I did a google search, and narrowed it down to cabin's that are dog friendly. Pick a state/area & see what pops up!

I had a wonderful cabin in upstate NY this fall. Lots of hiking etc. Last year found one in N.Carolina.

Found them thru the net, and was very satisfied.

linda

You guys are amazing! I knew I could count on you!! We're currently on Cape Cod, in MA and it's COLD today! We're certainly shooting for something warm.

Linda, when you did a search, what key words did you use? I've tried variations and have come up with so much spam it's silly! Every single one of you came up with some great ideas, really-- thanks!! Alice--I'll be checking out that website as well.

We have a 7 year old son and we were originally wanting to do Disney in Florida. However, I soon realized that I wasn't willing to kennel my pup for a week or so and I don't want to leave him alone for the time it would take us to do Disney. So now we're revamping the plan. We need it to find some place warm for us, fun for kid and safe and fun for pup.

You guys have given me great leads! I'll be up all night.

Katherine, that link didn't work. What's the name of the place again?

Edited: Nevermind, it was the extra period in the link that threw it off! The weight limit for the dogs allowed is 25 lbs but thanks anyway!

Amber,

If you are still thinking about Disney, why not try Fort Wilderness at Disney. You can camp there with your own trailer or rent one of the cabuns on site. As far as I know they still allow dogs there and its not like you are out in BFE. There's plenty to do at the campgrounds or anywhere else in the Orlando/Kissimmee area. Just a thought.

Howard

I do still want to do Disney, but doesn't it take about 10 hours to go through it? I can't leave the pup alone for that long. Maybe Disney will have to wait until next year when he's older. We have to go somewhere though, I'm getting nutty!

i wouldn't fly the pup with you for vacation. there's too much risk involved. if you are driving, then fine, but not flying. not for just a vacation.

i boarded my 4 mo. old puppy for 2 weeks and he was fine. find a good kennel if you want to fly somewhere. even better, find a house sitter so he can stay home.

Alice, what's wrong with flying with a pup?
If it's a domestic flight and not too long I think it'd be better than boarding a 4-month-old pup for two weeks.

Heather's suggestion about renting a personal cottage is excellent. I took a 2-week trip with my GSD pup when he was 4 months old to Prince Edward Island, on a beautiful island in the Canadian maritimes. The owners of the personal cottage we rented were fine with dogs inside.
A definite advantage of renting over staying in a hotel is having a fridge and freezer available. If you're a raw feeder you can certainly appreciate this!!
(My pup was so lucky - being in the maritimes, he got to eat fresh salmon every day during the trip as an addition to his RMB's!)

My pup and I certainly had a great experience travelling by plane (we traveled by Air Canada in August). He wasn't at all nervous, ignored all the loud airport sounds and LOVED all the attention he got from the flight crew. All the flight attendants went over to the cargo hold to make sure he was comfortable before and after each flight.

It was only 2 short flights (26min and 2-3 hours) and I was able to get my pup back between connections.
Usually they don't allow you to access your luggage between connections, but if you have a long wait and you have a pet travelling in the cargo hold, they will make an exception

Trips to the sea are wonderful if you have a pup! Watching them swim for the first time is priceless, especially if they really love it and insist on eagerly swimming after you wherever you go!

A few tips that I picked up from my own experience if you plan to fly with your pup:
1. Fill the crate's water dish & freeze it overnight before you leave. Your pup will have access to water the whole time without it spilling during the flight. Being able to lick the frozen water will also help calm him if he's nervous.
2. Write your pup's name on the outside of the crate so that the workers loading and unloading the luggage from the plane can speak to him and calm him (if he gets nervous). I watched my pup being unloaded from the plane (from inside the airport) and it was the funniest thing to watch all the luggage loaders stop their work and gather around my pup's crate, talking and cooing to him ;o))
3. Before the plane takes off, ask the flight attendant to check with the pilots that the ventilation and temperature control are turned on in the cargo hold.
This probably isn't necessary, but they'll be happy to confirm it for you and it will make you feel much better (especially if you are obsessive over your pup's safety like I am, haha).

Good luck finding a fun vacation for your pup. Travelling is a great socializing opportunity for a pup and having him around will certainly make the whole trip a lot more fun for you

Just to add, I left my 10-year-old female at home while I travelled, but took my pup with me. The change in routine would've been too much of a stress for her, whereas it was all fun and socializing for my pup.

Two weeks just seems like a lot of time to lose with your pup if he's just 4 months old. A personal choice.

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Alice, what's wrong with flying with a pup?

a huge subject, worthy of its own thread. for now, i'll leave it that i used to fly my dog everywhere with me. after reading the statistics on the promises v. the reality of how the vast majority of airlines treat traveling pets going in the hold, i would have to think long and hard before ever flying any pet of mine again.

just for starters, even though the airlines insist the hold where the pets are is pressurized and heated, very often that is not true! dogs have died from suffocation, exposure and freezing in those holds. they were not pressured or temperature controlled!

also, there are laws governing when an animal can fly, depending on the predicted highs and lows of the airports involved. let's say you fly your dog to florida with no problem. but then, when it's time to go home, the airport in boston has a predicted high of 10F for that day. it's very likely they will not let your dog fly home, because that temperature is too low. (i believe outside air temps have to be under 85 F and above 40 F for legal animal travel.)

so, even if the airline in question has a great reputation with pets, bringing them along on a vacation can significantly complicate your travel.

We plan on driving mostly because we just love the road tripping! I don't have a problem flying with a dog, but I do think the driving is much more rewarding for everyone involved if there aren't a lot of time constraints.

Alice, my first choice would be to have someone house/dog sit but we can't find anyone that a 4 month old GSD puppy wouldn't be too much for, or who we trust. Well, we actually have people like that in our lives, but their situations just don't allow for that kind of a committment for 7-10 days.

The kennels in my area are run by teenagers that I wouldn't leave a rat with. Boarding Carbon isn't an option. Besides, he's too young...I want to include him on our vacation if at all possible. I like to incorporate him in as much of our life as I can.