipment recommendations will not work for you. Most hiking dogs I know are not accustomed to the cold and need some type of insulation.
Lucy has very short and thin hair, so it gets cold when the temperature drops below 40 degrees. We’ve prepared a complete layering system for his winter adventures. Here’s an overview of the specific dog gear we use on the trail. It took a lot of trial and error to find the right size for his small but muscular frame, but fortunately we have a great system that we use on every winter outing.
This hard shell keeps snow out and keeps Lucy from getting wet. It’s also great protection from the wind, and the bright color ensures everyone can always see it on the snow. Not to mention, he’s so cute! It’s like all dogs have snowballs, especially in their fur. It goes over her legs with a button to keep them in place. It has multiple adjustment points and is easy to turn on and off. This is probably our favorite winter hike!
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We place this insulating layer under the rain block. Elevates legs and neck to keep warm. The abdomen is beautiful and elastic
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