Morgan's Much Needed Vacation

Many of you have been asking, "What is happening with Morgan?", or "Does she ever get a vacation from the incredibly hard life she has of sitting on the bed, chasing balls on the quad, or keeping up with the business of squirrels and chipmunks in the backyard?" Well, we decided it was time for her to get away so we took her to a Vermont B&B called "The Paw House" (http://www.pawhouseinn.com/) that was designed especially for pups and their owners. Located in scenic Vermont (near the Killington/Okemo ski resort area), the Paw House was opened by a couple, Mitch and Jen, that were tired of leaving their dogs behind on vacation or having them treated poorly by innkeepers or in hotels that advertised as being dog friendly. The house is truly beautiful and was built by the grandson of Capt. John Smith, of Jamestown fame, with two floors and plenty of bedrooms and common areas. Each of the rooms are named after one of their dogs, or a famous dog like Rin-Tin-Tin, and include a human bed and a doggy bed for your canine pal.

This is the back of the house and our room was located right in the center on the top floor. There is a nice little porch in the back where you can have a glass of wine and watch your pup frolic in the grass.

In back of the Paw House is a huge field with a fenced-in playground with dog agility equipment. Morgan really enjoyed this backyard and would run directly to it whenever we left the house. We had her running up and down the ramp after tennis balls in just a few short hours.

This is the puppy playground from the rear of the property. The house is located near the Green Mountains and they make for a spectacular view while playing with your dog.
There is a short trail at the back of the property that provides exercise for you and your dog along with a small creek for them to cool off in.
Mitch and Jen have come up with some wonderful ideas that allow different owners and pets to spend quality time together and Mario's Playhouse has to be the best. This building has kennels for your dog to spend time in while you are eating breakfast or touring the local area. During the day they will look in on your dog or even provide training with or without your present. Morgan took each of her meals in her kennel and even had a bath in the nice tub they provide. The Playhouse also has a television that the dogs can "watch" Animal Planet on while they relax. Brilliant!

These were some of Morgan's kennel friends; however, she wasn't very friendly and barked at them. :) Oh well...
This is the lobby to enter the main house where owners remove their shoes and puppy paws are wiped off to keep everything neat and clean. All dogs are kept on leash when in the house and outside of the rooms so that there are not packs of dogs running through the house. The interior is spotless and you'd be hard pressed to find dog hair anywhere. We were really impressed at the balance of dog-friendliness and human comfort.



Two of the rooms are named after artwork by Stephen Huneck, a local artist, whom you should definitely check out if you love dogs at all. Huneck's art work is sharp and colorful with some great visual humor that hits home with anyone who shares a home with one of these wonderful creatures. Check out his book, "A Dog's Brain", and his website (http://www.dogmt.com/) and make sure to download his beautiful screensaver.




The pictures above are from the walk to our room, "Shakespeare's Retreat",and then some shots inside. The shots really don't do justice to how pretty and spacious the room was. You won't see all the bric-a-brac you see in your normal B&B, but you won't find me complaining about that. Everything is arranged for you and your pet's comfort and they succeed magnificently. Thankfully they had air in the room for the first night we stayed because New England had a heat wave and it was 95 degrees. (That's compared to the 65 degrees at the time of this writing.)

We had a wonderful time at the house and really enjoyed the staff and the service that they provided. The breakfast was quite good and it was a nice time to socialize with some of the wonderful staff (Will, Nathan, and Bethany.) It was disappointing that Mitch and Jen weren't there (they were going off on their own vacation)and no longer live in the house like they used to. It would have been great to meet some of the dogs the rooms were named after. A five-time returning couple told us they live down the road and regularly stop in to check on everyone, though. We would definitely recommend "The Paw House" and plan to book another vacation there after it snows since I want to sled down the big hill in the back with Morgan! :)