Rocco Goes Italian! Fido + Fluffy's #FreebieFriday

Rocco enjoys some lake time at Lago di Mergozzo in northern Italy

Last week Rocco traveled with us to Italy! He did so well on the long plane flight, sleeping the entire way. And once in Italy, he was allowed to go everywhere with us.

Dog owners over there seem to keep their dogs by their sides (and they don't think they all have to "say hi" to other dogs) which made Rocco very happy and very well behaved! Rocco's not a fan of dogs running up to him and getting in his face -- not surprisingly --  which seems to happen quite often here in the U.S.

During our trip, we traveled around the lakes region of Northern Italy, spending some time at Lakes Mergozzo, Menaggio and Como as well as a few other adventures! We'll post more about those in upcoming days. 

We had a fabulous time and love how dog-friendly it is in Italy!

Now it's time again for  Fido + Fluffy's  Freebie Friday, the weekly blog hop for pet-related giveaways!

Check out the goodies in the Fido's Freebie Friday giveaways listed below. You can enter them all or add your own! We make it easy by linking them up all in one place.
If you're a blogger with a pet-related giveaway, be sure to link up! Please link directly to your giveaway, not to your home page. We post a new blog hop every Thursday afternoon at 4 pm ET. 
We hope you enjoy the Fido + Fluffy's Freebie Friday blog hop that we co-host with DogTipper and CatTipper!

Good luck!

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. DogTipper, CatTipper and To Dog With Love take no responsibility for the legality of the rules governing the listings on other sites and giveaways that are posted here. We simply provide this forum as a gathering place for pet products to be offered. Fulfillment of each giveaway is done by the blog conducting the giveaway, not by the hosts of this giveaway hop; please contact the giveaway host with any questions regarding a giveaway or giveaway prize.

Fido + Fluffy's #FreebieFriday in Greenville

Rocco enjoys the view at Falls Park in Greenville, SC

We took a quick trip to Greenville, SC last weekend and had a terrific time in this dog-friendly town! We stayed at the Aloft in downtown Greenville, where we were walking distance to lots of dog-friendly shops and restaurants.

After checking out all the cute shops, we had a yummy dinner on the patio at Grill Marks.

The next day we set out for Falls Park, which is absolutely gorgeous and full of beautiful walking trails. 

Lots of dog-friendly restaurants near Falls Park in Greenville! Rocco enjoyed his time at Passerelle Bistro.

After a lengthy walk, it was time for a delicious brunch, which we found at Passerelle Bistro. We sat on a lovely patio overlooking the Reedy River and Falls Park.  We all had a great time and look forward to going back for more dog-friendly adventures! 

In the meantime, it's time again for  Fido + Fluffy's  Freebie Friday, the weekly blog hop for pet-related giveaways!

Check out the goodies in the Fido's Freebie Friday giveaways listed below. You can enter them all or add your own! We make it easy by linking them up all in one place.
If you're a blogger with a pet-related giveaway, be sure to link up! Please link directly to your giveaway, not to your home page. We post a new blog hop every Thursday afternoon at 4 pm ET. 
We hope you enjoy the Fido + Fluffy's Freebie Friday blog hop that we co-host with DogTipper and CatTipper!

Good luck!

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. DogTipper, CatTipper and To Dog With Love take no responsibility for the legality of the rules governing the listings on other sites and giveaways that are posted here. We simply provide this forum as a gathering place for pet products to be offered. Fulfillment of each giveaway is done by the blog conducting the giveaway, not by the hosts of this giveaway hop; please contact the giveaway host with any questions regarding a giveaway or giveaway prize.

Fido's Freebie Friday Out On The Town!

Welcome to Fido's Freebie Friday (FFF), the weekly giveaway blog hop for all things pet!

This week we had some fun dining out with Rocco and finding a new pet friendly patio in Atlanta. Empire State South is in the Midtown area of Atlanta, the food was delicious and the pet hospitality supreme!

Now, it's time once again to check out all the great giveaways at Fido's Freebie Friday!

Canine Beach in Dog Friendly Fort Lauderdale and Beach Safety for Dogs

When we visited Fort Lauderdale earlier this month, we couldn't wait to head to the beaches. The challenge was to find a dog friendly beach. 

Rocco loves to run in the sand and chase the waves. The dog beach pickings were a little slim in the area, so we headed down to the Canine Beach in Fort Lauderdale, even though the website said it was closed due to reconstruction project.

We figured if we headed down there super early, it might not matter if the beach was officially open.  There were just a few other folks walking on the beach and no one questioned us, so we kept on going! And, as a bonus there were plenty of birds for Rocco to chase!



It was beautiful in the early morning. And a nice change from the cold that was sweeping through Atlanta and much of the rest of the country.

If we lived near a beach, I think we'd be there everyday! If you're planning a beach trip with dogs, here are a few things to keep in mind to help keep your pups safe:

1. Don't forget to bring your own water. The ocean may look like a giant water bowl to your dog, but drinking salt water can be harmful to you pup, causing diarrhea and dehydration.
2. Bring a collapsible water bowl. I packed one of these Popware Travel Bowls for our trip and it worked perfectly for a trip to the beach or a walk around town.
3. Stay safe in the sun. If you'll be at the beach for an extended period of time, make sure your pup has shady place to cool off. Dogs can get sunburned too, so look for a pet approved sunscreen to protect pups with light colored noses or thin or short hair. 
4. Watch where you step. Keep and eye out for sharp objects or jellyfish (we saw quite a few!)
5. Rinse and repeat. It's a good idea to rinse your dog with clear, fresh water after a romp on the beach to remove sand, salt and any other little critter that may be hitching a ride on their fur.
6. Supervision is a must. If leash laws apply, keep your dog on a leash, but if it's an off-leash area, you'll want to keep an eagle eye on your pup. Not all dogs can swim and currents can carry them out too far for comfort. 

Rocco looks right at home in Fort Lauderdale, doesn't he?

Do you have any more beach safety tips? Let us know in the comments below!

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and My GBGV Life to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!). Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

Chicago Dog Walk to Oz Park

Last weekend we were visiting family in Chicago and we always like to meet up with our Chicago dog pals while we're there.

We also love traveling to Chicago because it's a great walking city and Rocco and I love our morning walks along the lakefront.

This time we took a different route to meet up with our pals Sugar the Golden Retriever and Dolly the Doxie. 

We planned to meet up at Oz Park, a lovely little city park with a Wizard of Oz theme. Even though the park is fairly close to Lincoln Park, my usual place to walk in Chicago, I had never been there.

And, since it was the weekend of the annual Chicago Air and Water Show (with loads of people and traffic), we knew we'd have to walk there, because driving from my mom's location is out of the question.

The bird's eye view of the air show from my mom's place

It's only a 1.5 mile walk to Oz Park, but still long enough to work up an appetite! We enjoyed watching the air show along the way and cutting through a few neighborhoods we don't typically walk though. We also had the added incentive of meeting up for brunch after our Oz Park walk!

Behind the scenes of our photo shoot at the Dorothy and Toto statue with Sugar, Rocco and Dolly

Rocco's close-up with Toto and the ruby slippers!

Next, the pups posed with the Cowardly Lion!

We took a nice walk around the park and then headed to Chez Moi for brunch. Yum!

Sugar visited with Rocco on our side of the table and Dolly was on the other side. We had a great brunch and visit! Rocco wore a purple hair band in honor of Sugar's purple shoes. Heehee!

We love finding new places to walk AND meet up with pals along the way. It's the best combination! Have you found a new place to walk recently?

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and My GBGV Life to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!). Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

5 Reasons Why Travel With Dogs is Best!

Rocco feels the wind beneath his furs on
Mercury's Canine Cruise in Chicago

I love traveling with dogs.

At 20 months, Rocco has already traveled with me by plane and by car to Chicago, Las Vegas, Virginia area, Charleston and Savannah, just to name a few.

Cosmo and I traveled extensively, and he even got to visit Italy, twice!

Why travel with your dog?

The folks at Pet 360 bring you lots of great reasons why. And then they asked us to come up with one more!

The thing is, we love traveling with dogs so much, we couldn't come up with just one reason. So here are five more great reasons why travel with dogs is best!

1. Sight Seeing is better with dogs

Taking in the sights in Chicago

Dogs get you up and get you going! You can pack lots more into the day when you start early. And besides, dogs always have fun while exploring, and that fun is bound to rub off on you.  We've found plenty of dog friendly excursions that are simply better with a dog in tow. From the Mercury Canine Cruise in Chicago to a stroll through historic, pet friendly Beaufort, S.C., travel with dogs is the best!

Rocco checks out the cannon in dog friendly Beaufort, SC

2. Beaches are better with dogs

Enjoying a sunset walk on Lake Michigan

What dog doesn't love to romp on the beach? If you're landlocked, like we are here in Atlanta, take your dog on a beach vacation and you'll both have more fun!

Running at Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina

3. You can stay in a luxury hotel with dogs

Rocco and I enjoyed the hotel and restaurants in Charleston

Just because you are traveling with a dog, doesn't mean you have to give up a fancy place to stay.  

Check in advance, but many luxury hotels --  like the Charleston Place in Charleston, S.C. -- allow dogs.

4. International travel is better with dogs

Cosmo enjoyed a ride on a gondola in Venice

In Italy, you can take your dog with you almost everywhere, including many restaurants. A variety of transportation is also dog friendly. Cosmo had the chance to ride on in a gondola in Venice, on a funicular railway in Capri and on a train from Rome to Milan.

Snow shoeing in the Italian Dolomite mountains is definitely better with dogs

5. Traveling with friends is better with dogs

Can you find Rocco and his pal Zoe in their travel bags?

We've traveled with human friends and their dogs and nothing is better than finding pet friendly activities with like-minded people.  Rocco and his pal Zoe had a special bonding experience when they traveled together to the Havanese National Specialty outside of Chicago last year.

Rocco loves to meet up with his pals Gracie and Johann  while hiking in north Georgia

Traveling with friends, sometimes means hoping in the car and driving 90-minutes to meet up with pals for some hiking time. We've had lots of fun exploring the north Georgia mountains with dogs and dog friends.

We meet up with Dolly (left) and Sugar (center) pretty often on our trips to Chicago, but in Las Vegas at BlogPaws
last month, we all got to meet up with Emma and Bailie too!

And sometimes it means getting on an airplane and traveling as far as Las Vegas to meet up with blogging pals at BlogPaws!

If you want more reasons why life with dogs is best,  Pet 360 has collected 60 reasons why in five categories -- health, nutrition, travel, fun and adoption.

Do you have another reason why travel with dogs is best?

This post is written on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network for Pet360.  I am being compensated for my time but the thoughts and opinions shared here are my own.