9th Street Italian Market Mural of the late Commissioner/Two-Term Mayor  Frank Rizzo

Delicious Di Bruno Brothers Market – Buy the dark chocolate!!!

Philly’s spectacular architectural masterpiece, City Hall

Rodin Museum, “The Hand From the Tomb” Statue

Philadelphia’s Free Public Library – Impressive both inside and out

The Gigantic Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Unarguably One of our Nation’s Most Glorious Churches

Darwin at 7 1/2 months . . .

Our poodle, Darwin, turned 7 months old on July 1. We got him on January 19. Here’s the transformation. . .

January 19 – 9 lbs.

July 1 – 60 lbs.

My family spent Father’s Day weekend at Beachview Cottages on Sanibel Island. We rented and small 1 bedroom, Cottage #1, the unit closest to the beach, and it is in the best location! We had a nice porch facing the water. It was a perfect spot for eating chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast on Father’s Day.

Beachview Cottages are pet friendly, so if you have a pooch, bring him along. If you don’t like dogs, this is not the place for you, because everyone else has them. Every guest we met was friendly, and talkative, and the staff was ultra friendly and helpful too. The place is small and quiet, which is ideal. There’s a pool, coin laundry and ice machine. The staff will gladly help you with dinner and sightseeing plans. The cottage we rented was immaculate upon our arrival and the cleaning crew accommodated us quickly with a few special requests. You could never tell that any other pets had been there before us.

The best way to spend your time here is undoubtedly on the beach – reading, walking, shelling or fishing. If you are persnickety about sand, just know now that it is impossible to keep it out of your cottage. It gets into everything – your feet, clothes, dog’s paws, car tires, inside of your car – and that is just the simple reality of being right on the beach. It’s a small price to pay for the pleasures of the beach. We definitely plan to come back for a longer stay.

Beachview Cottages

3325 West Gulf Drive, Sanibel Island, FL 33957 – 800-860-0532

bvsan@beachviewsanibel.com

For great seafood while you are on Sanibel, eat at the Lazy Flamingo. Click here to read my review and see photos on Wandering Educators.

If you like antiques, or are a collector, be sure to stop in The Islander Trading Post. There are collections of toys, memorabilia, posters, jewelry, tin boxes, garden items, sheet music and so much more. The cabinets that house the collections are antiques too. I didn’t see too many bargains in here, but I sure enjoyed looking at all that stuff. This is the kind of place where you could spend a couple of hours.

Islander Trading Post

1446 Periwinkle Way Sanibel Island, FL 239-395-0888

If your family is like mine, you love to take summer car trips with your dog. The truth is that families embarking upon pet friendly travel trips are likely to encounter some inconveniences, but with the proper planning, you and your furry friend (not your husband, your dog) can have a memorable vacation.

Our poodle puppy, Darwin, aka “Dardie”

The Destination

We choose places where there are plenty of outdoor activities for us to enjoy with our dog. Parks, pet-friendly restaurants, beaches and more are available. Check out Dog Friendly for a ton of info.

Accommodations

There are countless websites that list pet-friendly hotels, cabins, resorts and more. But also consider renting a pet-friendly house. My favorite website for this is Vacation Rentals by Owner.  You can view photos and email the owners with questions. Be sure to ask about the guarantee. I reserved a house one year for Thanksgiving and the owner cancelled on me just a week before. We were furious! The benefits of renting a house verses a hotel room is that you can leave your pet at home while you sight see, have more privacy and cook some of your meals. Many hotels do not allow you to leave your pet unattended in the room, while others require that you crate them if you do leave them. If you have allergies to shedding dogs, like me, inquire about the cleaning of the unit before your arrival.

For the daily traveling part of your trip, if you will need to stay in a hotel off the highway, many chain hotels allow pets. I suggest that you check out some options before you leave, having several places in mind to keep your travel plans flexible. We have a puppy now, but he will weigh 80+ by adulthood. Many hotels will not take a dog that big. What I generally do is call the specific hotel directly (and not the chain toll free #) ahead and explain how immaculate and well behaved our dog is, and many times the hotel does not mind my dog’s size. I like to look at photos of the hotel to make sure there is a grassy area nearby for potty breaks (for the dog, that is.)

The Drive

Before you take a long trip, make sure your dog enjoys the car and does not get car sick or restless. We have a station wagon, and our pooch loves the back area where he can look out the window. Plus he does not block the driver’s rear view that way. We make sure we put a soft blanket down and leave him plenty of room for the long trip. Be sure to pack your dogs food, bowl and treats in a place that is easy to access. And don’t lose sight of his leash either. You’ll want to get him out of the car quickly at rest stops. We pack picnic lunches for days we are on the road. That way we can stop at rest areas and eat at picnic tables. We cannot bring our dog into a restaurant obviously, and we don’t want to eat fast food in our cars either.

Packing

In addition to food (bring a few extra days worth) and treats, bring bottled water, toys, pet shampoo and a brush. Our dog gets washed every Sunday, come hell or high water. I don’t like stinky dogs (or husbands for that matter)!

Health and Safety of Your Pet

Always bring your pet’s most recent vaccination record with you. Many parks do not allow pets in without proof of vaccination. Also be sure to keep your pet’s collar on with identification, in case you lose him. It’s also wise to treat your dog with flea and tick medicine before leaving, and program your vet’s phone number into your cell. We ask about ticks before entering parks with our dog. If there is an epidemic, we don’t go.

Be sure to take plenty of pictures of you with your pet on your vacation!

Bon voyage!

You do not have to live in S. FL to be interested in learning, with your kids, about iguanas. They are not natural to our area, yet they are taking over. Read this article from the Sun Sentinel today.

Just like pythons and other exotic creatures, iguanas were introduced into our subtropical terrain by uneducated pet owners, who could no longer care for their lizards and thus released them into the wild. They have reproduced in such astounding numbers, that they are causing problems here. When full grown, they can reach 5 feet in length, so they do not have many predators. They seem to enjoy life in well protected residential neighborhoods, and they are known to devour fruit trees, household plants and orchids and leave their poop (which can contain salmonella) all over the place.  The odor is atrocious! They also like to dig burrows, which can cause paved areas to collapse.

It is illegal to release iguanas into the wild here, but apparently that is not stopping many pet owners from doing so. I find them to be fascinating to watch and exotically beautiful (in a prehistoric sort of way), and I would be sad to hear they are being destroyed. If people would just leave exotic animals where they belong, we would not have this problem.  I am perfectly happy living with a standard poodle and not a lizard.

Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

Did you read about the Florida woman who sued another woman for refusing to return her parrot that flew away only to be adopted by the other woman who found him? Read the story here.

Even the parrot was called to court in this highly emotional case. But in the end the judge ordered that the original owner was the rightful owner, and that the parrot had to be returned to her. Both parties shed an awful lot of tears.

What does this prove? Pets are as important to people as people are important to people. I’d fight for my smart poodle if she ran away and someone else was claiming her. Do you blame me?

Want a great activity for you and your kids? Experiment with your camera to take fun pictures of your pet! Here’s out latest photos.

Gigi Getting her Teeth Brushed

Gigi rolling in the grass for some unknown reason

More rolling

Hanging Out Listening to Music

Sittin’ on the Arm of the Couch!

Liberty Park Elementary is a Haven for Readers

This gorgeous library is amazing!

Friendly Librarians Cindy Martinez and Renee Houck

Rachel plays piano for the 5th grade students, parents and teachers

A little fairy dances with Lilly Badilly

The best elementary music teacher ever! Mrs. Judy Christodoulides

Literacy Dog Mack gets a lot of attention!

Last night, I was the visiting author for the Liberty Park Elementary Literacy Night. We had a great time! It was a particularly special event because my daughter, Rachel was able to attend. She is normally at school when I do author visits, so this was a real treat for me and for the students! Rachel played piano for them, and the students got to hear about her involvement with the Lilly Badilly book and all about her love of reading.

We presented our program to 5th graders in the music room, which is an extremely impressive place. The large room is well equipped with a beautiful, well-tuned piano and risers for the choir. Music teacher, Mrs. Christodoulides, is the friendliest, most creative and inspiring music teacher! The students at Liberty Park are so lucky to have the performing arts opportunities they have here.

The students here seemed to know their US geography, which really impressed me. Actually, everything about the school impressed me.

Librarian Renee Houck, has a big beautiful, well-stocked library – one of the largest we have seen at any South Florida school. Kids and their parents were lined up to buy books and celebrate reading. Everything about this school makes children want to learn and read more.

One of the highlights of the event was Mack, the Literacy Dog. Children can read to Mack to help them improve their reading skills. He is specially trained for this program and is one of the most adorable, gentle, loving dogs on earth!

We’d like to thank Mrs. Houck and Mrs. Christodoulides for giving us this opportunity and for their genuine kindness and friendliness. Lilly Badilly loves friendly creatures of all kinds! Thank you Liberty Park Elementary!

To book Mack or one of his friends for your Literacy event

go to havedog.com