Archive for the ‘pet friendly bed and breakfast’ Category

Meet Peg, The Wonder Dog!!

April 11th, 2013 by carriagehouse

Peg the Wonder DogI would like to introduce you to the newest Carriage House Bed and Breakfast team member, Peg.  Peg is a 1.5 year old Lab/ Pointer mix and she is all puppy.  This sweet girl was adopted in February from FurrEver Pets and has been working hard for the last six week on socialization and getting used to life at a B&B.

If you look closely, you will realize that Peg is a Tripawd.  The first part of her life was awful and she has been abused horribly bad.  She was eventually thrown out along side of the road and shot.  They missed…Thank you Lord.  She was picked up and taken to a vet in Gilmer where her left front leg was amputated.

She still gets a little nervous around men.  So if she doesn’t come running up to greet you, give her some time. She has come a long way in 6 weeks and will be your best friend before you leave.  She LOVES belly rubs so that is an awesome way to say Hi to her.

As Seen on on Channel 3 in Shreveport

December 3rd, 2012 by carriagehouse

A few weeks back, I was proud to have Bob Griffin, his beautiful wife Denise, and their dog Sport come and spend a few days with me here at the Carriage House.  For those of you not in the Shreveport TV air space, Bob is the weekend anchor on KTBS, Channel 3.  Before his tenure with Channel 3, he was with KSLA Channel 12 also in the Shreveport area.

Bob never stops working and his passion for what he does was evident during his stay here.  He is a “news man” at his very heart.

He put together a 3 minute video on the Carriage House and all the things he enjoyed about his stay.  He was most impressed with our pet friendly accommodations and the fact that you can walk to just about anywhere from right here at the Carriage House.

I hope you enjoy this video. Here ya go!!!  Enjoy!!

 

Happy Birthday to the Dixie girl!!

October 11th, 2011 by carriagehouse

Dixie

It is hard to believe but today our sweet Dixie turns 9 years old.  May we all age this gracefully and beautifully.  She is a little grayer around the face but that is just wisdom showing through.

A Better Way to Stay With Your Pets

April 20th, 2011 by carriagehouse

Dixie and Alien

A few weeks ago, Tom and I broke away for a few days and went up to Hot Springs, AR.  Hot Springs is one of my favorite places to visit and it is just a quick 2.5 hour drive away from here.  How can you not love a place that calls itself Spa City?  And yes, I do take one of their famous baths every time I go there.

Like so many people, I love to travel with my two dogs (Dixie and her sidekick, The Bug).  Our first Golden Retriever, Samantha, hated riding in the car.  Dixie tolerates it and The Bug hangs out the window giddy with excitement the whole time (she can tolerate speeds up to 40 mph).  In fact, The Bug goes everywhere with me.  She loves a trip to Walmart.  She thinks hanging out in the Lowes parking lot is a blast and I will save the incident at the bank yesterday for another day.  Hint: they were out of dog biscuits. If you are looking for dogs like Samantha and Dixie, you may want to visit AmericanListed for more options.

No matter where we stay, I try and learn something new about this crazy profession of  innkeeping.  There are lessons to be learned at every type of lodging establishment.  Just because I run a B&B, doesn’t mean that hotels don’t have a few hints and tricks to show me.

This trip, we stayed at a famous hotel in downtown Hot Springs that claimed to be pet friendly.  I say they claimed to be pet friendly because they were not that pet “friendly”.  What I learned is that  just because you accept your guest’s pets doesn’t mean you are pet friendly.

When we checked in, we received a list of dog rules that we had to sign and agree to for our visit.  Some made sense such as you have to pick up after your pet.  We have this very same rule here at the Carriage House Bed & Breakfast and try and help our guests by providing complimentary waste bags.  I left Dixie’s and The Bug’s poop bags at home by mistake. It was like pulling teeth at the hotel to get them to let me have some trash bags to use. We ended up at a pet store and buying some to use during our stay.

Others seemed a little strict like you can not leave your pet  in their room unattended for any amount of time.  I understand this rule.  We struggle with this at our B&B but feel our guests know their dogs better then we do.  Our guests know what there dogs can endure and would not let their dogs or another guest get uncomfortable.  In our case, we brought Dixie’s nest and The Bugs crate so that they had their beds with them in the room.  We wanted the girls to be comfortable and feel secure in this strange place.  This rule made it very hard for us to enjoy our vacation.  How do we go out to dinner if we can not leave the girls alone in our hotel room?

In case you are not aware, our innkeeping trade organization, the Professional Association of Innkeepers or PAII (pronounced pie -how can you not love a group whose name is a dessert) has been running a marketing campaign this year called A Better Way to Stay.  This campaign’s focus is to show the traveling public that there are places better than a hotel.  That a Bed & Breakfast or Inn is often times the Better Way to Stay.  One of the things that makes the Carriage House B&B a Better Way to Stay is that we don’t just accept pets.  We are pet friendly.

Here at the Carriage House Bed & Breakfast, we want ALL of our guests to feel welcome.  We have room packages that are designed to help our two legged guests unwind and get romantic such as the Naughty and Nice package and the Love and Devotion package.  These two people packages help our two legged guests enhance their Carriage House B&B experience and make their visit at our Bed & Breakfast a Better Way to  Stay.  We also have a Pampered Pooch package to help our cold wet nose and four legged friends feel comfortable and have a Better Way to Stay.  You love a massage.  They love a massage.  You love a day at the spa.  They love a day at the spa.  You unwind and decompress.  They unwind and decompress.  Like I said, it is a Better Way to  Stay.

By the way, we did have a blast in Hot Springs!  Dixie, The Bug, and I went hiking back in the National Park every day we were there.  It was awesome.  I have no idea how many miles we went each day but the girls were no problem in the evening.  They were exhausted!  Dixie, the Golden Retriever, is a bit like an over loaded 18 wheeler.  She would have to kick it in low gear to get up the mountains but went into free fall on the way down.  The Bug is more like a sports car.  She only had one speed…90 mph.

It’s a Dog’s Life at the Carriage House B&B

February 2nd, 2011 by carriagehouse

Well the Snowcation is over and it was back to work this morning.  Dixie roused me from bed at her usual time of 6.30am.  I don’t know how she learned to read a clock but I wish she would just decide to sleep in one day.  Or at least not be so demanding about me getting up with her.  And of course as soon as I let The Bug out of her crate, we are off to the races.  Coffee, breakfast, shower and then I plop in front of my computer to see what has come in over night.

The nasty cold weather has been keeping people from traveling all week and we have had no guests here at the Carriage House since Sunday night.  Tom bravely turtled his way back on the ice from Dallas this morning.  The normal 2.5 – 3 hour drive from Allen took him 5 hours but I am so thankful that he is home.

Dixie and her trusty sidekick, The Bug, come in mid-morning from a hearty wrestling match in the yard and Dixie goes running straight to her water bowl for a large drink of water.  I noticed several weeks ago that she was drinking more water then usual.  In fact, Ms. Beverly, our housekeeper has noticed it.  Dixie’s groomer, Ms. Tracey, has noticed it.  Everyone has noticed and commented on it.  At that moment, Dixie is lapping up water like it is 110 degrees outside which it clearly is not.  So I call the vet to make an appt and he tells us to come right in.  He too is not busy.

Now a quick trip to the vets office should be no big deal…right.  I just put Dixie on her leash and I throw her into the back of my SUV.  Simple!  Some how The Bug gets out the gate at the same time and self loads into the back of the truck as well.  “Fine”, I say “but you are going to have to stay in the car” and I spend the whole 2 minute drive trying to figure out how that is going to happen.  I decide the best way to approach this is to block the car door with my body there by controlling the access.  I open the door and throw my body in front of it.  The Bug goes flying over my head and straight to the door of the office.  The vet tech thinking she was being helpful opens the door and what ensues is a scene out of one of those British comedies.  Everyone is chasing The Bug through the office.  The Bug is in front followed by Vet Tech 1, the Vet, me, and then Vet Tech 2.  She runs from room to room dodging us under furniture and slipping between us as we all grab at her sprinting little body.  We finally trap her in the surgery room (the last place I would want to be trapped).  I catch her up and carry her out to the car where she spends the rest of the visit.  Poor ol’ Dixie has to get some blood work done.

Dixie as it turns out is fine.  No Diabetes and her kidneys are fine.  The doc says that she may just be thirsty.  However, The Bug has been diagnosed as being ADHD.  Quote…”you have to get up real early in the morning to catch up with her”.  Deep Sigh.

Feeling that the days adventures are over, I sit down at my desk and start pounding out some work.  I glance out my window only to see The Bug dragging something the size of herself around the yard and into the breezeway.  Curious, I get up and go out to the breezeway where she proudly drops a dead and yet still bleeding squirrel at my feet.  Blech!  Yuck!  Aaargh!

You see, The Bug is a Feist Terrier.  If you are unfamiliar with that breed don’t feel bad.  They are a non-AKC approved breed and are only found in the rural South.  They are bred for the curious sport of squirrel hunting.  So I guess she was taping into her genetics and decided that now was as good of a time as any to go hunt a squirrel.  I double gloved before I picked up the nasty, oozing thing.

Ah well, under the instructions from Champion Rottweilers dog breeder, the morning’s escapades wore out the puppy and Dixie and they both found there way back to their respective beds.  I finally have some peace and can get some work done.  My only fear is that the day is still young and there are plenty more misadventures to be had.  Just a quick nap and then back to business of being them.

It is a dog’s life.

Bring your Pampered Pooch to a Pet Friendly Bed & Breakfast

January 28th, 2011 by carriagehouse

Just a piece of advice…don’t look at those sad puppy dog eyes as you drop your baby off at the kennel.  They love you so much and, when you leave them behind, you just break their little hearts.  Trust me.  Those sad eyes will get you every time.  You know, there is a solution that will make both of you happy.  You can come to the Carriage House B&B and treat your four legged friend to a day at the spa with our Pampered Pooch package.

The Carriage House Bed & Breakfast is one of the few pet friendly lodging establishments (bed and breakfasts, hotels, motels) in Jefferson Texas.  We allow cats and dogs (some breed restrictions) to stay in any of our rooms in the cottages in the back.  The Ladybird Cottage, the Diamond Bessie room, The Allen Urquhart room, the Ruth Lester room and the Jay Gould room are all pet friendly rooms.  In fact, many of our pet families love to stay in the Jay Gould room.  It has its very own fenced yard and is our most private room.  Please call us at 903-665-9511 for more information about your pet staying with us.

Because we want your pooch to enjoy themselves just as much as you will, we created the Pampered Pooch package.  We know you want to spoil your baby.  We just love to spoil our two pups. With our Pampered Pooch package you can treat them to a day at the doggie spa for a complete beauty treatment.  The spa will give your dog a bath, blow dry, a brush out, a trim and a cut.  If that just wasn’t enough, your puppy will also be treated to a 30 minute massage for complete relaxation.  We will also have a goody bag full of treats and toys waiting for your furry friend in the room when you check in.  The prices for this doggie package are listed on our website.

So when you plan your vacation, bring the whole family.  There is something for everyone here at the Carriage House, even your pet.

Pet Friendly Bed and Breakfast

May 20th, 2010 by

Did you know that the Carriage House is a pet friendly bed and breakfast. It is! So if you can’t leave your best friend behind when you take your summer vacation, come stay with Dixie at the Carriage House.
There is a $50 non-refundable pet deposit which is still cheaper than boarding your furry friend. All we ask while you are here is to have fun and clean up after your pet. Most types of pets are welcome but call if you are unsure.
You and your four legged friend can stay in any of the rooms located in the carriage house behind the main house. Dixie gets to keep the main house to herself. So when making your reservation, look for availability in the Ruth Lester Room, Allen Urquhart Room, Diamond Bessie Room, Ladybird Cottage, or the Jay Gould Room. In fact, most of our furry guests prefer the Jay Gould room since it has it’s own yard.
If you have any questions about our pet policy or need any assistance please give us a call at 1-866-785-0192. We look forward to seeing you and your best friend this summer!
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