Doggie Day Trip to DC

"If your dog doesn't like someone, you probably shouldn't either."--Unknown

My boyfriend, Will, and I LOVE our puppy, Atlas. He is a border collie mix we rescued from the shelter and fell in love with at first sight. We try to take him everywhere we can since he loves being with us at all times, loves exploring new places and meeting new people and fellow fluffballs.

The perfect opportunity arose when we were asked to house sit for my friend who lives in DC. Will and I decided to have as dog friendly a weekend as we could possibly have. Our first stop was the National Mall. We walked about 4 miles starting at the Smithsonian Castle. Atlas got his first taste of DC when we stopped there to fill up water bottles. A field trip was in full swing and of course everyone HAD to stop and give Atlas some much appreciated pets. We were off to a great start to our morning.

As we made our way past the Washington monument we made sure to take lots of pictures of Atlas having a complete blast. He got to meet several dogs of all sizes and species who were enjoying a day out on the town themselves. We then stopped for a quick lunch of sandwiches and may or may not have shared some with Atlas too. :-)

After a brief rest we were off again! Atlas was born for walkies so we didn't get to have much rest before he decided it was time to go exploring again. We were lucky enough to walk through the WWII memorial while several veterans were being honored. Will had just gotten out of the Navy so it was really neat for us to see this happen while we were standing there enjoying the beautiful memorial.The Vietnam memorial was extremely crowded and we didn't want Atlas to get overwhelmed or jump on anyone (he's still very much a puppy) so we decided to take the path less travelled through some trees and enjoy the shade.

Our last stop, and our favorite was the Lincoln Memorial.For some strange reason, Atlas HATES baths with a fiery passion and also doesn't particularly enjoy pools. BUT he will jump right in dirty rivers and the ocean. He hates crystal clear, clean water, but will swim until we have to drag him from the water when it's dirty and he can't see through it. He's weird.

That being said, Atlas REALLY wanted to chase the ducks floating in the reflecting pool, which of course was filthy...thankfully we were paying attention and he didn't manage to get anywhere near it.By far our favorite event of that weekend included the Lincoln Memorial. I'm guessing very few dogs have ever actually made it up all of those steps and into the actual memorial itself. Atlas is one of those few dogs who can proudly say he's met Abraham Lincoln. Will and I really wanted to get a picture of Atlas with the statue of Abraham Lincoln, but we doubted he would be allowed to walk around in there even on a leash. Did that deter us? Not one bit. America was built upon rebellion, why not us?Our solution was to carry our then 45b puppy up over 50 steps and to hold him in front of the memorial so we could say we'd done it. Take a took at the pictures. They are pretty priceless and well worth the effort.

After our small adventure we walked back along the mall and just enjoyed ourselves and the warm weather. DC has so many dog friendly areas and hiking trails most people have never even heard of. Most people only think of the city itself, which doesn't scream "bring your dogs!" If you ever get a chance to visit and you have dogs make sure to bring them! The National Mall has plenty of outdoor sites to see that you can easily spend a day doing. Many restaurants in the area have outdoor seating that allow dogs. The trails running all over DC have beautiful trails boasting waterfalls, small rapids, and just plain beautiful scenery that will make you forget you're in a massive city. The best part? You can bring your best doggie friend.Now on to planning our next dog friendly adventure!

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace. "--Milan Kundera