We’re sick of hanging out in the back yard.

Everyone knows I’m nuts about my dogs:  Mick Jagger, the rock star long-haired dachshund, and his sidekick Little Richard, the tightly-wound terrier mix. As much as I LOVE to travel, and especially to travel overseas, the pups have me beginning to consider other options. I’m thinking little adventures here in Ohio – where I can take the boys with me.

So I went online this morning to start researching pet-friendly accommodations and was blown away! Did you know there are numerous sites on the internet that give you extensive, and I mean extensive, information about places you can take your dogs?

My favorite was Dog Friendly, which not only lists dog-friendly accommodations in the United States, but around the world!

(Excuse me, but I might get overexcited and go a bit overboard with the exclamation marks on this post. I mean, who knew?!)

And not only does this site tell you where you can stay with your dog, but it lists restaurants, parks, stores, etc. – all kinds of attractions in the area that will allow you to bring Fido with you. The site even gives you the contact information for a local vet or two in case of emergency.

Really. Who knew?!

There are actually tons of hotels that accept dogs. I even saw that a Westin in Columbus, OH, allows dogs (I did not check on specifics – maybe they have to wear diapers or something), so these are not all the kind of super-low budget places where you suspect dogs are the least of their worries about who is checking in. You know those hotels, right? I’m all for a bargain but I draw the line at rooms with scuffed cement block walls and mold creeping up the plastic shower liner. I just kind of assumed (obviously incorrectly) that these places would be the most likely option.

Then I got sidetracked when I saw a link for dog-friendly places in Cleveland. I couldn’t help wondering what might be available close to home. I don’t necessarily have to leave town to have a little adventure with the boys, right?

I learned that one of my favorite shopping centers, Legacy Village in Lyndhurst (a southeastern suburb of the city) is dog friendly. Nice! Legacy Village is one of those developments that became popular, oh, maybe about 10 years ago, that mimics a small town. The stores and restaurants and other businesses all front onto sidewalks and there are trees and a pretty little town square with an outdoor stage. I could build a small house out on the fringe of the “village” and very happily call that home, to be honest. I keep saying I want to live someplace with sidewalks (am currently Lost in Suburbia) where I can walk the dogs and maybe even sit outside when it’s nice and have a cup of coffee. I’m looking. Let me know if you have any ideas for me.

Borrowed from the Legacy Village website.

Anyway, dogs on leashes are welcome outdoors and in some shops and restaurants. This Saturday afternoon, I could take the boys to wander around then enjoy performers from Mercury Summer Stock Theater singing selections from “Thoroughly Modern Millie” on the Legacy Village stage. The local theater group performs at nearby Notre Dame College.

On Sunday, July 27, the American Cancer Society is hosting its second annual “Bark for Life” fundraiser. This “Canine Celebration” starts with a one mile walk followed by games, activities, food, treats and fun. The first 200 dogs to register will receive a Bark for Life bandanna and goodie bag. The boys would love it! (Contact Alyssa Hancock at Alyssa.Hancock@cancer.org or 888.227.6446 ext 1219 for more info.)

To tell you the truth, before I got the idea of looking for dog-friendly vacation spots, I had never looked at the Legacy Village website, or for that matter, had any idea that there were activities to enjoy there – other than shopping and eating (both of which I already enjoy immensely, anyway). I like this place even more now!

Now, I don’t mean to imply by this post that I will forego the pleasures of my beloved Europe and United Kingdom to wander around with the dogs in Ohio forever after. No way, man. I’m plotting and making preliminary plans for another trip to England this fall.

But whether your vacation is near or far, with or without your furry friends, I do hope you have a wonderful summer. Come back soon and I’ll tell you about some of the festivals we’ll be seeing in Ohio in the months ahead. (I should add – Ohio is a gorgeous place to come in the summer, if you’re looking for someplace new to visit. If you haven’t been here, you’d be most pleasantly surprised!)