DOT -- Oregon

First, a cute but old picture of Lucy. This was taken on the day we got her, nearly a year ago. She was an adorable puppy.

I've been on vacation so I have no new puppy pictures or stories. Instead I'll just say that Oregon is a very dog-friendly state! My first hint was when I received the official Oregon state map. The welcome message is from both the governor and his dog Hershey. It's even got a pawprint at the end of it!

The coast is especially dog-friendly. I called a hotel in Pacific City and I was immediately asked if my pet was with me. I had to say no, but if she was she could have stayed in the hotel too. We walked across the street to the beach and saw so many dogs. They were playing in the dunes with their people, playing in the surf, taking walks. There was a cool pub with a big patio that had a sign saying dogs weren't allowed on the patio. So people hooked the leashes to the chairs and had the dog sit in the sand. That was perfectly fine.

Cannon Beach even had a brochure listing pet-friendly places. Many, many inns allowed dogs. A bunch of restaurants with decks allowed dogs to hang out while their owners were eating outside. Lots of the stores had signs saying dogs were welcome and water bowls were common outside shops. We hiked through the forest to an isolated beach. We saw some dogs having a great time retrieving sticks from the surf. Unforunately I haven't downloaded the pictures yet, but I do have some.

Back in Portland, the night before our flight, we stayed in a dog-friendly Residence Inn. It happened that we were there during a blues festival so we checked it out. We met a nice beagle and her mom there. The beagle was a retired contraband sniffer and apparently a blues fan.

If I ever go back to Oregon, I'll need to drive and take Lucy with me!