Dinner Key Marina, Coconut Grove

This week we decided to stay close to home and headed to Dinner Key. Located on Bayshore Drive, the marina has a public ramp and a private dock. We started out our walk north on Bayshore and then turned east on SW 27th Avenue to enter the boardwalk. Fiji is always excited to go on this walk, especially as we pass by the shrimp boats.
You can make your way along the dock all the way around to city hall or keep it short and end it there. Your other option is to continue around city hall, which eventually leads you to Scotty's landing. On our walk we met quite a few dogs, all shapes and sizes (yorkies, labs, beagles, poodles, etc), so make sure your dog can handle meeting new friends.

From Dinner Key

The great thing about this walk is that there are about 3 places to pick up an extra poop bag and garbage cans to toss any. You and your dog also have grass on your entire walk! We passed joggers, walkers, and many families out for a nice stroll. It's a great peaceful walk and an opportunity to catch the ocean breeze.
Sometimes you will catch film crews there for movies (Marley and Me) or tv shows (burn notice). Fiji tried to flaunt her stuff to get into Marley and Me, but they had all the dogs they needed. However, we did get a chance to meet one of the "Marley's" on our walks.
If you feel like catching a bite to eat, stop by Scotty's Landing. It is a dog friendly place, but as usual keep your pup on a leash. The food isn't fantastic, but it does have a great view. As we passed by today there was a band playing, so keep it in mind if you head over there, as Fiji tends to get nervous around loud noises. Scotty's tends to be crowded on weekends and Thursday and Friday nights. We like to go on a calmer night, like Wednesday as Fiji doesn't have to be cramped under a table and has a little more room to breathe. We did notice that they wanted dogs to stay off the grass, so if you need a potty break walk out and stop in front of city hall. There is a good amount of grass there for them to find the "best" spot.

From Dinner Key

Fiji gives Dinner Key 4-tail wags for a great dog walk. It's a great new experience for your dog and it has a lot of smells for your dog to explore and enjoy! The only thing keeping this spot back from 5-tail wags is the lack of shade. We suggest doing this walk in the early morning or right before sunset!

From Dinner Key

Scotty's Landing

Link to Scotty's Landing Info and Menu
Link to Dinner Key Marina Info


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Smyrna Dunes Park, New Smyrna, FL

This past Sunday, Andy, Fiji, Farley (Fiji's cousin) and I headed over to Smyrna Dunes Park, the locals refer to it as "the boardwalk". As we pulled into the park there was a security hut where we paid $3.50 to enter. We parked to our left, near the dog entrance. We started out on the sand walking alongside the boardwalk. Soon after beginning on the path there were access points to the beach, which were also dog friendly. We decided to veer onto the beach which lies on the intracoastal waterway. While walking down this area we found people sailing, fishing, swimming, or just enjoying the sun. We even found some sea life on shore. After running around the beach for a bit we decided to go back to the path. While we were leisurely strolling we happened upon some gopher turtles. They live on the beach and are not sea turtles. You will often see holes in the ground and a stick next to it marking a nest.
While walking the path we had a great view of the lighthouse which is a great spot to visit if you can afford sometime away from your pup. There are picnic tables along the boardwalk where you can get a short rest or have a picnic. We eventually ended up along the ocean side of the peninsula. Here we encountered many beach goers and surfers (New Smyrna has some of the best waves in Florida to surf). As we approached the jetty it was the end of the dog friendly zone. We hung out for a while watching some surfers and turned around.
Now, we went in the late afternoon, but the park is open from Sun-up to Sun-down. Dogs are allowed on the boardwalk from sunrise to 10:30am and from an hour before sunset until sunset. At all other hours they can be on the path right next to the boardwalk, which is just sand. When you get back to the entrance there is a nice new doggie wash station.
A great place to go after the beach would be the Flagler Avenue Coffee shop. If you go east from the park on Flagler Avenue you will see it on the right. Dogs are welcome out on the porch. They have a great selection of food and snacks which are made fresh everyday. They have water for your dog and treats for them too!
Fiji and Farley had an awesome time, I don't think their tails stopped wagging the whole time. The wind was in their faces, sand was on their paws and the smells of the environment made their visit a ton of doggie fun. Fiji gives this park/beach 5 Tail Wags!


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A is Smyrna Dunes Park
B is Flagler Avenue Coffee Shop



Link to Smyrna Dunes Park

PETiquette

Before you and your best friend go running out the door, here is a list of things to keep in mind when going to public places, like malls, restaurants, etc.

1. Bring poop bags! In fact, bring a lot. Some dogs will get excited when going to a new environment and they may go poopy. Even if they have already gone, they might go again!. If your just bringing your dog out for the first time, make sure to take a lot of potty breaks, this will prevent any embarrassing mistakes from happening.

2. Keep your dog on a leash. I know, your pup is the best, listens to your every command, doesn't leave your side. Still, keep them leashed. Florida law states that you have to keep your pet on a leash, unless in a designated area. Your dog may want to visit other dogs, and while your dog may be friendly the other one might not be. Plus you never know what stimulus is out there that your dog isn't prepared for, ie car backfiring, food close by.
Also, be aware of other dogs and their owners, if they don't look like they want to be approached to say hello, don't. Make sure to keep your dog close to your side. A lot of people out there are afraid of dogs and we don't want to ruin their time either.

3. Bark in the Park only happens 1 time a year. Be respectful of everyone around you and make sure your dog can handle not barking at others (dogs or people).


Finally, just keep in mind that it is a privilege to live in a dog friendly state. Being respectful of others is the best way to keep all these areas accessible to us and our best friends. All of our good behavior may even encourage other places to let our pooches in!

Some Clarifications

I just wanted to make sure that it was clear that I am not a dog trainer and have absolutely no formal education in behavior. This website has suggestions that I have learned from other sources, such as books and classes. If you are having any behavioral problems or want to take some classes to get some good etiquette in paw, I would suggest calling Completely Canine on Coral way and SW 27th Avenue. You can also visit their website www.completelycanine.com. They have a great variety of supplies for your dogs and cats. The toys are a lot of fun for your dog and the treats are delicious and healthy. Their training classes are reasonably priced and their trainer, Grahm, teaches group and private classes. Grahm has had MANY years of experience training not only with dogs, but marine mammals as well. He's a very realistic guy and a great trainer. Their phone number is 305-444-1911


Fiji in basic class at completely canine

Lake Okeechobee and Okee-Tantie Recreation Area

We arrived at Okee-Tantie Recreation Area around 9pm on Friday night. There is a "guard house" where you can register/check in. The size of the campground is average, with 2 lots, A and B. B was destroyed in a hurricane a few years back, so everyone is sent to A. A is nicer anyway, as it is along the Kissimmee river. Most of the campground is taken up by RVs, we were 1 of 2 people who only had a tent. They have potable water and electricity at certain sites and only a few without, but these are the ones that allow you to have a camp fire.
There were only a few of these sites. Most of them just had half of a grill on top of a pile of ashes. We started off at 105A and then moved to 101A the second night. The problem with this campground is that it is hard to find a spot that is out of the parking lot lights! 105A was in a very bright spot and we had to use the car to block out the light (didn't work that well). That's when we decided to move to 101A it was the darkest spot and it had a real fire ring.
The campground is close to a Publix, Winn Dixie and some strip malls, so if you need something it's not a problem. The Winn Dixie has firewood you can pick up on the way in to the campground.
Okee-Tantie Recreation Area connects right up to the Okeechobee Scenic Trail, which is actually a part of the Florida National Scenic Trail. The entire trail is paved and is at the top of a dike that encircles the Lake.

Cons: The campground is not very shaded unlike previous info I have read on the site.
You feel like you are in an RV park rather than a campsite.
The Okeechobee scenic trail is also not shaded and your view is either the Lake or RV and Trailer Parks.
Your dogs paws will be sensitive to the hot pavement during the day, make sure to take them in the morning or early evening.
Pros: They have restrooms and a shower facility.
You can have ammenities at your site or go primitive.
There are many places to launch a boat and go bass fishing.
The Okeechobee trail is great to ride your bicycle on.

Overall Fiji gives the campground and trail 1 tail wag. It's a good place to get away from the city, but there isn't much to do in the area or any real hiking trails other than the Okeechobee paved trail. However they are very dog friendly as long as you keep your pup on a leash. If you want a quiet relaxing trip to get away from the city this is a good place to visit. I will continue to put more info, such as maps of the campground and prices of sites as the week goes on, so check back!


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Welcome to blog with my dog!

Living in Florida has many perks, but by far, one of my favorite things about the area is how dog friendly it is! I started this blog so that I could pass on information to my fellow dog lovers.

Including your dog in your activities strengthens the bond between you and your pup and makes everyone happy. I am very open to suggestions and ideas, so please feel free to send in stuff so that we can expand the area in which I will cover. We (my husband, our dog Fiji, and myself) live in Coconut Grove, so most of the blogs will cover areas in South Florida, but we are trying to expand and will be exploring other parts of the state. This weekend we will be checking out Okee-tantie recreation area, and hike the Florida National Scenic Trail. Have a great weekend!