Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May

Over the weekend I went on a mini 3-day vacation to Cape May, New Jersey. While the main purpose of the trip was to soak up some sun at the beach (which I will get to in another post), I also got to log some camping hours – which is one of my favorite things to do!

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

My friend Shilah the Husky decided to come on this trip with me too – and it was to be her very first camping trip.

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Shilah and I waited patiently for the cars to be packed, and oversaw that everything necessary made it into our caravan (squeaky toys, dog food, and cookies of course).

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Then we loaded up the tightly packed car and made the 2 1/2 hour trip to Cape May, New Jersey.

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

We arrived at our dog friendly campsite at Seashore Campsites in Cape May. This campground was a bit more modernized than where I’m used to camping, with activity centers, snack shops, pools and swimming lakes (all of which do not allow dogs to enter), but I did spot lots of other friendly dog campers.

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

I even met this friendly dachshund named Theo!

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Most of the campsites were under lots of wooded trees, which made it quite comfortable to camp even in the summer, although the camping areas were pretty tightly packed – making it a little difficult to find open areas for a dog to do his business.

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

I prefer a little more of a rustic camping experience personally, but I suppose to my fellow 2 legged campers it was nice to have warm showers nearby. (They can’t rough it like I can!)

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

My pal Shilah took to camping quite well considering this was her first experience. I even let her borrow my x-pen to make her trip a little more comfortable.

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Shilah and I took our camp dog duties very seriously, and we guarded the area from any possible intruders. Ok well maybe guarding isn’t the right word when all we did was stare at passerby’s and wag our tails – but it was fun nonetheless!

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

One of my favorite things about camping is getting to sleep in a tent with my family. Something about being in nature is just so relaxing to me.

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

It also helps if you bring a comfy sleeping bag incase it gets chilly at night!

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

When it came time to head home from our weekend adventure I was sad to go – but I know I’ll be putting up my tent again soon, because this dog loves a good camping trip!

Tomorrow I’ll be back to share some more of the fun I had in Cape May! Ammo the Dachshund

The Goshen Country Fair is for Dogs

The Goshen Country Fair is exactly what you think of when you picture a country fair. Livestock, carnival rides and games, music, blueberry pie, cotton candy, and dogs!

Goshen Country Fair // Dog Friendly Event // Ammo the Dachshund

This past weekend I got to attend the fair for some good old fashioned hometown fun!

Goshen Country Fair // Dog Friendly Event // Ammo the Dachshund

To kick off my adventure I checked out the Pet Show hosted by the SPCA which was open to family dogs who wanted to compete in categories like cutest puppy and best costume. This year I decided not to enter, but instead observe my competition for next year!

Goshen Country Fair // Dog Friendly Event // Ammo the Dachshund

Plus it gave me a better spot to check out all the cute ladies!

Goshen Country Fair // Dog Friendly Event // Ammo the Dachshund

After the pet show I wandered over to the 4-H livestock tents to make some new friends. The sheep were a little sheepish though, and it seemed no one was interested in being my BFF.

Goshen Country Fair // Dog Friendly Event // Ammo the Dachshund

The cows proved to be a little more interesting – or at least their smell was quite intriguing to me! I’m trying to convince mom that I need my own cows on the farm now.

Goshen Country Fair // Dog Friendly Event // Ammo the Dachshund

I then took some time to check out all the fun booths and fair items, and when mom started to zero in on a booth that was offering free nail trims – I decided it would be better if we checked out the carnival games instead!

Goshen Country Fair // Dog Friendly Event // Ammo the Dachshund

I tried my paw at some of the squirt gun games – but alas my aim wasn’t quite up to par to beat the small child sitting next to me!

Goshen Country Fair // Dog Friendly Event // Ammo the Dachshund

Dad even tried to win me a stuffed animal at the dart game – but it seems our luck had run out on the carnival games.

Goshen Country Fair // Dog Friendly Event // Ammo the Dachshund

So instead we picked up some Goshen Homemade Doughnuts and decided to wait for the evening’s entertainment to begin.

Goshen Country Fair // Dog Friendly Event // Ammo the Dachshund

They had live music and even a pie eating contest to entertain me while I waited for the big act of the night to take the stage.

Goshen Country Fair // Dog Friendly Event // Ammo the Dachshund

The Kountry K-9 Show was just up my alley, as a group of rescue trick dogs performed some pretty cool tricks on stage. I was secretly hoping they might ask me to join them!

Goshen Country Fair // Dog Friendly Event // Ammo the Dachshund

At the end of the night I waved goodbye to the ferris wheel, and felt grateful that dogs weren’t allowed on the carnival rides because I’m perfectly happy keeping all 4 feet on the ground!

Until next year Goshen Country FairAmmo the Dachshund

The Mutt Room

On Saturday I took a trip to the Devon Horse Show Grounds for the Fall Classic Jumper Show.

Ammo the Dachshund // Devon Fall Classic // The Mutt Room

Ammo the Dachshund // Devon Fall Classic // The Mutt Room

Ammo the Dachshund // Devon Fall Classic // The Mutt Room

Ammo the Dachshund // Devon Fall Classic // The Mutt Room

The Devon Show Grounds are known to be an uber friendly dog place, meaning dogs are allowed in the shops (many of which carry items for pets), we can sit in the stands with our humans, and we even have our very own water fountains.

Now I’m no stranger to Devon, however during this particular trip I did something a little unexpected and different.

Ammo the Dachshund // Devon Fall Classic // The Mutt Room

I took a trip to The Mutt Room! The Mutt Room is a mini portrait studio run by Brenda Carpenter (the official photographer for Devon events), and is designed so that your 4 legged friend can get a personal portrait session. Now seeing that I can never pass up the opportunity to get my picture taken, I just had to see what it was like to be in a professional studio.

Ammo the Dachshund // Devon Fall Classic // The Mutt Room

Ammo the Dachshund // Devon Fall Classic // The Mutt Room

Ammo the Dachshund // Devon Fall Classic // The Mutt Room

Inside the studio it was filled with super fun dog portraits and there were treats and toys everywhere! This was totally my kind of adventure.

Ammo the Dachshund // Devon Fall Classic // The Mutt Room

Ammo the Dachshund // Devon Fall Classic // The Mutt Room

Ammo the Dachshund // Devon Fall Classic // The Mutt Room

Ammo the Dachshund // Devon Fall Classic // The Mutt Room

Ammo the Dachshund // Devon Fall Classic // The Mutt Room

Brenda said I was a natural behind the camera as I showed her all of my amazing poses. I can hardly contain my excitement to see the results of my photoshoot – I’m sure my photos will make all the ladies swoon!

And now that I’m officially a pro behind the camera, I may just have to get an agent and start booking magazine shoots. I have no doubt you’ll see me on the cover of Vogue and Sports Illustrated someday soon!

P.S. Brenda does personal portraits of your pets! Check out her website to see how to book!Ammo the Dachshund

Captain

ammo the dachshund goes for a boat ride

After my graduation adventures on Sunday, when Monday rolled around and mom said we were going on an adventure – I took the car ride there as an excuse to catch up on my much needed napping.

ammo the dachshund goes for a boat ride

And it’s a good thing I got those extra Zzzz’s because I had to be captain of the ship!

ammo the dachshund goes for a boat ride

Ok well maybe technically it was more like a motor boat we rented from the Marsh Creek State Park for a few hours – but either way it required a lot of Captaining.

ammo the dachshund goes for a boat ride

My boat ride on this scorcher of a 90 degree day was the perfect thing to kick off the summer!

ammo the dachshund goes for a boat ride

I even took a few laps in the lake later on – and mom said next time perhaps we’ll rent some paddle boards so I can really get wet!

ammo the dachshund goes for a boat ride

With the wind in my ears, I knew there was only one more thing to start the summer right….

ammo the dachshund gets ice cream

….Ice cream!!!

ammo the dachshund gets ice cream

I even screamed enough that dad gave me a taste of his vanilla from Crazy Cones.

ammo the dachshund runs

And to wrap up my adventuresome memorial day weekend I played some soccer in the backyard with my cousins during a family cookout. It was the perfect way to end the weekend, although I’m pretty sure I’ll be sleeping for the next 48 hours straight! 

Friday Fetch: Dining with Dogs

dining with dogsI like dining out just as much as my Mom and Dad, but finding restaurants that are dog friendly can sometimes be a bit tricky. So when I stumbled across the Dining with Dogs website the other day, I thought it was a great resource for pooches that hate to be left out on dinner dates.

Dining with Dogs features reviews of restaurants that allow dogs to dine in their outdoor eating areas. Currently they only have reviews in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, and New York – but anyone can submit a review of a restaurant in your own area.

Sadly there weren’t any listed in my home state of Pennsylvania, but I fixed that by submitting a review of one of my favorite restaurants to dine at, the Four Dogs Tavern in West Chester, PA. (It’s also were I first met Annie, the motorcycle mama) Hopefully it will be up on the site soon!

ammo at 4 dogs tavern

above photo from Four Dogs Tavern

So I encourage all my fans to submit some reviews of their favorite pet-friendly restaurants so pets everywhere can find the best places to dine!

above photo from Doghouse Burgers

You can also connect with Dining with Dogs on their Facebook Page. Happy Eating! 

Fetching Finds: Lands End Carry Bag for Dachshunds

landsend carry bag for dogs

Ok, as embarrassing as it is that I’m riding around inside a tote bag in a shopping cart – there is a good explanation for this!

See, on a day-to-day basis I pretty much go everywhere with my Mom – yet there are some places that don’t necessarily hang a “dogs welcome” sign on the door. But seeing as how there are always some exceptions to the rules, mom decided that if I had a bag for these rare occasions that I might be able to tag along anyway. And if riding in a tote bag means that I don’t have to stay home alone, then I’m willing to swallow my pride – as long as no one tells Trooper!

landsend carry bag for dogs

When my new bag arrived I admit, it looked pretty spiffy.

lands end dog tote

It was a Lands End canvas tote bag designed just for dogs. It came complete with a firm base at the bottom for me to stand on, an outside pocket to stash my treats, a zipper to close the top, a neck hole, and a leash attachment for my collar (although I probably won’t use the attachment – just for safety reasons incase I ever fell out or anything).

lands end dog tote

Now I bet your next question is – did I fit? Being as I’m built more like a hot dog than most small dogs, length is an important factor here. Since I’m 17 inches long I probably won’t ever be able to lay down in the bag, but I can sit comfortably in it.

lands end dog tote

Mom says my new bag is designed to hold up to 20 lbs – and after weighing in at a muscular 18 lbs (I’m much bigger than a mini Dachshund) this bag seems more than strong enough to hold my muscular self.

lands end dog tote

I took my new bag for a spin around Lowes yesterday – and it was way more comfortable to sit in than on the mesh-like floor of the cart. Mom also carried me around in it for a bit which is quite fun for me – but Mom says my muscular self is a bit heavy to carry around for too long.

And incase you are looking for a new bag to embarrass carry your dog around in too, here’s my list of pros and cons:

Pros:

  • Can hold up to 20 lbs (much more than most dog carry bags out there)
  • Has a nice solid base to stand on
  • Has a neck hole to stick your head out of
  • Zips up
  • Isn’t too “Paris Hilton” if you know what I mean!
  • Budget friendly at $50 (or $35 if you buy it on special right now)

Cons:

  • If it were truly made to fit a Dachshund body it could stand to be a tad bit longer with the neck hole a little  deeper as well
  • The shoulder straps could be a bit shorter to make it more comfortable for carrying a heavy muscular dog
  • A harness attachment would be a much safer than having a collar attachment

You can fetch your own Lands End Canvas Pet Tote for $50 – or they are currently running a 30% off + free shipping special on their site with will bring it down to $35 before tax!

*disclosure: I was not paid or perked to write this review – I just thought my fans might be interested to hear my review of my new doggie tote bag!

 *UPDATE: For those of you looking for the coupon code for Lands End the deal is 30% off everything + free shipping on orders over $50. Use Promotion Code: ENJOY30 PIN: 1850 Promotion ends 4/23/12 at 11:59pm CST

Friday Fetch: Pup-Pie

Pie. That word makes my stomach growl. With flavors like Banana Nut Brownie, Deep Dish Pizza, and Carob Peanut Butter – how can you not LONG for a Pup-Pie from The Lazy Dog Cookie Company?

All of their treat recipes are licensed, independently tested, and veterinarian approved. And they claim to carry the healthiest of any decorated style treat available on the market.

Can you say Yum? I know what cake I’m asking for come October when I turn 3!

Get your own Pup-Pie at The Lazy Dog Cookie Company. Found via Design Sponge.