Friday, May 9, 2014

Ruff Times for the Summer

Summer means long days and long weekends - and traveling. We propose that you pack up your best friend for those trips this year. And now, with the Ruff Guide to the United States, there is no reason not to take your canine companion with you. 


It's no secret that we take our greyhound, Lochrima, every possible place we travel to.  She's been in 14 states and toured mountains, beaches and cities with us. Yea, we even walked her through a shopping mall in D.C. once - no one said anything. Maybe because she's so good-looking and well-behaved?

Anyhow, with this cool new Ruff Guide, there are features and vacation spots in EVERY state that welcome houndie guests.

A few of the really cool ones: Surfing lessons in California, camping in Yellowstone Park, treehouses on the Appalachian Trail, B&Bs on Gettysburg battlefield and Gondola Skyrides. Oh - there are high end locales too - try taking your pooch to Palm Springs for some spa luxury or a tour of sophisticated Santa Barbara. How about touring a garden in Georgia?

Pretty much, there's something in the Ruff Guide for every dog and his/her person. Which brings me to the avenue by which we discovered this book: Grapehounds.  Grapehounds is an annual event - with weekends in both Virginia and the New York Fingerlakes. Basically, wineries open up their tasting rooms to hounds, and the organizer, Larry, also arranges for pooch-friendly hotels, B&Bs and camping, we as well as vendors selling collars, coats, crafts and more - oh and free concerts. The event is always a great time and we're proud to say, we've been involved as the official event photographers since the very first event.

Grapehounds is listed in the Ruff Guide - and we hope that means that even more attendees will arrive this year in both Virginia and New York to enjoy this fun weekend. Even better- all the proceeds from both events are donated to charities that work to save racing greyhounds.

Want to learn more? Here's a little taste of what Grapehounds is all about... shopping, drinking, eating and of course... hounding out!


Small businesses sell doggie wares. 

Naptime at the winery!

Strikingly handsome fellow...

Vineyards are great for long walks.

Winetasting for people. Naps for hounds.




Where are my treats?




We love North Gate - a vegan-friendly and entirely green winery in VA!

Resting after a long day touring wineries in Virgnia.


If you'd like to learn more about Grapehounds, visit their website. If you want to check out the Ruff Guide, buy a copy on Amazon or at your local bookseller. Be sure to look for our pictures in there!

Happy Summer trips - with your doggies!
~ Rissa