Doin the Northwest With Your Pooch

Rating:
Summary: A nice, general guide, but no revelations
Review: After a few happy discoveries of local parks where dog owners gathered and a few off-leash areas further away, we picked up this book in the hope that it would lead us to even greater adventures with our two dogs. The hotel listings are useful and it's nice to know where the parks are in areas one might visit, but the descriptions appear to be unresearched... the quaint doggie-friendly verbage the author uses repeats itself every 4th page and offers no insider perspectives. Some of the park suggestions seem outright ludicrous - parks we have visited that offer very little attraction, given neighborhood placement and lack of dog visitation. The book is also misleading in its size - its weight and thickness allude to a quantity of information that might be found in a Fodor's or Frommer's. The last 100 pages contain some information about traveling, some helpful but much obvious padding... you are told how to pack your own bags for human travel... she offers trivia such as "The Basenji is often called the barkless dog."

Save yourself the money - most hotel/motels allow pets, so just call and ask. As for the parks, you're best off grabbing a local map and inquiring at a local pet store where the best doggie hangouts are.

Rating:
Summary: a sham
Review: I had great hopes for this book, I was looking for great places to bring a dog. The descriptions invariably started out with some cute language then went on as if you didn't have a dog. I had the destinct impression that another book on parks was repurposed by just a few silly 'bring your tail-waggin' pooch ...' phrases tacked on to the front of each paragraph. The description for one park recommended bringing your kite. Can you imagine flying a kite with your dog on a leash?
Disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: No more useless road trips for me and the dawgs!
Review: If you've ever driven 1.5 hours to a beautiful hiking spot only to be turned away because of your dog (as we have), you've wished for a book such as this one. This book makes a fine companion to the rest of your travel guides as a source of dog-friendly lodging, activities, and destinations.

Other reviews of Ms. Barish's books have cited out-of-date or incorrect contact information. While I haven't cross-referenced this book, it at the very least offers peace of mind to know that Fido will be welcome when you get there.

In addition to lodging and activity information, about 20% of the book is devoted to travel tips for being on the road with dogs, from first aid to keeping the maids dog-friendly. Really an excellent resource!