Pet Friendly Houston Hotel- The Omni

This week we set up shop at the Omni Hotel in West Houston.  The room came with a nice bed for Eko to lounge on, and the grounds around the hotel have a path for short walks.  The biggest perk of the hotel is that it is just down the road from Houston’s best dog park.  Eko also had a couple of unique learning experiences at the hotel this week.

Eko had a difficult time comprehending how there could possibly be a pond indoors. He also made his first fish friends.  He wanted to go in and say hi, but we decided to save that for our next trip to Houston

And he got a lesson in mechanical engineering on the elevator

Like most dogs who live in an apartment building or travel a lot, Eko is very comfortable with elevators.  He understands that you step into this magical device and that somehow it transports you somewhere else.  However, the Omni’s glass elevators let Eko see for the first time exactly what was going on.  It blew his mind.  He still doesn’t fully trust the Omni elevators, but after a few skittish trips I stopped having to drag him on.

Our Texas two-step continues as we head west to Austin for the week.  Today we’re driving straight to the Austin Kite Festival.  It looks like it should be a blast, so let us know if you’re around.

Pool Party!

On our adventure Eko and I have run on trails together, marched in a parade together, rode the Polar Express together, and even attended Mardi Gras together.  But it wasn’t until this past Friday that Eko and I had the opportunity to jump into a pool and swim together.

Rummy’s Beach Club is an amazing facility (one of only two of its kind in the country) just north of Houston where both you and your dog can swim together.  Whether your dog is recovering from surgery, ailing from joint pain or just looking to jump off the end of a dock, Rummy’s is the place to go.  Lisa Goebel, the owner of Rummy’s, named the facility after a Siberian Husky she rescued who went on to fame as winner of Purina’s Rally to Rescue contest.

Lisa welcomed us to Rummy’s on Friday afternoon and was kind enough to snap some photos of Eko and me having a blast in the pool.

The pool has a gradual sloping entrance for beginners while experts are welcome to jump off in the deep end

Eko’s favorite game in water is the same as his favorite game on land: tag

Eko spent an hour happily chasing me around the pool

No quicker way to tire out a dog than with a great swim

Lisa also got some really great video of our swim with her waterproof camera, so you can see those on Rummy’s Facebook page.

Hopping in the pool with Eko was some of the most fun I’ve had all trip and I can’t recommend Rummy’s highly enough.  If you live in the Houston area, or you and your dog are just passing through, make sure you take a trip up to Rummy’s for a swim!

 

Mr. Eko The Sea Lion

I took a risk and brought my phone in the pool for this shot, but luckily it paid off! Mr. Eko may be an African plains dog, but today he looked more like a sea lion at Rummy’s beach in Spring, Texas.

We had one of our best adventures yet today, and I’ll post the full rundown once we dry off!

Last Call At Houston Indoor Dog Park

One of the best parts of our adventure has been meeting the entrepreneurs who build the amazing pet-friendly businesses that we visit.  I was excited to check out the indoor dog park at My Dog & Me, but it put a damper on my mood when I saw the going out of business signs at the entrance.

Bummer

My Dog & Me might be moving on, but before that happens Eko made the most of the agility course.

Eko happily scaled this obstacle, but was less certain about how to make his way down. In the end, he decided to take the elevator (aka I carried him)

Why drink the water out of the bowl when you can just bite it out of the air?

Next stop: Dog Olympics

With its notoriously bad summers, Houston seems like a perfect spot for an indoor dog park.  We’re sad to see My Dog & Me go, but we hope more people will continue to open great pet-friendly businesses that offer similar services.

Today we’ll be making a trip to Rummy’s Beach Club, a facility with a warm water pool that both you and your dog can dive into.  Can’t wait to check it out.  Providing that my phone stays dry I’ll make sure to provide some updates poolside!

One Ridgeback, One Park And One Beer

Of all humanity’s accomplishments, I would humbly suggest that figuring out how to domesticate dogs and figuring out how to brew beer have both got to be in the top ten.  As far as I can tell, the secret to happiness is a good beer and a good dog.  Have you ever seen an unhappy person with both of those things? Exactly.

We first experienced the genius that is dog park/bar establishments at Dog Bar in Charlotte.  I thought the place was one of a kind, but thankfully that is not the case.  Yesterday Eko and I stopped by Boneyard Dog Park & Drinkery to relax after a hard day of playing in the park.

At Boneyard, art imitates life

Boneyard has a 7000 square foot park for your dog and it has a great beer and wine selection for you.  The bar also has a bunch of cool and helpful perks for dog owners.

The next generation of technology, the self serve dog wash

Good beer, (mostly) good dog, happy dude

From what I hear, even people who don’t own dogs love hanging out at Boneyard because of the atmosphere.  So ff you’re in Houston,  you owe it to yourself to grab a beer at Boneyard. Trust me, you’ll leave happy!

Eko’s In The Birdhouse

 

Just like the rest of us, Eko often gets himself into situations that he doesn’t know how to get out of.  Presently, we are at My Dog and Me, and Eko is debating how to extract himself from this perch on the indoor agility course.

 

It looks like I may be explaining to a back surgeon in ten years that I need a procedure due to a career of rescuing an adventerous Ridgeback.

Houston’s Best Dog Park.

Yesterday we took full advantage of the beautiful day with a trip to Bill Archer Park, a seventeen acre fenced in paradise that the locals refer to as a “small park.”  Everything really is bigger in Texas, including the dog parks.  The centerpiece of the park is a large bone shaped pool that Eko loved running around. And into.

Eko must be part racehorse because he always kept to the inside on turns

For one brief moment, Eko questioned whether he should take the plunge

But he never questioned if I remembered to bring a towel (I didn’t)

Even adventurers get water in their noses and make crazy faces sometimes

After regaining composure Eko dried off with a few runs through the agility course

Bill Archer Dog Park is an amazing place and I’m sure Eko and I will be back at least once before we skip town.  The park has you covered with a wash-down station at the entrance, but if you ever visit, make sure you bring a towel!

The title of yesterday’s post had a question mark, but not today’s.  There’s no question in my mined that Bill Archer Dog Park is the best park in the city. If it’s not, then Eko may just want to move to Houston permanently.

Grey skies and impending rain might keep most dogs at home, but luckily for us Houston has a large indoor dog park too.  We’ll be heading down to My Dog and Me to check out the facility around noon.  Come on down, the weather is fine! it’s indoors, so who cares what the weather is like?

Houston’s Best Dog Park?

I have no idea who Bill Archer is, but I do know that he has an awesome dog park in Houston named after him.
We’ll be hanging out here for a while on this beautiful day so bring your dog out to play!

Pet-Friendly Houston: Where To Eat

We needed some adventure fuel to power our week in Houston, so yesterday we visited Barnaby’s Cafe, a local restaurant named after the owner’s dog.  And there are just a few clues at the cafe which might lead you to believe it’s dog friendly.

As we waited for the table, Eko thanked me profusely for my choice of restaurant

Now the menu just might tip you off that dogs are welcome, but just in case…

The sign spells it out for those of us slow on the uptake. (Side note: Eko and I have never looked as refined as the individuals in that diagram)

While I enjoyed a delicious lunch Eko was kept content with a water bowl and a massive milk bone.  Barnaby’s has a few locations in the city, so wherever you are in Houston with your pet, you should be sure to swing by.

Today we’ll be all over the city and I’ll post some updates on the go.  If you see that we’re in your neighborhood be sure to let us know.  First stop, Bill Archer Dog Park!