Travel in PNW with Large Dog

March 6, 2024 2:04 PM

Looking for a place to stay Memorial Day weekend in Washington or Oregon for a couple with a 75lb dog. Any recommendations?

Any good experiences traveling in the PNW with a 70 lb dog? Normally we board our dog but we'd like to stay together for my partner's birthday this year. Preferably by water but open to any suggestions. We've been camping with her before but we learned that we are not really camping people! We were thinking Ocean Shores, Long Beach, Florence, San Juans etc.

Dog Tax of our Princess, Spooky Duke.

posted by kittensofthenight to Travel & Transportation (5 answers total)

Best answer: Whidbey Island, where I live, is pretty dog-friendly; we have off leash parks that are beaches, fields, forests; some of them are fully fenced, others partially. There are quite a few places you can sit on the deck with your dog, and dogs are always part of farmers markets and such.

Also, what a beautiful pup!
posted by The otter lady at 2:22 PM on March 6, 2024 [1 favorite]

There are countless hotels, motels, and vacation rental houses that are dog-friendly in OR and WA near water, especially the ocean. Are there particular concerns you have? I’ve occasionally seen weight limits at certain houses, but there’s more often a maximum number of dogs allowed. In any case, all the rules for a particular spot are clearly laid out at their respective websites.
posted by outfielder at 4:31 PM on March 6, 2024

Best answer: I had a really pleasant stay with my 75 lb dog (and partner) at Loge Motel in Bend. They have redone an old style motel into a hipper kind of place with hammocks in the rooms, some fun nightly events, community areas to hang, etc. We were able to go on walks with the dog right from the hotel into some woods and right over to the Deschutes River, so it really was a dog friendly location as well as lodging. And Bend is a fun place to check out -- interesting shops and restaurants downtown with lots of dog friendly outdoor seating, plus plenty of hiking/biking/outdoor adventure options.
posted by luzdeluna at 5:09 PM on March 6, 2024

Best answer: Tokeland Hotel on the Olympic Peninsula!
posted by matildaben at 6:54 PM on March 6, 2024

Hood River, OR, is pretty dog-friendly in general (with the exception of the grocery stores, and perhaps Walmart*) but as a (former) longtime local, I'm not sure which lodgings are pet-friendly. Dog River or Gorge Dog (pet stores) might have advice?

* Despite laws, my current Neighborhood Walmart is MUCH more relaxed than the groceries in Hood River, who stick pretty closely to service-dog-only rules. The restaurants in town, on the other hand... are, in general, pretty lax.

Dogs seem to like the beach on the rivers (don't let them get fish) and so long as the dog is under good voice control, that satisfies the "leash" law in the county. (Just have a leash on-hand in case you encounter a dog that isn't quite so well-behaved.)
posted by stormyteal at 7:34 PM on March 6, 2024