Galena was certainly a dog-friendly destination for the Oktoberfest Wiener Dog Races this past weekend, but I think it would be a great destination for dogs any time.
We stayed at the Galena Log Cabin Getaway, which is also an alpaca and goldendoodle farm:
Gertie and Duke very much wanted to meet those alpacas, but the owners told us to keep the dogs away from the alpacas because they consider them wolves. And they’ll start to trample. When we walked by on our way to the trails, though, one young alpaca, who maybe didn’t know enough to be scared of the vicious “wolves,” ran up to the fence to check us out.That perked Duke and Gertie’s ears (as well as their hackles)!
The boxers enjoyed staying in the cabin with Wizard Dog, which slept four adults in a queen-size bed on the main floor and a double-bed in the loft. The boxers loved the trail most of all:
Iowa dogs on the trail in Galena
For other dog-friendly accommodations in the Galena area, check out DogFriendly.com’s Galena City Guide, which only lists lodgings that accept dogs of any size. For a larger list, check out the Wiener Dog Race site (which lists some accommodations that only allow dogs 25 pounds and under–fine for doxies, but what about the big kids?!). If you’re not on a budget, check out the cottages at the Goldmoor Inn–that’s where we would have stayed if we had piles of money sitting around that needed spending!
A gaggle of sweater-clad dachsunds
We obviously spent most of our time in Galena cheering on dashing dachsunds, but here are some other ideas for canine-friendly outings:
- Galena Cellars Winery–allows dogs on the grounds, though not in the tasting room (we wouldn’t want any dogs imbibing from the spit bucket).
- 4746 North Ford Road, Galena, IL 61036
- (800) 397-9463
- Fever River Outfitters–will allow well-behaved dogs on some of its adventures.
- Walks around town–Galena is a beautiful and pedestrian-friendly town, so simply walking with your dogs and taking in the sights can be fun.
On a dog-related, though not exactly dog-friendly, note the famous Grant’s House does not allow dogs inside (to my knowledge), but there’s a little room off to the side of the house with a figurine display of every president’s pets. It’s fun to see how many pets they had, as well as what species (and who had the exotics) and what breeds of dogs they had.
All in all, Galena worked well as a doggie getaway. Our best friends really just want to be with us, so it’s nice to find a destination that clicks for humans and canines when we get the travel itch.
Where do you like to travel with your dogs?
