Dog-Friendly Lodging
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
- Sheep Dung Inn?
- Tahoe Places that take Dogs
- Yosemite Lodging, Dog Friendly
- Weekend snow trip with small kids and our dog??
- Camping with dogs
Sheep Dung Inn?
April 2002
Has anyone stayed at Sheep Dung Inn in Anderson Valley? How did you like it? Does anyone have more feedback on likes and dislikes of lodgings in beautiful areas that allow dogs? I tried Manchester beach KOA cabins with a kitchen and bath last year for $135/night. Accomodations were great for dogs but the walk to the beach was about 1/4 to 1/3 of a mile, and their pool wasn't heated at the time. I also found dogfriendly.com website to have some listings. Susan
Yes, we went to Sheep Dung last August with our dog. It is just a wonderful place. Dog heaven. Before we left we made reservations to go back which we will do in just a few more weeks. Lots of info at http://www.sheepdung.com Beautiful setting, away from everything, hiking trails, dog pond for swimming. High marks.
My husband and I stayed with our dog at Sheep Dung about 2 yrs ago in the month of May. While we did have a good time, dog included, we have not been back, partly because we found that the time of year that we went was beastly hot (no Bay Area fog there to keep temps cool). The cabins are designed as passive solar and work reasonably well, but when it's really hot, there's no escape (there is a pond for dog swimming but not really appealing for people swimming), and there are no fans (actually we begged for a fan from the owners the second night and they did set us up with one). So I would say it is a beautiful place, but consider what time of year you are going to be there, and if it's anytime soon, plan to head to the coast for the day to stay cool. Nowadays, when we plan a ''family'' vacation that includes the dog, we take the long 7-hr car-ride to Trinity Alps and stay at the Ripple Creek cabins-- it's incredibly gorgeous up there, the owners of Ripple Creek (they have a website) live in the Bay Area and have this set of cabins right on the Trinity River, and are incredibly pet friendly. I'm almost loathe to pass on the recommendation because getting a reservation there can set you out 6 months, but it's worth the drive, especially if you can stay a week or so. Good luck. LUISA
After all the posts on Sheep Dung, I felt the need to speak up. I went there in January for my birthday with my girlfriend, toddler son, and my ex and her girlfriend, plus our total of 5 dogs. Overall, it was *very* pleasant--very usable kitchen with fully stocked pantry, beautiful views, and great places to walk with your dogs. BUT... at least in January, the ticks were just astoundingly plentiful. We combed the dogs for ticks--and these are the scary, tiny, potentially Lyme-disease-carrying deer ticks--after each and every walk and still ended up finding some later (including one embedded in my son's neck, ecch). Next time, I would still go, but bring a tick & flea deterrent spray and spray the dogs and my legs (and my son's legs) each and every time we went out. I never want to be that good at combing out ticks again. We stayed in Hilltop and Treehouse, which were perfect for our party. Jennie
Point Reyes would still be my pick. Dogs are permitted on Limantour Beach (and also on Kehoe Beach) as long as they are on leash--just follow the well-posted rules on which side of the beach allows dogs. NPS has a good map of where they allow dogs and where they don't, and some of the adjacent Marin County trails also allow dogs. There are also fire roads in that part of Marin where dogs are welcome. If you're specifically looking for off-leash hikes, other parts of Marin have open space preserves that allow dogs off leash--that would be my second choice. There are lots, so I'd pick a city you might like to stay in and then see what's nearby. Sonoma and Napa and most of the Peninsula are on-leash only, for the most part. Also consider a staycation somewhere nearby--hard to beat the EBRPD off-leash trails!
I highly recommend www.dogtrekker.com. I get it as a regular newsletter. It’s advice for dog owners on dog friendly hotels, restaurants, hiking trails, wineries, etc. Bay Area oriented and chock full of fabulous information. I think it will be the perfect resource for you!
I would check out Arnold, about 2.5 hours from East Bay. There's some great hiking there. I'll send you a msg!
Berkeley to Arnold is 2.5 hours without traffic. Arnold Rim Trail is right there. Further up 4 are many trails around Lake Alpine and other trailheads.
Berkeley to Gualala is 2.5 hours without traffic. If you stay within The Sea Ranch there are many dog friendly trails open to renters.
Berkeley to Felton is 1.5 hours without traffic. A few trails in Henry Cowell are dog friendly.
Parts of Point Reyes (including part of Limantour) do allow dogs! The NPS has a handy map:
https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/upload/map_dogareas_beaches.pdf
Guerneville is a nice option that’s on the Russian River, near Korbel and some other wineries but they tend to be more low key than Sonoma/Napa prime location ones, there’s a redwood state park just out of town and easy drive out to the coast at Jenner. We also love Mendocino/Fort Bragg for even more of the same vibes, but that’s 3+ hours (but if you go, worth driving home along route 1).
What about the Russian River area? I have friends who had a lovely time in Occidental and there's a great farmer's market there. Or you can stay at a home on the river (provided your dog likes to swim!). Armstrong Woods is in Guerneville, and it does allow dogs on paved roads which still allows you to visit the big trees. There are lots of other places to hike in the area and lots of wineries.
Here is a rental company that says 80% of their rentals are dog friendly: https://www.riverhomes.com/amenities-type/dog-friendly#q=im_nid%24rc_co…
It's a bit farther than 2 hours, but we recently had a great trip with our big Labrador Retriever to Mendocino. AirBnB (or maybe it's VRBO, or both) have a box you can check in your search that specifically filters for properties that allow dogs. We stayed in a gorgeous historic home with ocean views and a fenced yard that was happy to have our dog come too (and even left him a little welcome basket w/ treats). The beaches in Mendocino are dog friendly (leashed) and there is a ton of great hiking too, if that's your thing. In general, the cafes in town seemed cool w/ dogs as well, however we mainly cooked at the house or got take-out. Feel free to message me if you'd like the exact listing of the house we rented.