Dog-Friendly Kubota Garden in Seattle

Zen and dogs usually do not go together. The Japanese Garden in Portland bans pets as does the Seattle Japanese Garden. However the Kubota Garden in Seattle allows dogs as long as they are leashed and you clean up after them. It is also open year-round during daylight hours and free.

The 20-acre garden is owned by the City of Seattle which bought it from the Kubota family in 1987. It was founded in 1927 by Fujitaro Kubota, a self-taught gardener and immigrant from the Japanese island of Shikoku. The gardens on the Seattle University campus and the Japanese Garden at the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island are also his work.

The garden is less manicured and more "wild" than the Japanese gardens I am accustomed to seeing. Which makes a lovely place to bring dogs without worrying that they're going to wreck something perfectly landscaped. The garden's casual atmosphere also lends itself to a variety of activities. 

There was a group practicing martial arts and a big wedding party that arrived in a Hummer limo and people rehearsing lines from a script. 

Mr. N evidently approved as he perched on a rock and refused to leave until we took his picture. I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for dog-friendly activities in Seattle. 

Japanese Garden Guardian

Kubota Garden

Visiting the Old Mill District Sculpture in Bend

Hiking Tumalo Falls

Flight Delay

Exploring the Detroit Riverfront with a Dog

We decided on a trip to the Detroit Riverfront for tourist purposes and so Mr. N could have an urban walk. It's amazing how much it has changed. Looking at it now, you can't imagine how uninviting the place looked before. We ran into a multitude of families, joggers, bikers and a couple of dogs on the pathway.

We strolled along the riverside and waved to our friends in Canada.

The William G. Milliken State Park is Michigan's first urban park and has a 52-slip harbor. 

And a 63-foot lighthouse which is a smaller replica of the one at Tawas Point State Park.

The central plaza has a carousel and several map sculptures and a cafe.

A group of kids were playing in the fountains by the GM Renaissance Center. I dunked Mr. N in the water because he was getting hot but he wasn't nearly as gleeful about it as the children.

On the sidewalk are pictures of various city scenes around Michigan. Mr. N is sitting on the Ann Arbor one.

Mr. N decided he was ready for a nap after dodging all the bikes and people and walking in the heat. Mr. N is an urban dog through and through. He likes cities with all the bustle and people and smells. Does your dog like country walks or city walks?

Canoe Fan

Canoeing with a Dog

Mr. N loves peering down at water so I figured he might like being on a boat. I haven't been able to test that theory until this week when we took him on his first canoeing trip. We decided on a canoe instead of a kayak for his first trip because we figured he would stay dry better that way.

He wore his Ruffwear life jacket and we brought along a towel for him to sit on, a water bowl and snacks. I hoisted him into the canoe and off we went. He was content to sit on the towel and watch all the water fowl (herons, swans, ducks and geese). The ducks came right up to us and trailed behind our canoe, hoping for handouts. The only readily available food we had were Mr. N's treats and those had duck in them so they missed out.

Mr. N didn't try to leave the boat at all and settled nicely. He didn't like it though when we bumped into rocks in the water and there was a horrible grinding noise and the boat shook. He left the towel and came to sit in my lap for a while and then sat at the boyfriend's feet.

There were also people on tubes floating down the river. One woman had her spaniel on the tube with her and as the ducks drew near, the dog kept trying to jump off and the tube looked like it might capsize while the woman kept yelling "sit! stay! sit!." This is why obedience skills are important!

Overall though, I think Mr. N had fun and we'll be trying it again with him. Mr. N stayed dry (except for the tip of his tail) so he considered that a victory.  Have you tried taking your dog on a boat? How did it go?

Lunching at a Detroit Brewpub

Have you entered our giveaway for a Stibbar leather leash?

Leaving on a Jet Plane

We're leaving on a red eye to travel to the Midwest. With any luck, Mr. N will sleep peacefully through the flight. Wish us luck! 

This is the happy face of a dog who hasn't seen the suitcases yet!

Update: We made it in one piece! Mr. N whined a little bit during takeoff but slept for the rest of the ride and was very good on the shuttle and waiting in the airport. Going through security though we ran into a new TSA guy and he wanted me to set Mr. N on the floor and have him follow me through the metal detector (no collar/leash). Crazy! Mr. N totally would but I can see a lot of pets getting lost that way. Another TSA person corrected him pretty quickly.

Have you flown with your dog before? Any tips?

Visiting Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market overflows with people during summer weekends so Mr. N rode in his carrier for most of our visit and was carried for the rest. It was entirely too busy to let him walk on the floor. I wouldn't recommend it during the busy times (summer and weekends) for dogs that are not exceptionally good with crowds (and won't mind getting stepped on!).

Mr. N got a tiny nibble of the famous Beecher's cheese. I recommend their grilled cheese sandwiches. 

There are tons of booths featuring produce, food and crafted items and of course their famous fish stands. Mr. N's nose got a major work out. He especially enjoyed sniffing the fish stands. 

If they had a dog-themed one, I would seriously have thought about buying one.

There were some buskers with a very calm dog who mostly napped.

Where have your dogs gone on vacation? 

Seattle Skyline

PNW Dog Blogger Meetup and Hike

We're still recovering from our weekend jaunt to Seattle. While we were there, we met up with the Cascadian Nomads and You Did What With Your Wiener? and we went for a hike with the dogs at Camp Long. Mr. N even went home with the Nomads who kindly hosted him for the weekend. That's a story for another post! 

From left to right: Huxley and Brychwyn and Wilhelm from the Cascadian Nomads, Chester and Gretel from You Did What With Your Wiener?, and Mr. N 

Have you met other bloggers? Is there a particular one you'd like to meet?

The Oregon Trail River Crossing Dilemma

To ford, float or take the ferry? 

Mr. N decides to ford the river. 

Running Away to the Coast

As a respite from the heat wave, we drove down to the Oregon Coast with the dogs. Both dogs were very excited to be able to run around like maniacs for the first time in days. Well Mr. N always runs around like a maniac. 

Mr. N and his friend Sage are totally "bros." They even trot in unison.

We found this little wooden structure. Sage is like new beach house! Mr. N thinks the house is lacking in modern conveniences.

Then we ran into one of the beach guardians. A dragon methinks.

Mr. N thinks riding on a dragon is a grave responsibility and should be taken as such.

Three hours into our beach walk, Mr. N is still full of vim and played chase with another dog on the beach.

Uh oh. Mr. N is trapped by the incoming tide (no dogs were harmed in the making of this photo)! I "rescued" him and he went off to solicit sympathy from strangers.

Mr. N is a social butterfly and made friends with random people on the beach and demanded petting and posed for photos.

I had to call him away from all his new friends so we could eat lunch and head home. Where do you and your dogs go to escape the heat?

FitDog Friday #77 - Visiting Long Beach (Washington) with the Cascadian Nomads

Eons ago (February to be exact), the Cascadian Nomads invited us on a beach trip to Long Beach, Wash. My friend R. came along for the ride and we loaded up her two dogs and Mr. N into the car and set off.

We met on the beach with the Nomads after Mr. N's horse escapade. Mr. N was very excited about meeting Leo again and meeting Amelia for the first time. He calmed down eventually especially after spending some time in Amelia's cat tunnel.

We (the humans + dogs, the cat and bird stayed behind) explored the Discovery Trail, a paved route through the dunes showcasing various pieces of public art. All six dogs posed (some more than others) for a photo on the trail.

The dogs perched on top of a bronze showing Clark examining a 10-foot long sturgeon. 

Wilhelm and Mr. N rode the dolphins carved out of a tree stump.

And the dogs kept company with a preserved skeleton of a Pacific gray whale. We actually walked right past this and had to backtrack to find it.

We walked back on the beach to the car while enjoying the view of the sunset. 

The dogs basked in the last rays on the sun except for Mr. N who was bedraggled and wet after walking through too many "puddles" on the beach.  He started shivering and I had to wrap him in my down coat and carry him for a bit while he regained warmth. Bethany commented that it was a shame that Huxley couldn't share some of his surplus fur. 

He warmed up though and had a last frolic on the sand before we gathered everyone for a group photo on the beach.  From left to right: Bella, Lyndi, Mr. N, Leo the Cockatoo, Brychwyn, Huxley, Amelia the cat and Wilhelm.  

It was a lovely beach trip and hike and we hope to see the Nomads again soon. 

And don't forget to enter our giveaway for a bottle of Aloe & Oatmeal shampoo from Earthbath.